A chronology for late prehistoric Madagascar

Area of Science:

• Paleoclimatology and Paleoecology
• Archaeology and Paleoanthropology

Background:

• A comprehensive database of 278 age determinations for Madagascar has been compiled.
• Radiocarbon (14C) dating was applied to sediments, plant macrofossils, and extinct megafaunal remains (bones, teeth, eggshells).
• Additional dating utilized uranium-series on speleothems and thermoluminescence on pottery.

Observation:

• The study documents late Pleistocene climatic shifts and late Holocene environmental transformations attributed to human activity.
• Earliest human presence is indicated around 2300 14C yr BP (350 cal yr BC).
• A significant decline in megafauna, evidenced by reduced fungal spores (Sporormiella spp.), occurred around 1720+/-40 14C yr BP (230-410 cal yr AD), followed by increased charcoal, suggesting widespread environmental impact.

Findings:

• Most extinct megafaunal taxa, including giant lemurs, hippopotami, and ratites, coexisted with humans for over a millennium.
• Several lemur species (e.g., Hadropithecus stenognathus, Pachylemur insignis) and elephant birds (Aepyornis spp.) persisted until the end of the first millennium AD.
• Some species, like Palaeopropithecus ingens and Megaladapis edwardsi, may have survived until the mid-second millennium AD.

Implications:

• This research provides critical chronological data for understanding Madagascar's paleoenvironment and the impact of human arrival.
• It highlights the long-term coexistence of humans and megafauna, challenging previous assumptions about extinction timelines.
• The findings underscore the profound and lasting environmental changes driven by human populations in Madagascar over millennia.