Cave where the remains of Homo floresiensis were found
Location
Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia
Length
50 meters
Discovery
1950s
Geology
Limestone
Entrances
1
Liang Bua is a limestone cave on the island of Flores, Indonesia, slightly north of the town of Ruteng in Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara. The cave demonstrated archaeological and paleontological potential in the 1950s and 1960s as described by the Dutch missionary and archaeologist Theodor L. Verhoeven.[1]
The skeleton of a Homo floresiensis woman at the Natural History Museum in London, England
In September 2003, an Indonesian field team and its coordinator of the excavation team, Thomas Sutikna, uncovered the first indications of a skull. Initially, the archeologists only analyzed the top of the cranium and due to the small size believed that the skull belonged to a small child. However, Sutikna and his colleagues soon discovered that its teeth were permanent and mature, revealing that it actually belonged to a fully grown adult.[2] After a few weeks, the team had discovered most of this particular hominid's skeleton and later was coded LB1, LB2, etc., after the name of the cave.[2] This skeleton later became the holotype specimen of Homo floresiensis, also known as the "hobbit."[3] Despite the small stature and brain size, Homo floresiensis was capable of using stone tools, hunting animals such as small elephants and rodents, and dealing with many predators such as large komodo dragons.[4] As of 2022, excavations are still being conducted and additional findings such as teeth are being discovered and analyzed.
There has been much debate whether the skeletal remains are actually Homo floresiensis due to the small nature of these specimens. As of 2022, further research and studies are still being conducted to confirm whether these discoveries are Homo floresiensis.
^For Verhoeven, see: Knepper, Gert M. (2019): Floresmens - Het leven van Theo Verhoeven, missionaris en archeoloog, ISBN 978-9-46-3892476 (Boekscout, Soest, Netherlands) (i.e. Verhoeven's biography, in Dutch)
^ ab"'Hobbits' on Flores, Indonesia". The Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
^Morwood, M. J.; Brown, P.; Jatmiko; Sutikna, T.; Wahyu Saptomo, E.; Westaway, K. E.; Awe Due, Rokus; Roberts, R. G.; Maeda, T.; Wasisto, S.; Djubiantono, T. (October 2005). "Further evidence for small-bodied hominins from the Late Pleistocene of Flores, Indonesia". Nature. 437 (7061): 1012–1017. Bibcode:2005Natur.437.1012M. doi:10.1038/nature04022. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 16229067. S2CID 4302539.
^"Homo floresiensis". The Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
LiangBua is a limestone cave on the island of Flores, Indonesia, slightly north of the town of Ruteng in Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara. The cave...
have stood about 1.1 m (3 ft 7 in) in height were discovered in 2003 at LiangBua cave. Partial skeletons of at least nine individuals have been recovered...
kilograms (35 lb). The majority of the discoveries are concentrated in LiangBua cave located slightly north of Ruteng in the East Nusa Tenggara province...
(2016). "Revised stratigraphy and chronology for Homo floresiensis at LiangBua in Indonesia". Nature. 532 (7599): 366–369. Bibcode:2016Natur.532..366S...
hooijeri is an extinct species of medium-sized monitor lizard found in LiangBua on Flores and possibly also Sumba, dating to the Late Pleistocene and...
2016). "Revised stratigraphy and chronology for Homo floresiensis at LiangBua in Indonesia". Nature. 532 (7599): 366–369. Bibcode:2016Natur.532..366S...
usually practiced at weddings, and serves as a tourist attraction. The LiangBua archeological site is nearby, around 10 km to the north of Ruteng. Ruteng...
of giant marabou stork (Aves: Ciconiiformes) from the Pleistocene of LiangBua, Flores (Indonesia)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 160 (4):...
1500. This specimen is only known from subfossil remains, including at LiangBua cave. It is the only member of the genus Spelaeomys. It was large sized...
Sulawesi Megalithic statues of Lore Lindu National Park, Central Sulawesi LiangBua, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara Biak caves prehistoric sites, Biak, Papua...
a hominid species from the late Pleistocene found in cave deposits in LiangBua, Indonesia, shows a smaller molar size that is closer to the hominid lineage...
2016). "Revised stratigraphy and chronology for Homo floresiensis at LiangBua in Indonesia". Nature. 532 (7599): 366–369. Bibcode:2016Natur.532..366S...
Indonesia, following the discovery of Homo floresiensis in the nearby LiangBua cave in 2003. The Rampasasa have since been reported as claiming Homo...
remains in Southeast Asia from the Late Pleistocene archaeological site LiangBua, Flores, Indonesia". Quaternary International. 182 (1): 16–48. Bibcode:2008QuInt...
benefits to the rural communities in the local area. Homo floresiensis LiangBua Cave site in Flores List of fossil sites List of human evolution fossils...
"The spatio-temporal distribution of archaeological and faunal finds at LiangBua (Flores, Indonesia) in light of the revised chronology for Homo floresiensis"...
(2016). "Revised stratigraphy and chronology for Homo floresiensis at LiangBua in Indonesia". Nature. 532 (7599): 366–369. Bibcode:2016Natur.532..366S...
"Temporal shifts in the distribution of murine rodent body size classes at LiangBua (Flores, Indonesia) reveal new insights into the paleoecology of Homo...
floresiensis were discovered at Mata Menge, about 74 km (46 mi) from LiangBua. They date to about 700,000 years ago and are noted by Australian archaeologist...
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