Extraordinary discovery under the ocean: it could change the course of history
A group of researchers analysed a skull found in Indonesia in 2011 and discovered something extraordinary - the first physical evidence of a lost world.
A team of scientists has discovered a 140,000-year-old Homo erectus skull in Indonesia, between the islands of Java and Madura. The remains were found buried in layers of silt and sand.
Experts believe this is the first physical evidence of a lost world: Sundaland, a prehistoric landmass that once spanned much of what is now Southeast Asia. This vast tropical plain is thought to have supported thriving human populations.
Although the skull was unearthed in 2011, researchers have only recently been able to determine its age and species. “This period is marked by significant morphological diversity and mobility among hominid populations in the region,” said Harold Berghuis, an archaeologist at Leiden University in the Netherlands and leader of the study.
In addition to the skull, scientists uncovered around 6,000 animal fossils from 36 different species, including Komodo dragons, buffalo, deer, and elephants. Some of the bones bore cut marks, suggesting early humans employed advanced hunting techniques. “The large, perennial rivers of Sundaland likely provided favorable living conditions for Homo erectus during the relatively dry climate of the late Middle Pleistocene,” the study notes.
Why were humans living in areas that are now underwater?
Between 14,000 and 7,000 years ago, melting glaciers caused sea levels to rise by more than 120 meters, submerging the plains of Sundaland. As a result, communities were forced to migrate to higher ground and nearby islands.
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To analyze the site, researchers studied the sediment layers where the fossils were found. Their investigation revealed buried valleys of the ancient Solo River, which once flowed across the now-submerged Sundaland platform.
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