| Abstract: |
<p>Since the sixties, the National Indonesian Center for Archaeological Research, in collaboration with Professor Jacob, has been organizing field excavations on open-air sites in the Sangiran dome. That project led to the discovery of the <i>Homo erectus</i> fossils, and to the original collections of mammal fossils in localities such as Tanjung (2 levels), Sendan Busik, Ngrejeng Plupuh, Grogol Plupuh, Bakuran and Dayu. Prior to the excavations, several <i>Homo erectus</i> remains were discovered at Tanjun, Sendang Busic, Ngrejeng and Bukuran. During the nineties, a French-Indonesian team excavated the Ngebung 2 locality where numerous mammal remains, tools and a molar of <i>Homo erectus</i> were found. Most of the bone assemblages from these sites com from the volcanic-sedimentary Kabuh layers (Early Middle Pleistocene) deposited in a fluvial context.</p> <p>The best-representing mammal species are large bovids like <i>Bubalus palaeokerabau</i> or <i>Bibos palaesondaicus</i> and smaller cervids like <i>Axis lydekkeri</i>. The species described at the different sites contribute to precise the local biostratigraphy. In the Kabuh layers, the species characterize a more open forest area close to rivers. The taphonomical study of the collections is among the first carried out on Javanese sites. The high degree of fragmentation is attested by the dominance of bone flakes among the fossils. The preservation status and the fragmentation of fossil bones are not the same at all the sites. The water action, either chemical or mechanical, is predominant regarding the origin and the modification of the assemblages, except in Ngebung 2. The carnivores are almost absent in the material and the traces of their action are rare. Anthropic influence is only clear at Ngebung 2, supported by fossil observation and correlated to the occurrence of lithic artefacts in association with mammal bones. This site is the first manifestation of the <i>Homo erectus</i> activity in Sangiran.</p>
|
