The first modern humans in Southeast Asia Archaeological
evidence shows that modern humans had reached Southeast Asia by
70,000 years ago, however the oldest securely dated modern human
remains are only about 40,000 years old. There are two very
different theories regarding the origins of modern Southeast
Asians. The viewpoints about the origins of these peoples are
entangled with the wider debate regarding the origins of all
modern humans. - The generally accepted theory, based on the
'Out of Africa' model, is that modern humans migrated from
Africa and across to Asia about 50-70,000 years ago. The first
Asian people, represented by the skulls from the Upper Cave at
Zhoukoudian in China, more closely resemble contemporary
Africans and Europeans than they do modern Asians. - Some
scientists believe that Southeast Asians are the direct
descendants of Homo erectus that migrated from Africa and across
to Asia about 1.8 million years ago. The physical features
typical of modern Asians can thus be traced back to H