Abstract The colonization of Sahul—the Pleistocene continent combining Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania—remains one of the most profound chapters in the history of Homo sapiens . It marks the first time our species ventured beyond the biogeographical limits of Africa and Eurasia, crossing the formidable deep-water barriers of the Wallacean Archipelago. For decades, the "Southern Route" via the Lesser Sunda Islands (including Timor) was considered a primary conduit for this

Introduction In the annals of maritime archaeology, the rediscovery of Thonis-Heracleion stands as a watershed moment, bridging the chasm between mythological obscurity and historical tangibility. For over a millennium, this ancient port city, situated at the mouth of the Canopic branch of the Nile, existed primarily within the fragmented narratives of classical historians and the whispered legends of a city swallowed by the sea. It was the "Atlantis of the Nile," a place whe