Rafts at Sea

Preview this chapter:

Rafts at Sea, Page 1 of 1

< Previous page | Next page > /docserver/preview/fulltext/9781681080192/chapter-7-1.gif

Furnished with and emboldened by an increasing understanding of the technology of seagoing rafts, the First Mariners project examines the question of how early hominins crossed sea barriers successfully to colonize Wallacean islands. Both the straits separating Lombok from Sumbawa and Sumbawa from Komodo/Flores are subjected to such attention. Although both experiments succeed ultimately, they also confirm that due to the transverse currents regulating all sea narrows it is impossible to traverse them without adequate propelling power to overcome these strong currents. The chapter concludes with a theoretical discussion of the variables determining the conditions under which Pleistocene sea crossings were accomplished.