Age and context of the oldest known hominin fossils from Flores

Adam Brumm*, Gerrit D. Van Den Bergh, Michael Storey, Iwan Kurniawan, Brent V. Alloway, Ruly Setiawan, Erick Setiyabudi, Rainer Grün, Mark W. Moore, Dida Yurnaldi, Mika R. Puspaningrum, Unggul P. Wibowo, Halmi Insani, Indra Sutisna, John A. Westgate, Nick J.G. Pearce, Mathieu Duval, Hanneke J.M. Meijer, Fachroel Aziz, Thomas SutiknaSander Van Der Kaars, Stephanie Flude, Michael J. Morwood

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    71 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Recent excavations at the early Middle Pleistocene site of Mata Menge in the So'a Basin of central Flores, Indonesia, have yielded hominin fossils attributed to a population ancestral to Late Pleistocene Homo floresiensis. Here we describe the age and context of the Mata Menge hominin specimens and associated archaeological findings. The fluvial sandstone layer from which the in situ fossils were excavated in 2014 was deposited in a small valley stream around 700 thousand years ago, as indicated by 40Ar/39 Ar and fission track dates on stratigraphically bracketing volcanic ash and pyroclastic density current deposits, in combination with coupled uranium-series and electron spin resonance dating of fossil teeth. Palaeoenvironmental data indicate a relatively dry climate in the So'a Basin during the early Middle Pleistocene, while various lines of evidence suggest the hominins inhabited a savannah-like open grassland habitat with a wetland component. The hominin fossils occur alongside the remains of an insular fauna and a simple stone technology that is markedly similar to that associated with Late Pleistocene H. floresiensis.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)249-253
    Number of pages5
    JournalNature
    Volume534
    Issue number7606
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 8 Jun 2016

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Age and context of the oldest known hominin fossils from Flores'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this