Palaeoanthropological study on Homo erectus in Java

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The island Java has yielded a number of well-preserved Pleistocene hominid fossils, including the oldest ones so far as known from East Asia. In order to answer various questions concerning human evolution in Asia, we have conducted morphological studies of existing hominid fossil materials, and stratigraphic investigation of a newly discovered well-preserved skull. Major activities and results during this research period are as follows :1. Laboratory worksMorphological studies of hominid fossils have been done at the Geological Research and Development Centre, Bandung, Indonesia. A number of mandubular and dental remains, as well as the occipital bone fragment found in 1996 were examined, measured, and photographed. In the course of these studies, we found that some of the isolated dental remains previously identified as those of H.erectus were actually those of orang-utans. This finding presents important information in the interpretation of the paleoenvironment of Java during the Lo … More wer/Middle Pleistocene, which is currently a matter of debate. In addition to these activities, we have conducted a preliminary morphological investigation of the newly found skull of Homo erectus (see below) at the Laboratory of Bio- and Paleoanthropology, Gajah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.2. Firld researchesA well-preserved skull of Homo erectus was found in 1999 in the Polojo area along the Solo River, Central Java. We conducted a field research with the aim of investigating the original stratigraphic level and chronological age of this skull. This skull was apparently derived from Middle Pleistocene deposits around this area. This work is important because none of the existing Javanese hominid specimens from this time period have been assigned with good estimates of age.An interview was given to a group of local people who found this skull, and a trench was dug at the alleged findspot area. Our examination of the stratigraphy around the findspot area indicated that the skull had recently been carried away somewhere from the upstream regions. Further investigation was made in the upstream regions from the findspot area in order to specify possible original outcrops from which the skull had been washed away. We will continue this research after this year. Less