Sangiran
Encyclopedia
Sangiran is an archaeological excavation site on the island of Java in Indonesia
. The area comprises about 48 km² and is located in Central Java
, about 15 kilometers north of Surakarta
in the Solo River valley. In 1996 it was accepted as World Heritage by the UNESCO
.
started to examine the area. During excavations in the next years fossil
s of some of the first known human
ancestors, Pithecanthropus erectus ("Java Man", now reclassified as part of the species Homo erectus
), were found here. About 60 more human fossils, among them the enigmatic "Meganthropus
", have since been found here. In addition, there are considerable numbers of remains of the animals that these primitive humans hunted, and of others that merely shared the habitat
.
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. The area comprises about 48 km² and is located in Central Java
Central Java
Central Java is a province of Indonesia. The administrative capital is Semarang. It is one of six provinces on the island of Java.This province is the province of high Human Development in Indonesia and its Points Development Index countries is equivalent to Lebanon. The province of Central Java...
, about 15 kilometers north of Surakarta
Surakarta
Surakarta, also called Solo or Sala, is a city in Central Java, Indonesia of more than 520,061 people with a population density of 11,811.5 people/km2. The 44 km2 city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and Sukoharjo Regency to the east and...
in the Solo River valley. In 1996 it was accepted as World Heritage by the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
.
History
In 1934 the anthropologist Gustav Heinrich Ralph von KoenigswaldGustav Heinrich Ralph von Koenigswald
Professor Dr. Gustav Heinrich Ralph von Koenigswald was a distinguished paleontologist and geologist who conducted research on hominins, including Homo erectus. Ralph von Koenigswald made many contributions to paleontology during his career...
started to examine the area. During excavations in the next years fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s of some of the first known human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
ancestors, Pithecanthropus erectus ("Java Man", now reclassified as part of the species Homo erectus
Homo erectus
Homo erectus is an extinct species of hominid that lived from the end of the Pliocene epoch to the later Pleistocene, about . The species originated in Africa and spread as far as India, China and Java. There is still disagreement on the subject of the classification, ancestry, and progeny of H...
), were found here. About 60 more human fossils, among them the enigmatic "Meganthropus
Meganthropus
Meganthropus is a name commonly given to several large jaw and skull fragments from Sangiran, Central Java. The original scientific name was Meganthropus palaeojavanicus, and while it is commonly considered invalid today, the genus name has survived as something of an informal nickname for the...
", have since been found here. In addition, there are considerable numbers of remains of the animals that these primitive humans hunted, and of others that merely shared the habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
.