Armand Salvador Belaño Mijares

Archaeological excavations in Callao Cave, northern Luzon, Philippines have resulted in the spectacular discovery of a new species of hominin, Homo luzonensis. The Callao hominin adds to the palaeoanthropological record of H. floresiensis on the island of Flores, first reported in 2004, and the increasingly diverse Late Pleistocene hominin record of Southeast Asia in general. The mosaic of archaic and derived morphological features demonstrated by H. luzonensis (and H. floresiensis) and the species’ relatively late survival (until c. 50,000 years ago) on Luzon raises a number of important questions regarding our understanding of hominin evolution, migration, colonization and interactions with other human species. This conference brings together some of the world’s leading specialists, with a focus on the participation of regional Southeast Asian scholars. The participants will discuss the implications of the discovery of H. luzonensis for hominin evolutionary research, and address a number of significant outstanding topics in conference sessions including the hominin record of Southeast Asia, migration and evolution on islands, hominin interactions and the technological and cognitive abilities of hominins.