Evidence of modern human habitation in Malaysia dates back 40,000 years.[38] In the Malay Peninsular, the first inhabitants are thought to be Negritos.[39] Traders and settlers from India and China arrived as early as the first century AD, establishing trading ports and coastal towns in the second and third centuries. Their presence resulted in strong Indian and Chinese influences on the local cultures, and the people of the Malay Peninsula adopted the religions of Hinduism and Buddhism. Sanskrit inscriptions appear as early as the fourth or fifth century.[40] The Kingdom of Langkasuka arose around the second century in the northern area of the Malay Peninsula, lasting until about the 15th century.[34] Between the 7th and 13th centuries, much of the southern Malay Peninsula was part of the maritime Srivijaya Empire. After the fall of Srivijaya, the Majapahit Empire had influence over most of Peninsular Malaysia and the Malay Archipelago.[41] Islam began to spread among Malays in the 14th century.[4] In the early 15th century, Parameswara, a prince of the former Srivijayan Empire, founded the Malacca Sultanate, commonly considered the first independent state in the peninsula area.[42] Malacca was an important commercial centre during this time, attracting trade from around the region.