First Mariners

Archaeology ^ | Volume 51 Number 3 May/June 1998 | Mark Rose

[SunkenCiv]

Mata Menge, however, produced a small number of stone tools, including some made of nonlocal chert, as well as remains of large stegodon, crocodile, giant rat, freshwater molluscs, and plants... Morwood dated the sites using a technique that analyzes individual zircon crystals from volcanic deposits. A sample from Tangi Talo, taken near a pygmy stegodon tusk and giant tortoise shell fragments, yielded a date of about 900,000 years ago. At Mata Menge, a sample from just beneath the artifact-bearing level dated to about 880,000 years ago, while another, taken above in situ artifacts, gave a date of about 800,000... Tools this early in Southeast Asia can only have been made by Homo erectus. Unlike Java, which was periodically connected to mainland Asia and accessible to early humans on foot, Flores could be reached only by crossing an 11.4-mile-wide strait, even at times of lowest sea level. The Mata Menge artifacts prove that H. erectus was able to make the crossing... The new dates also support the suggestion made by Dutch paleontologist Paul Sondaar more than a decade ago that the extinction of pygmy stegodon on Flores ca. 900,000 years ago was the result of human predation.

[SunkenCiv]

[singing] "Whale meat again, don't know how, don't know when..." boy, I sure do miss the Muppet Show...

George W. Bush will be reelected by a margin of at least ten per cent

[SunkenCiv]

Last post of the day, I really mean it this time.

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[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #2

Gee, you are really into this stuff. Please keep flagging me. I may not get to read all of them. However, I am learning a lot. Thanx

[SunkenCiv]

This also discussed by Robert Schoch in "Voyages of the Pyramid Builders" or whatever that latest one is called. Seems like I've got another bit of info about this somewhere. Meanwhile, I'll post a link to that book.

George W. Bush will win reelection by a margin of at least ten per cent.

[SunkenCiv]

---

Voyages of the Pyramid Builders: The True Origins of the Pyramids from Lost Egypt to Ancient America by Robert M. Schoch, Ph.D. with Robert Aquinas McNally

---

[blam]

Some things going on in SE Asia, very early. One day, it will seriously challenge the 'out of Africa' theory, IMO.

[ForGod'sSake]

The new dates also support the suggestion made by Dutch paleontologist Paul Sondaar more than a decade ago that the extinction of pygmy stegodon on Flores ca. 900,000 years ago was the result of human predation.

As if he has a clue; how so? Seems the accepted(PC?) "suggestion" is that wherever Man went, animal extinction followed. Hard to accept, but then I'm not an expert ;^)

FGS

[SunkenCiv]

The extinction of gorilla-sized lemurs on Madagascar generally is attributed to the ingress of humans, but I'm not too sure there's any evidence that it happened due to hunting (that is, I'm not aware of human teethmarks or toolmarks on remains -- not that I necessarily would be). It could have been their time... it could have been some sort of natural extinction that just barely predated the humans... it could be that the human presence on Madagascar is actually much older, and the extinction unrelated... it could be that the lemur (being a primate) died out from disease brought over by humans... it could have been habitat destruction (although the habitat didn't even begin to be destroyed until the past century or so)... the list probably could continue, but I'm out. ;')

The discovery of the tools is a biggie. Imagine how the isolationist a-holes are screwed now. Humans were not able to navigate, they say. 900,000 years ago Homo Erectus figured out how to use watercraft, left some tools on Flores. That knowledge was lost for 850,000 years, rediscovered by the ancestors of the Australian aborigines 50,000 years ago, who then migrated to Australia and various other places, and forgot all about their discovery. Then, 47,000 years later (or so) the ancestors of the Polynesians rediscovered watercraft... ;')

Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list (alt)
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.

[ForGod'sSake]

900,000 years ago Homo Erectus figured out how to use watercraft, left some tools on Flores. That knowledge was lost for 850,000 years, rediscovered by the ancestors of the Australian aborigines 50,000 years ago, who then migrated to Australia and various other places, and forgot all about their discovery. Then, 47,000 years later (or so) the ancestors of the Polynesians rediscovered watercraft... ;')

FGS

[SunkenCiv]

Best science-fiction film ever. Not that I like too many of those...

George W. Bush will be reelected by a margin of at least ten per cent

[ForGod'sSake]

Best science-fiction film ever.

Certainly one of the best anyway. That particular image had such an impact on me I remember getting sort of a creepy feeling at the end of the movie. Still gives me the willies sometimes.

FGS

[SunkenCiv]

If I ever get some discretionary cash, I want to replace the DVD I have with that 35th anniversary edition (or 40th, whatever). The actress who played "Nova" married the younger Zanuck, now sells horoscopes online.

[SunkenCiv]

February 2005 bump

[SunkenCiv]

[SunkenCiv]

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