Madjedbebe–Sahul dispersal model debate

Record summary

The proposed 65,000-year Madjedbebe date has prompted renewed modelling of how people crossed Wallacea and occupied Sahul, including debates over a northern route through New Guinea versus southern routes toward Australia. The lead is not a single artefact but a defined scholarly controversy involving site dates, palaeogeography, sea-level reconstructions, and population movement simulations. It matters for comparing archaeological chronology with genetic and linguistic evidence. Uncertainty is high because models inherit assumptions about coastlines, vessel capabilities, and sparse early sites.