S40-1

The Conception of Neolithic Networks in the Northern Philippines: The Ceramics of Squares 8 and 9 of Callao Cave

Archaeological Studies Program, University of the Philippines, Philippines

The Philippines is positioned at a unique and important location between East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. One key region, the Northern Philippines, has garnered the attention of many Neolithic scholars due to its relevance and significance in the Out-of-Taiwan hypothesis, proposed by Peter Bellwood. However, Neolithic research in the Philippines has received little attention in recent years, and hypotheses regarding population movements and connectivity have not been addressed using modern analytical techniques. The Neolithic pottery recovered from excavations conducted at Callao Cave, northern Luzon, specifically materials uncovered during the 2020 season, have yet to be studied in great detail but have the potential to redress this research deficiency. As part of this project a range of analytical techniques have been employed including stylistic and typological analyses, XRF, and mineral petrography in order to investigate the Philippine Northern Neolithic Network. By taking Callao Cave as the Ego node, the author will attempt to build a network in relation to other Northern Cagayan sites, Peñablanca Cave Sites, and the Batanes Islands and investigate Neolithic complexity in the Northern regions of the Philippine archipelago. This project incorporates other hypotheses concerning potential Philippine connectivity, notably Wilhelm Solheim’s Nusantao hypothesis.