Pleistocene Human Migration and Occupation in the Remotest Island in East Asia: Recent Findings from the Miyako Island, Okinawa, Japan

FUJITA Masaki1*, YAMAGIWA Kaishi2, ISHIHARA Yoshiro3, KAMESHIMA Shingo4, Seita Gushiken4, Chiaki Katagiri4, and ONO Rintaro5

Miyako Island, one of the remotest islands in East Asia, is located at southern Okinawa, Japan. It is 300 km southwest from Okinawa Island, and 120 km northeast from Ishigaki Island, both of which were successively occupied by Pleistocene people. In addition to this isolated location, its area is only 160 km2 and the altitude is less than 113 m above sea level, so it is almost invisible from the surrounding islands. The earliest evidence of human occupation in Miyako is the partial human remains dating back approximately 30,000 years ago found at Pinza-abu Cave, although no cultural artifacts have been discovered. The second oldest archaeological evidence was 3,000 years old. Therefore, Miyako Island was thought to be too small for prehistoric habitation, because this small island, which is covered with Pleistocene limestone, is limited in lithic materials and terrestrial animals. However, our recent excavation at Tsuzupisuki-abu Cave found several cultural layers dating back at least 13,000 years ago. It contains partial human skeleton, pottery fragments, chert flakes, and animal remains including wild boar, marine fish, marine shells, and so on. In the present paper, we discuss the resource utilization on Miyako Island and the cultural relationship with the surrounding area during Pleistocene based on the new findings at Tsuzupisuki-abu Cave.