Regarding the taxonomic status of the first anatomically modern humans in Sunda and Sahul, it is important to mention discussions of the status of the skull WLH-50 from Australia (Hawks et al., 2000; Wolpoff, 1989; Stinger, 1998). The skull has been discovered in the Willandra Lakes region, including Lake Mungo. The U-series date of the cranium is 15–13 ka BP, and ESR date is nearly twice as early (Hawks et al., 2000). This discovery is still a hotly debated issue between the proponents of the multiregional theory and those supporting the Recent African Origin model. Both agree that the cranium is anatomically modern, but disagree on its place in the phylogeny of the early Australians.
Without going into details, it should be emphasized that the present author finds the viewpoints suggested by proponents of the multiregional model more convincing (Wolpoff, 1989; Hawks et al., 2000). Using the data on the Ngandong hominids, Late Pleistocene African hominids and Skhul and Qafzeh humans, the authors conclude that the results of multivariative statistical analysis disprove the idea of complete population replacement in Australia. The analysis supports the idea of a phylogenetic relationship between Ngandong and WLH-50. The Ngandong hominids are among the ancestors of WLH -50 as would be predicted under the terms of the multiregional hypothesis of human origins. This conclusion casts doubt on the idea that the Ngandong hominids are members of the H. erectus taxon and suggest that that they should be regarded as members of the H. sapiens taxon (Hawks et al, 2000, p. 21).
Nonetheless, whatever the final conclusion may be, a new data resulted from the studies of paleoanthropological materials discovered in China indicate that anatomically modern humans originated in this region. The same process took place in Southeast Asia. This idea is supported by abundant archaeological material from dozens of Paleolithic sites in East and Southeast Asia, which provides evidence of cultural continuity in the Sino-Malayan zone over the last million years. Abrupt environmental changes such as cooling may have restricted the distribution area of Pleistocene humans, but Homo erectus populations never abandoned it. They evolved in a continuous manner both culturally and biologically.
The continuity in cultural evolution in the South Pacific area is demonstrated by finds from Lake Mungo. Finds represent an industry based on single-platform and multiplatform cores. Tools were made on flakes and special blanks. Side scrapers are the most frequent category. Denticulate-notched tools, becs, end-scrapers, etc., were also used. The tools were manufactured through single-faceted and multifaceted retouch mostly on the dorsal side. This industry was common in East and Southeast Asia until 30 – 20 ka BP and in Australia up to 10 ka BP. Lithic industries of Southern and East Asia reveal no resemblance with those distributed in Africa within the chronological bracket of 70‑30ka BP.
