Conny Waters – AncientPages.com – Latest archaeological finds from the seabed of the Madura Strait separating the Indonesian islands of Java and Madura, have yielded useful insights into the existence of Homo erectus roughly 140,000 years in the past.
The Sunda Shelf of Southeast Asia, with the Indonesian archipelago. . The realm the place the fossils had been discovered (‘sand extraction space’. Picture supply
Based on Harold Berghuis, an archaeologist from Leiden, cranium fragments and different fossil stays give us a a lot better understanding the dwelling situations and habitats of those early people.
Throughout dredging operations within the Madura Strait, archaeologists uncovered the fossilized stays of 36 vertebrate species. This marks the primary discovery of fossils from the seabed positioned between the Indonesian islands.
As soon as, the area known as Sundaland was traditionally an intensive lowland space. On this now submerged space, researchers found two cranium fragments of Homo erectus.
The discoveries present a particular portrayal of a prehistoric ecosystem and make clear the position that Homo erectus performed inside it.
Fossil stays of Homo erectus have been beforehand found on the island of Java, of which most well-known are skulls from websites corresponding to Trinil, Sangiran and Ngandong.
Till lately, it was extensively believed by researchers that Homo erectus had existed in extended isolation on the island of Java. Nonetheless, latest discoveries point out that the Javanese Homo erectus dispersed throughout the bordering lowlands of Sundaland throughout epochs characterised by decrease sea ranges.
It’s probably that the species unfold alongside the principal river programs.
‘Right here that they had water, shellfish, fish, edible crops, seeds and fruit all 12 months spherical’, says Berghuis, who has indicated that it was beforehand established that Homo erectus engaged within the assortment of river shells.
The latest discoveries embody proof of minimize marks on the bones of water turtles, in addition to a big amount of fractured bovid bones. These findings counsel actions associated to searching and the consumption of bone marrow.
The brand new finds present that the Sundaland Homo erectus actively hunted wholesome, sturdy bovids, essentially the most various, widespread, and considerable household of hoofed mammals.
In earlier Homo erectus populations on Java, this observe was not noticed. Nonetheless, it’s recognized to exist amongst extra fashionable human species from the Asian mainland. It’s attainable that Homo erectus adopted this habits by imitating these populations, the researcher commented.
This suggests the chance of interactions between these hominin teams, and maybe even genetic trade.
See additionally:
Unknown 500,000-Yr-Outdated Migration Route Of Homo Erectus From Africa – Found
Final Homo Erectus Lived 117,000 Years In the past At Ngandong
The positioning has been studied intimately over the previous 5 years.
‘Typically, solely essentially the most enticing materials is printed in any such analysis, corresponding to hominin fossils. We current the outcomes of our research in 4 in depth, richly illustrated articles, creating a singular window to the drowned Sundaland of 140,000 years in the past,’ says Berghuis. The analysis was carried out by researchers from Leiden College, the Netherlands, in collaboration with a group of specialists from Indonesia, Australia, Germany and Japan.
What Did Sundaland Look Like?
In prehistoric occasions, what we all know because the Indonesian archipelago was an intensive lowland in durations with decrease sea ranges, with the present islands as mountain ranges. ‘We name this space Sundaland’, says Berghuis. ‘Homo erectus might disperse from the Asian mainland to Java.’ The overwhelming majority of Sundaland is now a shallow sea, and till now, fossils had by no means been discovered on this space.
‘This makes our discoveries really distinctive,’ says Berghuis. ‘The fossils come from a drowned river valley, which stuffed up over time with river sand. We have now been capable of date the fabric to roughly 140,000 years in the past. That was the penultimate glacial interval. Giant components of the northern hemisphere had been lined by glaciers, and a lot water on Earth was saved in ice caps that the worldwide sea stage was 100 metres decrease than as we speak.’
Sundaland Was As soon as Like African Savannah
At the moment, Sundaland resembled as we speak’s African savannah: a reasonably dry grassland with slender strips of forest alongside the main rivers and a wealthy fauna together with numerous species of elephants, bovids, rhinos and crocodiles.
‘Most of those species are extinct, whereas others are the ancestors of species that also happen within the area, however whose survival is significantly threatened. The Asian hippo is extinct. Carnivorous Komodo dragons are actually restricted to the islands of Komodo and Flores, and river sharks are extraordinarily uncommon within the main rivers of India and Thailand.
These animals thrived in historical Sundaland, which is essential for understanding Southeast Asia’s biodiversity.
The fossil assortment is within the Geological Museum in Bandung, Indonesia. The museum plans an exhibition with attainable non permanent exhibits elsewhere.
Written by Conny Waters – AncientPages.com Employees Author
