Revised stratigraphy and chronology for Homo floresiensis at Liang Bua in Indonesia

Thomas Sutikna; Matthew W. Tocheri; Michael J. Morwood; E. Wahyu Saptomo; null Jatmiko; Rokus Due Awe; Sri Wasisto; Kira E. Westaway; Maxime Aubert; Bo Li; Jian-xin Zhao; Michael Storey; Brent V. Alloway; Mike W. Morley; Hanneke J. M. Meijer; Gerrit D. van den Bergh; Rainer Grün; Anthony Dosseto; Adam Brumm; William L. Jungers; Richard G. Roberts

doi:10.1038/nature17179

Revised stratigraphy and chronology for Homo floresiensis at Liang Bua in Indonesia

Thomas Sutikna, Matthew W. Tocheri, Michael J. Morwood, E. Wahyu Saptomo, Jatmiko, Rokus Due Awe, Sri Wasisto, Kira E. Westaway, Maxime Aubert, Bo Li, Jian-xin Zhao, Michael Storey, Brent V. Alloway, Mike W. Morley, Hanneke J. M. Meijer, Gerrit D. van den Bergh, Rainer Grün, Anthony Dosseto, Adam Brumm, William L. JungersRichard G. Roberts

122 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Homo floresiensis, a primitive hominin species discovered in Late Pleistocene sediments at Liang Bua (Flores, Indonesia), has generated wide interest and scientific debate. A major reason this taxon is controversial is because the H. floresiensis-bearing deposits, which include associated stone artefacts and remains of other extinct endemic fauna, were dated to between about 95 and 12 thousand calendar years (kyr) ago. These ages suggested that H. floresiensis survived until long after modern humans reached Australia by ~50 kyr ago. Here we report new stratigraphic and chronological evidence from Liang Bua that does not support the ages inferred previously for the H. floresiensis holotype (LB1), ~18 thousand calibrated radiocarbon years before present (kyr cal. BP), or the time of last appearance of this species (about 17 or 13-11 kyr cal. BP). Instead, the skeletal remains of H. floresiensis and the deposits containing them are dated to between about 100 and 60 kyr ago, whereas stone artefacts attributable to this species range from about 190 to 50 kyr in age. Whether H. floresiensis survived after 50 kyr ago--potentially encountering modern humans on Flores or other hominins dispersing through southeast Asia, such as Denisovans--is an open question.

Original language	English
Journal	Nature
Volume	532
Issue number	7599
Pages (from-to)	366-369
Number of pages	4
ISSN	0028-0836
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/nature17179
Publication status	Published - 21 Apr 2016

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Sutikna, T., Tocheri, M. W., Morwood, M. J., Saptomo, E. W., Jatmiko, Awe, R. D., Wasisto, S., Westaway, K. E., Aubert, M., Li, B., Zhao, J., Storey, M., Alloway, B. V., Morley, M. W., Meijer, H. J. M., van den Bergh, G. D., Grün, R., Dosseto, A., Brumm, A., ... Roberts, R. G. (2016). Revised stratigraphy and chronology for Homo floresiensis at Liang Bua in Indonesia. Nature, 532(7599), 366-369. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature17179

Sutikna, T, Tocheri, MW, Morwood, MJ, Saptomo, EW, Jatmiko, Awe, RD, Wasisto, S, Westaway, KE, Aubert, M, Li, B, Zhao, J, Storey, M, Alloway, BV, Morley, MW, Meijer, HJM, van den Bergh, GD, Grün, R, Dosseto, A, Brumm, A, Jungers, WL & Roberts, RG 2016, 'Revised stratigraphy and chronology for Homo floresiensis at Liang Bua in Indonesia', Nature, vol. 532, no. 7599, pp. 366-369. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature17179

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title = "Revised stratigraphy and chronology for Homo floresiensis at Liang Bua in Indonesia",

abstract = "Homo floresiensis, a primitive hominin species discovered in Late Pleistocene sediments at Liang Bua (Flores, Indonesia), has generated wide interest and scientific debate. A major reason this taxon is controversial is because the H. floresiensis-bearing deposits, which include associated stone artefacts and remains of other extinct endemic fauna, were dated to between about 95 and 12 thousand calendar years (kyr) ago. These ages suggested that H. floresiensis survived until long after modern humans reached Australia by ~50 kyr ago. Here we report new stratigraphic and chronological evidence from Liang Bua that does not support the ages inferred previously for the H. floresiensis holotype (LB1), ~18 thousand calibrated radiocarbon years before present (kyr cal. BP), or the time of last appearance of this species (about 17 or 13-11 kyr cal. BP). Instead, the skeletal remains of H. floresiensis and the deposits containing them are dated to between about 100 and 60 kyr ago, whereas stone artefacts attributable to this species range from about 190 to 50 kyr in age. Whether H. floresiensis survived after 50 kyr ago--potentially encountering modern humans on Flores or other hominins dispersing through southeast Asia, such as Denisovans--is an open question.",

author = "Thomas Sutikna and Tocheri, {Matthew W.} and Morwood, {Michael J.} and Saptomo, {E. Wahyu} and Jatmiko and Awe, {Rokus Due} and Sri Wasisto and Westaway, {Kira E.} and Maxime Aubert and Bo Li and Jian-xin Zhao and Michael Storey and Alloway, {Brent V.} and Morley, {Mike W.} and Meijer, {Hanneke J. M.} and {van den Bergh}, {Gerrit D.} and Rainer Gr{\"u}n and Anthony Dosseto and Adam Brumm and Jungers, {William L.} and Roberts, {Richard G.}",

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T1 - Revised stratigraphy and chronology for Homo floresiensis at Liang Bua in Indonesia

AU - Sutikna, Thomas

AU - Tocheri, Matthew W.

AU - Morwood, Michael J.

AU - Saptomo, E. Wahyu

AU - Jatmiko, null

AU - Awe, Rokus Due

AU - Wasisto, Sri

AU - Westaway, Kira E.

AU - Aubert, Maxime

AU - Li, Bo

AU - Zhao, Jian-xin

AU - Storey, Michael

AU - Alloway, Brent V.

AU - Morley, Mike W.

AU - Meijer, Hanneke J. M.

AU - van den Bergh, Gerrit D.

AU - Grün, Rainer

AU - Dosseto, Anthony

AU - Brumm, Adam

AU - Jungers, William L.

AU - Roberts, Richard G.

PY - 2016/4/21

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N2 - Homo floresiensis, a primitive hominin species discovered in Late Pleistocene sediments at Liang Bua (Flores, Indonesia), has generated wide interest and scientific debate. A major reason this taxon is controversial is because the H. floresiensis-bearing deposits, which include associated stone artefacts and remains of other extinct endemic fauna, were dated to between about 95 and 12 thousand calendar years (kyr) ago. These ages suggested that H. floresiensis survived until long after modern humans reached Australia by ~50 kyr ago. Here we report new stratigraphic and chronological evidence from Liang Bua that does not support the ages inferred previously for the H. floresiensis holotype (LB1), ~18 thousand calibrated radiocarbon years before present (kyr cal. BP), or the time of last appearance of this species (about 17 or 13-11 kyr cal. BP). Instead, the skeletal remains of H. floresiensis and the deposits containing them are dated to between about 100 and 60 kyr ago, whereas stone artefacts attributable to this species range from about 190 to 50 kyr in age. Whether H. floresiensis survived after 50 kyr ago--potentially encountering modern humans on Flores or other hominins dispersing through southeast Asia, such as Denisovans--is an open question.

AB - Homo floresiensis, a primitive hominin species discovered in Late Pleistocene sediments at Liang Bua (Flores, Indonesia), has generated wide interest and scientific debate. A major reason this taxon is controversial is because the H. floresiensis-bearing deposits, which include associated stone artefacts and remains of other extinct endemic fauna, were dated to between about 95 and 12 thousand calendar years (kyr) ago. These ages suggested that H. floresiensis survived until long after modern humans reached Australia by ~50 kyr ago. Here we report new stratigraphic and chronological evidence from Liang Bua that does not support the ages inferred previously for the H. floresiensis holotype (LB1), ~18 thousand calibrated radiocarbon years before present (kyr cal. BP), or the time of last appearance of this species (about 17 or 13-11 kyr cal. BP). Instead, the skeletal remains of H. floresiensis and the deposits containing them are dated to between about 100 and 60 kyr ago, whereas stone artefacts attributable to this species range from about 190 to 50 kyr in age. Whether H. floresiensis survived after 50 kyr ago--potentially encountering modern humans on Flores or other hominins dispersing through southeast Asia, such as Denisovans--is an open question.

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DO - 10.1038/nature17179

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VL - 532

SP - 366

EP - 369

JO - Nature

JF - Nature

IS - 7599

ER -

Revised stratigraphy and chronology for Homo floresiensis at Liang Bua in Indonesia

Abstract

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