TBH1: 12 000-year-old human skeleton and projectile point shed light on demographics and mortality in Terminal Pleistocene Southeast Asia

Abstract

The paucity of well-preserved and dated Pleistocene human remains impedes investigation of demographics and interactions in Late Pleistocene populations in Southeast Asia. Here, we report TBH1, an exceptionally well-preserved approximately 35-year-old male skeleton dated 12 500–12 000 years before present that provides rare insights into these debates. Superior preservation permitted detailed testing of different models of biological affinity and recovery of the earliest mitochondrial DNA evidence from Vietnam. Morphometric analyses indicated an affiliation with extant Southeast Asian Island populations, but with closest overall affiliation with regional Late Pleistocene data. Mitochondrial DNA sequencing showed unambiguous clustering within the M macrohaplogroup and a relationship with the early hunter–gatherer populations of South and Southeast Asia. While osteological analysis indicated good health during life, localized trauma to an accessory cervical rib was detected together with a small quartz flake with characteristics of a micropoint—an exotic technology within existing paradigms—in the immediate superio-posterior thoracic region. A case for a premortem timing for this injury, inflicted by the artefact, is presented. The trauma and subsequent infection are the likely cause of death and, to our knowledge, the earliest indication of interpersonal conflict from mainland Southeast Asia.