Late Pleistocene Homo erectus in Java?: Investigating the context, associations, and age of the world's youngest H. erectus sites

爪哇的更新世晚期直立人？：调查世界上最年轻的直立人遗址的背景、关联和年龄

• 批准号: 0317292
• 负责人: Susan Anton
• 金额: $ 10.5万
• 依托单位: Rutgers University New Brunswick
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2003
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2003-07-15 至 2004-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0317292&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Late; Pleistocene; Homo; erectus; Java

Populations of Homo erectus may have survived into the late Pleistocene of Java (50,000 years ago), possibly coexisting with modern humans (H. sapiens) in both time and space. Such survival of H. erectus would parallel the coexistence of Neandertals and modern humans in Europe and also begs the question of why only modern humans remain in both regions today. This project tests whether such late-surviving populations of H. erectus existed in Indonesia through a two-year field program in the Solo River Valley, Java. The team will undertake new excavations, microstratigraphic work, and systematic faunal and taphonomic analyses of recovered remains at known sites in the 20 meter terrace (e.g. Jigar, Ngandong) and identify other sites in a similar geological context for test excavation. The team will also test the accuracy of the previously acquired radiometric age estimates (U-series/ESR ages) using other techniques (including radiocarbon (14C), closed system U-series, luminescence and cosmogenic radionuclide techniques). This is the first project to focus explicitly on questions of assemblage formation in Indonesia. These data, in conjunction with those developed for African and Eurasian localities, are critical pieces to modeling the evolution and dispersal of H. erectus.This project establishes a long term collaborative research and training program between Indonesian and American scholars dedicated to answering scientific questions and to the development of Indonesian scientific opportunities. The program is designed to include training opportunities for Indonesian and American students and infrastructure for Indonesian scientists and collections. Field and laboratory training opportunities and at least two PhD projects will be provided for Indonesian graduate students in addition to practical training in curation of systematic collections, taphonomic analyses, and geological field and excavation techniques. International field training will be provided for at least two American graduate students. The program is likewise designed to foster relationships between Indonesian and American graduate students with the goal of encouraging the creation of additional productive collaborations, such as the one between the PI and her Indonesian counterpart. The U.S. graduate students are female, the project thus provides field opportunities in areas (field geology and field paleoanthropology) in which women have been traditionally underrepresented. The project also supports laboratory training of at least one American undergraduate. Scientific research will be supported by augmenting the laboratory collections of Gadjah Mada University with additional computer equipment for field and lab archiving and by assisting in systematic curation efforts. Infrastructure, including curatorial equipment, are provided to ensure an appropriate environment for long term study.

直立人种群可能存活到爪哇更新世晚期（5万年前），并可能在时间和空间上与现代人类（智人）共存。 直立人的这种生存与欧洲尼安德特人和现代人类的共存是平行的，同时也引出了一个问题：为什么今天这两个地区都只剩下现代人类了。 该项目通过在爪哇梭罗河谷进行为期两年的实地计划，测试印度尼西亚是否存在这种晚期直立人种群。 该团队将对 20 米台地已知地点（例如 Jigar、Ngandong）发现的遗骸进行新的发掘、微观地层学工作以及系统的动物和埋藏学分析，并确定具有类似地质背景的其他地点进行测试挖掘。 该团队还将使用其他技术（包括放射性碳（14C）、封闭系统U系列、发光和宇宙放射性核素技术）测试先前获得的辐射年龄估计（U系列/ESR年龄）的准确性。 这是第一个明确关注印度尼西亚组合形成问题的项目。 这些数据与为非洲和欧亚地区开发的数据一起，是模拟直立人的进化和扩散的关键部分。该项目在印度尼西亚和美国学者之间建立了一个长期合作研究和培训计划，致力于回答科学问题和发展印度尼西亚的科学机会。 该计划旨在包括为印度尼西亚和美国学生提供培训机会以及为印度尼西亚科学家和收藏提供基础设施。 除了系统收藏管理、埋藏学分析以及地质现场和挖掘技术方面的实践培训外，还将为印度尼西亚研究生提供实地和实验室培训机会以及至少两个博士项目。 将为至少两名美国研究生提供国际实地培训。 该项目同样旨在促进印度尼西亚和美国研究生之间的关系，目的是鼓励建立更多富有成效的合作，例如 PI 与印度尼西亚同行之间的合作。 美国研究生都是女性，因此该项目为传统上女性代表性不足的领域（野外地质学和野外古人类学）提供了实地机会。 该项目还支持至少一名美国本科生的实验室培训。 科学研究将得到支持，通过增加用于现场和实验室归档的计算机设备来扩大加扎马达大学的实验室收藏，并协助系统性的管理工作。 提供包括馆藏设备在内的基础设施，以确保为长期研究提供适当的环境。