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Stone tools from mid-pleistocene sediments in java.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|November 24, 1978
Summary
Two stone tools were discovered in mid-Pleistocene Java deposits. These findings represent the earliest in-situ evidence of hominid tool use in the region.
Area of Science:
- Paleoanthropology
- Archaeology
- Geology
Background:
- Mid-Pleistocene channel fills at Sambungmachan, Java, previously yielded hominid remains and fauna.
- Previous discoveries indicated hominid presence but lacked in-situ artifactual evidence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report the discovery of in-situ stone tools in mid-Pleistocene deposits on Java.
- To establish the earliest archaeological evidence for hominid activity in this specific Javanese region.
Main Methods:
- Excavation of mid-Pleistocene channel fills.
- Stratigraphic analysis of artifact-bearing deposits.
- Faunal analysis for chronological dating.
Main Results:
- Discovery of a chopper and a retouched flake in primary depositional context.
- Association of artifacts with a mid-Pleistocene fauna.
- Confirmation of in-situ placement of tools within the channel fills.
Conclusions:
- The Sambungmachan artifacts represent the first in-situ stone tools from mid-Pleistocene Java.
- These findings provide crucial evidence for early hominid technological capabilities and presence in Southeast Asia during the mid-Pleistocene.
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