The prehistoric human inhabitants of tropical Southeast Asia were faced with markedly different environmental circumstances than people living there today. At the time of the Last Glacial Maximum (18,000 years ago) lower sea levels and cooler conditions affected the prehistoric landscape exposing the subcontinent of Sundaland and reducing the extent of rain forest in favor of more seasonal flora and fauna. How these circumstances affected prehistoric human diet is the subject of this research. This paleodietary study will examine stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes and dental pathology and wear data derived from terminal Pleistocene and Holocene skeletal materials. Results will be interpreted within the context of changes in subsistence and settlement in the region. Distinctions between foraging groups depending on marine food resources will be made against those subsisting more on terrestrial foods. Changes in diet associated with the transition to agriculture will be examined as will the issue of rain forest habitation prior to this transition.
