The ancestors of the ancient “Hobbits” who once lived on the island of Flores, Indonesia were not the only early humans who crossed the deep-sea barrier a million years ago.
A team of archaeologists from Indonesia and Australia has now discovered the tool of a mysterious neighbor who lived on the northern island of Sulawesi at about the same time, if not earlier.
“The impossible of these early humans has the cognitive abilities (especially the ability to advanced planning) required to invent a ship,” Adam Brumm, an expeditionist and co-leader, told Sciencealert.
“Humans are more likely to arrive in Sulawesi by chance, which is most likely the result of ‘drift’ on natural vegetation pads. This is made by rodents and monkeys from the Asian continent to arrive in Sulawesi this way.”
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Seven flakes on Sulawesi were found at different depths below the ground, but the age of the tool ranged from 1.04 million to 1.48 million years, according to dates of local sandstone and nearby pig fossils.
If correct, these artifacts could represent the earliest evidence of Wallacea’s human activity, a series of mainly Indonesian archipelagos that has isolated Asia and the Australian continent for millions of years.
The identity of the isolated tool maker remains a mystery.
Brumm has been studying early humans in the region for decades and has led a recent archaeological expedition on Sulawesi with Budianto Hakim of the Indonesian Bureau of Research and Innovation (BRIN).
The study of ScienceAlert by archaeologist Debbie, who was not involved in the discovery, “most important” tells Sciencealert because they add to the shocking fact that early Pleistocene humans could somehow make maritime crossings.
“There is evidence that three islands that have never been attached to the mainland – Flores, Luzon and now Sulawesi – Southeast Asian islands are shaping into extraordinary boundaries for human evolution. ”
Stone tools found in Sulawesi. (MW Moore/University of New England)
So far, the earliest stone tools in Wallacea (think 1.02 million years) are from the island of Flores.
Flores is an archaeologist Discover A brief HOMO FLORESIENSIS – Also known as the “hobbit” – in a cave 2003. This meter tall human (3.3 feet) Brain size grapefruit When the world is discovered, it surprises the world because it doesn’t look like other early humans.
remains H. Floriensis Dating up to 100,000 years agobut its supposed ancestors are on the island Dating for 700,000 years. The 1.02 million historic stone tools on Flores may have been made by these ancestors – Whether it is falling from upright Or another human species on the Asian continent.
According to a 2021 interview with archaeologist Lucy Timbrell, Brumm unexpectedly happened on Flores’ tools, while being “a shocking hangover for nursing” due to a local rural ceremony the night before.
“Although I stumbled and tripped in a sultry state, I found some streamlined stone tools that eroded some severe stone tools in the exposed river conglomerate at the bottom of the ditches,” Brumm recalled in an interview.
“Since then, I’ve tried to make major archaeological discoveries while on a hangover, but that only works once.”
Collection of stone tools found in Sulawesi. (MW Moore/University of New England)
Archaeologists have not found human fossils on Sulawesi, but evidence of stone tools suggests their existence.
It is not clear whether the Sulawesi population is associated with humans in Flores, but the late Mike Morwood H. Floresiensis From.
“We have always suspected that humans were established in Sulawesi for a long time, but until now we have not found clear evidence.”
Under the influence of Morewood’s thoughts, Bloom suspected that Sulawesi was once a stepping stone for Flores from Flores (who once stretched to Java and Borneo).
In 2010, Morwood told guardian He suspects that the tools on Sulawesi can be traced back to 2 million years. “This will put the cat in the pigeon,” he said at the time.
There is no doubt that Brumm and Hakim’s team will be excited about the recent work.
Now archaeologists plan to search for the direct remains of Sulawesi, the remains of these mysterious tool makers.
“We are still working on young sites and we want to arrive at the early stages of humanity that happened on the island at least 65,000 years ago,” Bloom said.
The study was published in nature.
