This session explores some of the most enduring archaeological questions concerning Southeast Asia's deep pasts: When and how did modern humans arrive in mainland and island Southeast Asia? What were the pathways to agriculture and early sedentism? How did ancient communities manage and transform tropical and island ecologies? What roles did trade, mobility, and environmental resilience play in the emergence or collapse of complex societies? To address these questions, researchers have increasingly turned to microarchaeological techniques, which offer fine-grained contextual insights into human-environment interactions, subsistence, land-use, and cultural practice. Techniques such as microstratigraphy, palaeogenomics and palaeoproteomics, biomolecular archaeology, and highly spatially-resolved geochemistry are allowing archaeologists to identify ecological, dietary, and behavioural patterns that would otherwise remain invisible using conventional archaeological approaches.

We invite papers showcasing innovative applications of microarchaeological techniques in the Southeast Asian contexts, especially those integrating local knowledge and community-led priorities. We also welcome critical reflections on methodological challenges, data interpretation, and ethical dimensions of scientific archaeology. By bringing together researchers working at the intersection of the science and archaeology, we aim to foster dialogue on how microarchaeology can address longstanding debates and shape future directions in the Archaeology of the Indo-Pacific's regional centre.