People...
    

    When the ice melted and land bridges sank, the neolithic era began. It was the start of dramatic changes in the tools of ancient man. tools during this period were much more superior to the simple chert and river pebbles of the paleolithc man. Axes, gouges made by flaking, and then later on polishing and sawing hard stone, are some of these tools which were used to fell trees and provide clearings for planting. Another kind of tool found in this era, shell adzes, were made from giant clams called Indaena gigas. These tools which are, according to Fox, common only in the Pacific were found in cave sites in Palawan. These were identical to adzes found in cave sites in Micronesia, and had also been excavated in Sulu. Charcoal samples estimate it to be 5,000 years old, fitting the estimate when man first sailed into the Pacific.
      Neolithic people were mobile, most probably seafarers. There are two general theories on where the neolithic man who inhabited the Phililippines comes from, as is discussed by Solheim and Bellwood in the Language part of this web site.
      In 500-400 BC, People started to use gold, silver and bronze. Fox believes that the usage of these came earlier than iron, which he surmised had been used in 200 BC. Because of this, Fox does not believe that there ever was a true Bronze Age. Instead, there was a shifting from stone tools to iron implements. Because of the rapid spread of iron, the age of the development of bronze, and even of copper was submerged. Along with the development of bronze, which Fox believes to have been recast and not made locally (the islands have no source of tin), were the coming of glass and jade ornaments, the most known of which was nephrite. Similar recoveries in South China and Northern Indochina prompts Fox to suggest major movements from the south of China, towards the south of mainland Asia, and eventually reaching the Philippines, by boat, passing through the margins of the land. It is too treacherous, according to Fox, for the ancinet man to have crossed the South Cina Sea. Thus, the Philippines have closer ties with South China in terms of culture.
      Changes in this period were dramatic. It has not been established whether glass was recast here or were made locally, but use of it became extensive. Weaving was done using back looms, arguably the ones that are still being used by those in the Mountain Province and Mindanao. Cloth weaved from abaca fiber replaced the bark cloth among the "sophisticate people," as Fox calls them. Agriculture, which was introduced during the neolithic period, improved and so did horticulture. Settlements were found among the coasts, bays, or rivers. This made it easier for the people to catch fish and gather shellfish for tools and food.
      The period of trade began in the 11th century, or possibly earlier. Fox believes that the earliest traders who traded in the islands were Arabs. The Chinese came during the 13th century and traded porcelain for stonewares and local pottery. Trade potteries represented formal trade relations between the two countries. 40,000 pieces have been recovered in the Philippines with 80% coming from South China. The earthenware vessels and jars produced locally were gradually being replaced by jars with dragon designs.

    

TM