Erectus Ahoy (Stone Age Voyages)

No, H. Erection-us just kicked erectors (they're not people yet, so we'll call 'em that) out that they didn't like, put them in a boat, and let them float away...kind of a "prehistoric dumping junk into space" routine...

Bali and Lombok are only 18 miles apart. From the high hills of Bali one can easily see Lombok on a clear day. So they would have known Lombok was there.

Additionally, these two island are separated by the Wallace Line, named for a 19th century naturalist who showed that Australian type animals lived on the Lombok side, and Asian on the Bali side. In ice age times, the seas would have been over 300 feet lower than today, and Bali was not then an island, but the very tip of a long peninsula extending all the way from Thailand. Similarly, Lombok would have had a land passage all the way to New Guinea, which was landlocked to northern Australia. Only the depth of the sea, at over half a mile deep between Bali and Lombok, separated these two great land masses. I guess once one arrived on Lombok, one could walk to Flores and even Australia. So the key to prove if this migration ever took place is making the run across the water between Bali and Lombok.

One other point not mentioned in the article. Since the sea would have been much lower, and much of the currents and winds that flow around these various islands today would have been prevented from doing so then, how would that effect the current in this particular passage? Perhaps it would flow less Northerly and more Easterly, toward Lombok? Or perhaps without the flow being tempered through multiple channels as it is now, would have been even more swift and treacherous?

I think the same thing as I did about the Kon-tiki, or that French guy who rowed a rowboat all the way across the Atlantic Ocean.

They each proved that it could be done.
Which isn't the same thing as proving anybody actually did it.

More persuasive to me are the arguments about much lower sea levels, due to the ice age, and also continental drift. The Pacific Ocean gets narrower, and the Atlantic ocean gets wider, by about 3 feet per year.

We're talking 600,000 years ago. 500,000 years, times 3 feet, is...1,500,000 feet...which is, what? about 300 miles? That's a lot of movement. Stuff may not have been in the same place since way back then.

I don't doubt that men crossed some passages, because it made sense, and they could see the other side.

Other crossings may have been "sweepstakes routes" not really traversed intentionally, but crossed due to freak accidents and luck, like folks getting blown out to sea by a hurricane, clinging to junk, and washing ashore somewhere. It happens today, and probably happened then. But today we send a helicopter to pick 'em back up.

Stuff may not have been in the same place since way back then.

That's right. The Australian plate is moving north into the Asiatic plate. The meeting point is creating the Indonesia archipelago with all its incumbent volcanoes (Krakatoa, for example) and earthquake zones. Australia started out far to the south, attached to Antarctica, as did India, which when it "hit" Asia, created the Himalayas. Also, Africa is moving north. One day the Mediterranean sea will be a Himalayan size mountain range.

Also, if you look at the sky you will see a map of the land when the light is right. This also works in the arctic and wherever there are large masses of color. You can see a hundred miles ahead.

The Pacific Ocean gets narrower, and the Atlantic ocean gets wider, by about 3 feet per year.

More like three inches, which gets you about 24 miles over 500,000 years (if my math's right)

They would have more success with H. Evinrudeus

LOL! That's funny!

Took 2 1/2 years to get a laugh.

Ok, we'll go with 24 miles. That's the difference between being on the horizon and over it.

I don't see why they would have had to see the other side to set out to cross oceans. People do stuff like that all the time. After all... the only difference between madness and genius is results.

More evidence that early modern humans survived as beach combers. The outer bank islands from South Africa to Ethiopia and later from Arabia to Indonesia provided protein and ample vegetation as well as protection from most large land predators. Long distance running and swimming are obvious evolutionary developments that would enhance survival in that environment. The ability to craft canoes and rafts from existing vegetation for longer distance island hopping is simply the next step.

Sundaland

"Long distance running and swimming are obvious evolutionary developments that would enhance survival in that environment. "

Humans have more endurance than all other land mammals. We are the only primates without a tail but we have big butts for balance and the muscles to sustain that endurance.

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Note: this topic is from 10/22/2003. Thanks blam. Robert G. Bednarik was at that time doing navigation experiments like those of Thor Heyerdahl and others. Updating, ping to the list.

Heh, I’m not falling for posting on a 15 year old article!

This topic was posted 10/22/2003, thanks blam. Updated ping message and some links.

The rest of the Homo Floriensis keyword, sorted:

The Direct Ancestor to Modern Humans Just Got a New Name, And For a Good Reason [10/29/2021]
Evidence of Late Pleistocene human colonization of isolated islands beyond Wallace's Line [05/04/2020]
Changes in rat size reveal habitat of 'Hobbit' hominin [03/17/2019]
No evidence of 'hobbit' ancestry in genomes of Flores Island pygmies [08/06/2018]
A New Batch of Neanderthal Genome Provides Insights Into Their Complex History [03/26/2018]
New Fossils Hint 'Hobbit' Humans Are Older Than Thought [06/08/2016]
New Fossils Strengthen Case for 'Hobbit' Species [06/08/2016]
Indonesian 'Hobbits' may have died out sooner than thought [03/31/2016]
Mystery 'hobbits' not humans like us: study [02/17/2016]
Mysterious 14,000-year-old leg bone may belong to archaic human species [12/20/2015]
Ancient human ancestor may have persisted through Ice Age [12/17/2015]
Thigh bone points to unexpectedly long survival of ancient human ancestors [12/17/2015]
Fossil Found In Asia Could Be A New Species Of Human [01/28/2015]
Ten years On, Scientists Still Debating The Origins Of Homo Floresiensis -- The 'Hobbit' [10/28/2014]
At 400,000 Years, Oldest Human DNA Yet Found Raises New Mysteries [12/04/2013]
Archaeologist who discovered the Hobbit dies [ Mike Morwood ] [07/28/2013]
Mysterious Chinese Fossils May Be New Human Species [03/14/2012]
Who's Your Daddy? [ Homo floriensis in Australia ] [09/08/2011]
Giant fossil bird found on 'hobbit' island of Flores [12/07/2010]
Hobbit debate goes out on some limbs [04/23/2010]
How a hobbit is rewriting the history of the human race [02/23/2010]
'Hobbits' are a new human species -- according to the statistical analysis of fossils [11/19/2009]
Hobbit species may not have been human [09/30/2009]
The Mystery Ape of Pleistocene Asia [ from Longgupo in Sichuan province ] [06/25/2009]
Ancient 'hobbit' humans new species after all: study [05/06/2009]
Did Humans Learn From Hobbits? [04/20/2009]
'Hobbit' fossils represent a new species, concludes University of Minnesota anthropologist [12/17/2008]
Bone Parts Don't Add Up To Conclusion Of Hobbit-like Palauan Dwarfs [08/30/2008]
Hobbit's relatives may have existed in northern Australia [05/28/2008]
HOBBIT WARS (Small Islanders Show No Signs Of Growth Disorder) [04/28/2008]
Did The Flores Hobbit Have A Root Canal? [04/20/2008]
Flores 'Hobbit' Walked More Like A Clown Than Frodo [04/16/2008]
'Hobbits' Were Stunted Cave-Dwellers [03/06/2008]
'Hobbits' Not A Different Species, Say Scientists [01/13/2008]
Fossil find changes evolutionary beliefs (New human fossils found in Georgia, north of Africa) [11/18/2007]
Scientists: Hobbit Wasn't a Modern Human [09/20/2007]
Discovery Of The Hobbit [05/23/2007]
Surviving The Hobbit Wars [03/05/2007]
Anthropologist Confirms 'Hobbit' Indeed A Seperate (Human) Species [01/29/2007]
Hobbit Cave Digs Set To Restart [01/25/2007]
Taking Sides In Battle Of The 'Hobbit' [10/09/2006]
Paper reignites hobbit debate [08/22/2006]
Homo Floresiensis: tiny toolmaker or microcephalic? (The debate continues) [06/01/2006]
"Hobbit" Humans Were Diseased, Not New Species, Study Says [05/18/2006]
Ancient Islanders Get A Leg Up ('Hobbits') [05/16/2006]
Java Man's First Tools [04/21/2006]
Hobbits May Be Earliest Australians [12/07/2005]
'Hobbit' tools found near remains [10/17/2005]
More bones of hobbit-sized humans discovered [10/11/2005]
Bones Of Contention ('Hobbits' - More) [05/30/2005]
Bones of Contention: A bad bill would throttle American archaeology. [04/14/2005]
Hobit Dwarf Caveman [03/04/2005]
HUMAN ORIGINS: Battle Erupts Over the 'Hobbit' Bones [02/26/2005]
Newly Found (Human) Species Goes Missing Again (Floresiensis) [02/09/2005]
Biblical-giants book soars up charts [02/01/2005]
Bones of contention(Discovery of a new species of human astounds the world,but is it what it seems?) [01/13/2005]
New species may have relatives in next villlage [01/12/2005]
Hobbits? We've got a cave full [12/08/2004]
Eroding evolution's believability [11/05/2004]
Indonesia's Lost World: Shaking Up The Family Tree (More - New Human Species) [10/29/2004]
Prehistoric dwarf astounds scientists / Island discovery could rewrite human evolution [10/28/2004]
Villagers speak of the small, hairy Ebu Gogo [New human species ... still alive?] [10/27/2004]
Scientists Find Prehistoric Dwarf Skeleton [10/27/2004]
Tiny new species of human unearthed - most important palaeoanthropological find for 50 years [10/27/2004]
Hobbit remains found in Australia [10/27/2004]
Javanese Fossil Skull Provides New Insights into Ancient Humans [02/28/2003]