Foraging in Island Rainforests During the Last Glacial Maximum: Archaeological Research on Biak Island, Papua

Marlin Tolla1*, Dylan Gaffney2, Patrick Roberts3, Sofwan Noerwidi1, Anton Ferdianto1, Taufiqurrahman Setiawan1, Restu Budi Sulistiyo1, Sonya Kawer4, Muhammad Fadhlan S. Intan1, and Sigit Eko Prasetyo1

1National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Indonesia;2 University of Oxford, United Kingdom; 3Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Germany; 4Universitas Cenderawasih, Indonesia; *marl011@brin.go.id

Tropical island rainforests have long been viewed as marginal environments for Late Pleistocene foragers, particularly during the climatic instability of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). New archaeological evidence from the Inumaki site on Biak Island, Papua, Indonesia, dating to the LGM provides insights into the timing and nature of human occupation in northern Sahul and expands the sparse Pleistocene record of this region. The assemblage indicates sustained human presence supported by a broad-spectrum foraging strategy integrating terrestrial and coastal resources. Technological diversity reflects flexible adaptive responses to fluctuating ecological conditions in a small-island environment. These findings demonstrate the capacity of Late Pleistocene populations to persist in tropical island rainforests and refine our understanding of human ecological expansion during a period of significant climatic and environmental change.