In these debates, we have seen much interest in the question of possible water crossings
from the African continent for H. ergaster/H. erectus and, of course, for early H. sapiens. In
the literature, this discussion has, too often, been the province of the biologists, the physical
anthropologists. But for a terrestrial hominin, viable breeding populations do not cross water
on the wind or the waves. It is not biology that allows the crossing of water, it is culture, and
that is the province of the archaeologist. Water is crossed by technology and technology is
created by culture as reflected by social organization, social need and language (or at least,
complex communication). The question of water crossings is inextricably linked to cultural
capability.
The earliest confirmed maritime crossings by modern H. sapiens remain those from the
Indonesian/Malaysian archipelago to Sahul (New Guinea and Australia) in excess of 40 kya