Sumatra sits at key geographical and temporal crossroads for understanding the prehistory of Southeast Asia. It preserves some of the earliest evidence of our species in the region, hosts important midden and cave sites that preserve transitions between pre-Neolithic, Neolithic, and metal tool-bearing cultures, and was a major trading and migration hub, facilitating interactions and movements of Austronesians, Hindu, and Chinese, amongst others. These events occurred under a backdrop of changing climatic and environmental conditions and major geological events, which are still poorly understood regionally. Despite the importance of this island for understanding Southeast Asia, research into its prehistory is scattered and rarely considered holistically. This session will provide an opportunity for scholars and researchers to present the latest findings and integrated knowledge of the prehistory of Sumatra and surrounding regions, thereby making the case that it continues to be a land of connections for people, past, present and future. We invite presentations that are using research in Sumatra as an avenue to understanding the broader Indo-Pacific region and those that emphasise connections between island and mainland Southeast Asia.