Indonesia has a rich and diverse archaeological record, dating back millions of years. The best may still be buried under volcanic ash and jungle. Some of the most notable ancient discoveries in Indonesia include:

Sangiran: One of the most important sites in the world for studying hominid fossils, including Homo erectus. The Sangiran Early Man Site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has yielded some of the most important fossils of early humans ever found.

Trinil: The site of the discovery of Java Man, an early human fossil. In 1891, Dutch physician Eugène Dubois discovered the remains of a human skull and femur at Trinil, on the island of Java. The fossils were dated to be about 1.8 million years old, making them some of the earliest known examples of Homo erectus.

Liang Bua: The limestone cave on the island of Flores where the fossil of Homo floresiensis, nicknamed the Hobbit, was discovered in 2003. The Hobbit was a small-bodied hominin that lived on Flores until about 17,000 years ago. Its discovery challenged our understanding of human evolution and the human migration of Southeast Asia.

Borobudur: A massive Buddhist temple complex in Central Java. Borobudur is the largest Buddhist temple in the world and is considered one of the greatest architectural achievements of the ancient world. It was built in the 9th century and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Volcanic ash buried this massive complex for centuries.

Prambanan: A Hindu temple complex in Central Java. Prambanan is the second largest temple complex in Indonesia and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was built in the 9th century and is dedicated to the Trimurti, the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.

Prambanan is near Yogyakarta and just a few hours from Borobudur.

These are just a few of the many ancient discoveries that have been made in Indonesia. The country’s rich and diverse archaeological record continues to be a source of fascination and wonder for scholars and visitors alike.

The theory that people from other planets visited Indonesia in the past has been popularized by the History Channel show Ancient Aliens. The show has featured several episodes that feature sites across Indonesia:

• Season 9, Episode 3: “Hidden Pyramids”: This episode explores the theory that the Gunung Padang megalithic site on the island of Java is actually a gigantic pyramid that was built by ancient aliens.
• Season 10, Episode 4: “The Lost Empire of Lemuria”: This episode explores the theory that the lost continent of Lemuria was located in the Indian Ocean, and that its inhabitants were advanced beings who were visited by ancient aliens.
• Season 11, Episode 1: “The Rise of the Gods”: This episode explores the theory that the ancient gods of Indonesia were actually ancient aliens who came to Earth to teach humans about advanced technology.

Gunung Padang is a megalithic site located in Karyamukti, Campaka, Cianjur Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 30 kilometres (19 mi) southwest of the regency seat or 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from Lampegan station. Located at 885 metres (2,904 ft) above sea level, the site covers a hill, an extinct volcano, in a series of five terraces bordered by retaining walls of stone that are accessed by 370 successive andesite steps rising about 95 metres (312 ft). It is covered with massive hexagonal stone columns of volcanic origin.

The site was first mentioned in a 1914 report by the Dutch archaeologist N. J. Krom, who described it as a “mound of stones”. The site was not excavated until 1979, when three local residents reported it to the government. Excavations have been ongoing since then, and the site has been found to be much larger and more complex than originally thought.

The site is believed to have been built over a period of several thousand years, and it is thought to have been a sacred site for a number of different cultures. The site is also thought to have been used for astronomical observations.

The Gunung Padang site is one of the most important megalithic sites in Southeast Asia.

It is a testament to the engineering skills and sophistication of the ancient people who built it. The site is also a source of great mystery and speculation, and it continues to be a popular tourist destination. Here are some additional details about the Gunung Padang site:

• The site is made up of a series of five terraces, each of which is surrounded by a retaining wall of stone.
• The terraces are covered with massive hexagonal stone columns of volcanic origin.
• The site is thought to have been built over a period of several thousand years.
• The site is thought to have been a sacred site for a number of different cultures.
• The site is also thought to have been used for astronomical observations.
• The Gunung Padang site is one of the most important megalithic sites in Southeast Asia.
• It is a testament to the engineering skills and sophistication of the ancient people who built it.
• The site is also a source of great mystery and speculation, and it continues to be a popular tourist destination.

Indonesia is the fourth-largest nation in the world with more than 267 million people. The country has more than 17,500 islands, including Bali, Borneo, Java, Lombok, Sumatra and Sulawesi.

Indonesia is the fourth-largest nation in the world with more than 267 million people. The country has more than 17,500 islands, including Bali, Borneo, Java, Lombok, Sumatra and Sulawesi. Learn where to go, what do and what to say.

Get the most from your trip with the Language and Travel Guide to Indonesia. Learn where to go and what to say. Thousands of islands. Hundreds of cultures. One book. Indonesian. Watch ourIndonesian tutorial.

The post Archaeology, Anthropology Unveiling Indonesian History appeared first on Language and Travel Guide To Indonesia.

In 1890, Eugene Dubois, a Dutch medical doctor, traveled to Indonesia in search of human ancestors. In 1891, he discovered Homo erectus fossils and made hominid hunting a new profession. Asia soon became a top destination for paleoanthropologists.

Dubois discovered Java Man, an early human fossil on the island of Java. The fossil is estimated at 700,000 to 1,000,000 years old. At the time of its discovery, it was the oldest hominid fossils ever found. It remains the defining specimen for Homo erectus.

Dubois traveled to Southeast Asia with the hope of finding an ancestor of modern man. After searching for fossils on the island of Sumatra, he moved to Java in 1890. With the help of two army sergeants and a number of convict laborers, he began work in August 1891 along the Solo River at Trinil. He first discovered a skullcap and then a femur. Dubois argued that he had found a missing link in the evolution between apes and humans.

Java man was characterized by a moderate cranial capacity, a flat skull with little forehead, a crest along the top of the head for attachment of powerful jaw muscles, very thick skull bones, heavy brows, and a massive jaw with no chin. The teeth are essentially human though with some apelike features, such as large, partly overlapping canines. Thighbones show that Java man walked fully erect, like modern man, and attained a height of about 170 cm (5 feet 8 inches).

Java Man likely occupied the Indonesian island from about one million to 500,000 years ago. However, radiometric dates obtained for volcanic minerals at Sangiran indicate that some fossils may be substantially older, perhaps approaching 1.5 million to 1.8 million years in age.

The fossil stirred plenty of controversy. Initially, few accepted Java Man as a transitional form between apes and humans. Some dismissed the fossils as apes and others as modern humans. Some scientists thought that Java man just a small splinter of evolution unrelated to modern humans. Eventually, similarities between Java Man and Peking Man convinced Ernst Mayr to place both species in the family tree of human evolution. Other fossils found decades later in at Sangiran and Mojokerto are all older than those found by Dubois. These specimens also have been added to the same family tree.

In 1995, the site on Java was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Indonesia citing its cultural value as an important site for studying ancient man. Curators moved the fossils of Java Man to the Naturalis in the Netherlands, but enthusiasts can visit the Sangiran Early Man Site about 15 kilometers north of Surakarta (Solo), in Sragen, Central Java. The site covers about 5,600 hectares. The museum features several interesting displays, including ancient animals and tools. It also includes scientific information about the early evolution of man and archaeology.

Other Paleoanthropology Sites In Indonesia

Ngandong: Dutch researchers discovered more H. erectus fossils, representing 15 individuals, in Java in the 1930s near the village of Ngandong on Java’s Solo River. Until recently, paleoanthropologists thought the Ngandong bones represented a very recent H. erectus population. Thought to be perhaps as young as 30,000 to 50,000 years ago, these hominids could have been contemporaries of Neanderthals and modern humans living in Europe and West Asia. But more recent fieldwork and dating analyses suggest the Ngandong hominids lived much earlier, sometime between 143,000 and 546,000 years ago.

Mojokerto: In 1936, an assistant working with the Dutch Geological Survey unearthed a partial skullcap of a two- to three-year-old child in eastern Java. Team member Ralph von Koenigswald, a German paleontologist, recognized the skull as belonging to an early hominid, H. erectus. Although the exact location, and therefore age, of the fossil has been questioned in recent years, scientists generally think the Mojokerto skull dates to about 1.8 million years ago. That makes it one of the oldest hominid bones ever found outside Africa.

Sangiran: Between 1937 and 1941, von Koenigswald found additional H. erectus fossils at the site of Sangiran in central Java. The finds included three partial skulls, partial jaws and dozens of isolated teeth. These fossils, dating to more than one million years ago, helped confirm the validity of the species status of H. erectus. Today, tourists can visit the fossil site, which is home to ongoing excavations as well as a museum.

Flores: Indonesia’s most recent hominid discovery was a big shocker. In 2004, a group of researchers from Indonesia and Australia announced they had found an unusual collection of fossils on the Indonesian island of Flores. The bones belonged to a small-brained hominid that stood less than four feet tall and weighed less than 70 pounds—yet some of the fossils were just 17,000 years old. The researchers decided the “Hobbit” belonged to a new species, Homo floresiensis. Once the species’ ancestor, perhaps H. erectus, arrived on the island, the hominid evolved to be smaller as an adaptation to living on a small island. Critics, however, say the Hobbit is actually a modern human with some kind of growth disorder.

Indonesia is the fourth-largest nation in the world with more than 267 million people. The country is has more than 17,500 islands, including Java.

Indonesia is the fourth-largest nation in the world with more than 267 million people. The country has more than 17,500 islands, including Bali, Borneo, Java, Lombok, Sumatra and Sulawesi. Learn where to go, what do and what to say.

Get the most from your trip with the Language and Travel Guide to Indonesia. Learn where to go and what to say. Thousands of islands. Hundreds of cultures. One book. Watch our Indonesian tutorial.

The post UNESCO Site Honors Java Man appeared first on Language and Travel Guide To Indonesia.

Indonesia has some of the oldest cave art in the world—dating back thousands of years. A recent discovery turns back the clock even further.

Archaeologists from Griffith University recently discovered two cave paintings of warthogs in the same region of Sulawesi. The oldest of the two graphics is at least 45,000 years old. The picture was found in the Leang Tedongnge cave in a remote valley. It provides the earliest evidence of human settlement of the region. It is now the earliest known graphic art in the world depicting an animal. The archaeologists discovered the second image in an area known as Leang Balangajia. It dates back at least 32,000 years.

A dating specialist tested a calcite deposit that formed over the painting. He used Uranium-series isotope dating to determine that the deposit over the painting was 45,500 years old. Therefore, the artwork is at least that old.

“The people who made it were fully modern, they were like us—they had all of the capacity and the tools to do paintings,” said Maxime Aubert, co-author of the report published in Science Advances journal.

The report says that the painting, which measures 136 cm by 54 cm, depicts a pig with horn-like facial warts. There are two handprints above the back of the pig, which also appears to be facing two other pigs that are partially preserved. The artists used dark red ochre pigment.

“The pig appears to be observing a fight or social interaction between two other warty pigs,” said co-author Adam Brumm.

To make the handprints, the artists had to place their hands on a surface before spitting pigment over it, the researchers said. The team hopes to be able to extract DNA samples from the residual saliva as well. The painting may be the world’s oldest art depicting a figure, but it is not the oldest human-produced art.

Sulawesi borders the Wallace Line—a dividing line of biodiversity like nowhere on earth. On the western side of the invisible line, large mammal species are indigenous to some of the islands, including elephants, rhinos, tigers, and orangutans. On the eastern side of the line, none of those large mammals are present and the plant species also are different. The islands were stepping-stones for humans that migrated from Asia to Australia about 65,000 years ago, so history suggests that there is even older cave art across the Indonesian archipelago. The limestone hills are near Makassar. They have many hidden caves, just like the one at Leang Tedongnge.

Sulawesi has a long history of human occupation.

The earliest archaeological evidence is from Talepu, a Middle Pleistocene site in the south of the island. The Talepu findings comprise in situ stone artifacts associated with fossils of extinct land mammals. The artifacts are likely between 118,000 and 194,000 years old, though some may be even older. The keen-edged flakes of stone were excavated from an ancient river floodplain in southwest Sulawesi, near the present-day village of Talepu. The find further indicates that some earlier form of human was more successful at traversing the south Pacific’s island networks than previously believed. It’s possible that the toolmakers are yet-undiscovered relatives of Homo floresiensis, a so-called hobbit hominin (human) that inhabited the island of Flores between 18,000 and 95,000 years ago.

In some models of early human settlement in Sahul, the large Sulawesi landmass would have been the first stop on a series of ocean crossings through northern Wallacea to the western tip of New Guinea. If the oldest published dates for Madjedbebe are acceptable, then Homo sapiens may have reached Sulawesi up to 6,900 years ago.

The caves feature hand stencils and animal figurines. The newest discoveries are at several sites, including:

• Leang Tedongnge;
• Leang Timpuseng;
• Leang Barugayya;
• Leang Bulu’ Sipong;
• Gua Uhallie;
• Leang Balangajia;
• Leang Bulu Bettue; and
• Leang Burung.

Rock art on Sulawesi was first identified 70 years ago in Maros-Pangkep. Some 300 caves and shelters with graphics have been discovered in this area. At least two chronologically distinct styles of rock art are evident.

The earliest dated images occur on the same rock art panel at the limestone cave of Leang Bulu’ Sipong. The 4.5-m-wide panel at this site consists of a scene portraying several human-like figures apparently hunting Sulawesi warty pigs and anoas. The human-like figures have animal features such as tails and snouts. In one section, an anoa is flanked by several figures holding spears.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” said Mr Brumm. “I mean, we’ve seen hundreds of rock art sites in this region – but we’ve never seen anything like a hunting scene.”

The image from Leang Tedongnge, with a firmly established minimum age of 45.5 ka, would now appear to be the earliest known dated artwork in Sulawesi. It also represents the oldest reported indication for the presence of AMH on the island and perhaps in the wider Wallacean region. In fact, the painting of a Sulawesi warty pig at Leang Tedongnge appears to be the world’s oldest surviving representational image of an animal. These findings imply early colonization of the island by an archaic and now-extinct humanoid other than Homo sapiens.

Sulawesi’s archaeological history also includes hundreds of megaliths that date back to at least the 14th century. Many are located in the Bada Valley, in the Lore Lindu National Park in Central Sulawesi.

Hobbit Man: Archaeologists made another significant discovery in Indonesia in 2003, when the remains of hobbit-sized humans were found on the remote island of Flores. This human relative, dubbed Flores Man, dates back about 18,000 years, which makes it a more modern skeleton than Java Man or Solo Man. It’s called hobbit because the stature of the newly discovered species is about three feet tall.

Java Man: Java man is the name given to fossils discovered in 1891 at Trinil on the banks of the Bengawan Solo River in East Java, one of the first known specimens of Homo erectus (Pithecanthropus erectus).

Borobudur: When scholars and historians speak of the world’s great Buddhist temples, most conversations include Borobudur—the world’s largest Buddhist temple. Borobudur means “monastery on the hill” and it is most famous for its many stone-carved panels depicting the life and teachings of Buddha. It features more than 1,000 narratives in all on walls that form the temple itself. The massive structure includes at least two million stone blocks. This monumental structure was constructed in the 9th century and it dominates an entire hill near Yogyakarta.

Prambanan: Prambanan is the largest Hindu monument in Indonesia. It was built around 850-900 A.D. The temple has been damaged by centuries of earthquakes, vandals, and other forces. Not long after its construction, the complex of temples was abandoned and allowed to deteriorate.

Gunung Padang: This massive site is located on a hilltop in the West Java.  It’s been described as the largest megalithic site in all of Southeastern Asia and possibly the largest pyramid structure in the world. If his findings are correct, Gunung Padang is evidence of a shockingly advanced ancient civilization, a kind of forgotten Atlantis — and it changes everything archaeologists thought they knew about the history of human civilization. Nearby, the Garut pyramid (below) begs to be uncovered.

Indonesia may be home to the earliest advanced civilization the world has ever uncovered.

The find is a source of enormous pride to the Indonesian people and especially the government, which has spared no expense on the excavation.

Indonesia is the fourth-largest nation in the world with more than 267 million people. The country has more than 17,500 islands, including Bali, Borneo, Java, Lombok, Sumatra and Sulawesi. Learn where to go, what do and what to say.

Get the most from your trip with the Language and Travel Guide to Indonesia. Learn where to go and what to say. Thousands of islands. Hundreds of cultures. One book.

The post Archaeology Sites In Indonesia appeared first on Language and Travel Guide To Indonesia.

Many of the world’s most important archaeological sites have been found in Indonesia. Java man, Flores (Hobbit) man, Borobudur, Prambanan and many other discoveries have drawn explorers from near and far. Much more ancient history is unfolding across Indonesia today.

Gunung Padang is a megalithic site in Karyamukti village in West Java.

It’s about 50 km southwest of the city of Cianjur. Some are calling it the largest megalithic site in all of Southeast Asia. The massive Indonesian site was put on the international map in the publication Rapporten van de Oudheidkundige Dienst (Report of the Department of Antiquities) in 1914. Dutch historian N. J. Krom also mentioned it in 1949. Employees of the National Archeology Research Centre studied the site in 1979.

The site in West Java covers a hill in a series of terraces bordered by retaining walls of stone that are reached by about 400 andesite steps. It is covered with massive rectangular stones.

Sundanese culture considers the site sacred. They believe King Siliwangi built the structure in one night. It faces northwest, toward the Mount Gede volcano. The site was completed by 5000 BC. The entire hill may itself be an ancient pyramid. So far, researchers have found:

• Based on geo-electric, geo-radar, and geomagnetic testing, there is a structure beneath the surface with large chambers;
• Many man-made artifacts have been discovered;
• The construction of the site spans four eras;
• The site was dated 6,500 years BP (before present) by carbon radiometric dating at 3–4 meters below the surface (12,500 years at 8 to 10 meters below the surface), and the artifacts at the surface date to about 4,800 years BP;
• The site area is approximately 25 hectares. The massive Borobudur temple occupies only 1.5 hectares.
• Walls of the terraces are similar to those found at Machu Picchu in Peru.

Dr. Danny Hilman is responsible for the archaeological team on the site. They also announced the discovery of a metal device that is presumed to be the worlds oldest electrical instrument. According to researchers, this object is made out of gold and copper and seems to resemble a primitive capacitor.

The discovery of the electrical device at  Gunung Padang  is getting a lot of attention. Former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia visited the site and congratulated the researchers. According to archaeologists, the subsurface layers at Gunung Padang might be more than 12,000 years old. Finding an electrical device in that area suggests that ancient man mastered electricity thousands of years ago.

Previously, the researchers found giant bowls, rivers and springs, domes, towers, aquifers and a transmitter. Magnetic anomalies are found in these locations.

Mount Sadahurip is another pyramid shaped hill in West Java, near Cicapar Sand Village. Mount Sadahurip, dubbed the Garut Pyramid, is undergoing verification tests to see if the mount is indeed a man-made (or partially man-made) structure.

The Garut Pyramid is larger than the Great Pyramid of Giza and could be far older. By using geo-electric instruments, surveyors are measuring the resistance of the geological layers, while seeking additional funding to begin excavations. An initial survey determined that the structure is unlikely to be of natural formation.

Bada Valley, Sulawesi features several megaliths throughout a remote area in the Poso Regency on the island of Sulawesi. It is part of Lore Lindu National Park. Bada Valley features dozens of ancient megaliths and several large stone caldrons. The objects remain a mystery.

The carved megaliths are between 1,000-5,000 years old. They’re scattered across the valley. When asked about the origin of these statues, locals explain that they’ve always been here. Some believe they were used in ancestral worship or may have had something to do with human sacrifice. Others believe that these statues ward off evil spirits. One legend tells that they are criminals which were turned to stone, and there is even a superstition that the statues can disappear or move from place to place. Some have even been reported found in slightly different locations. These statues are made from a type of stone not found anywhere near the area.

Tanah Toraja, Sulawesi. More monoliths are found throughout Toraja land.

Cipari, Java is a Neolithic settlement in the Kuningan district of West Java, northeast of Bogor. Megalithic formations are found here. They are dated at around 1000 BCE.

Sumba features many monoliths, including tombs:

Pyramid Lalakon, West Java. Much work remains, but it fits the profile of similar-shaped mounds in the region.

Candi Sukuh, West Java resembles Mayan-style temples.

Gunung Kawi, Bali

Nias, Sumatra

Candi Sambisari, Java

Indonesia is best known for its famous and elegant temples, including Borobudur, Tanah Lot, Uluwatu and many others. However, these emerging and lesser-known gems are worth the trip. As a fan of Ancient Aliens and ancient arts and culture, this is a topic that I love. If you have stories and photos to share, please contact me.

Indonesia is the fourth-largest nation in the world with more than 267 million people. The country has more than 17,500 islands, including Bali, Borneo, Java, Lombok, Sumatra and Sulawesi.

Get the most from your trip with the Language and Travel Guide to Indonesia. Learn where to go and what to say. Thousands of islands. Hundreds of cultures. One book. Watch our Indonesian tutorial.

The post Indonesia’s Archaeology appeared first on Language and Travel Guide To Indonesia.