Indonesia’s Lost World: Shaking Up the Family Tree

by David Keys

Homo floresiensis skull (© Peter Brown)

New archaeological discoveries by Australian and Indonesian scientists on the Indonesian island of Flores are revealing that until at least 13,000 to 12,000 years ago and possibly into the nineteenth century, modern humans–our species, Homo sapiens–shared this planet with a totally different species of human being–a three-foot-high dwarf hominid with physical features usually seen as dating from 1.5 to 4 million years ago.

The scientists, mainly from Australia’s University of New England and University of Wollongong, have found the skeletal remains of up to seven individuals in a cave at Liang Bua, Flores. Their diminutive stature, small brain size (380 cc), receding chin, the shape of their first mandibular premolar tooth and the skull base design in the ear region are all reminiscent of early Australopithecus, a type of hominid which was thought to have existed only in Africa prior to 3 million years ago.
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Archaeology

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia

Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech/discourse) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains and environmental data, including architecture, artifacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes.

The goals of archaeology are to document and explain the origins and development of human culture, understand culture history, chronicle cultural evolution, and study human behavior and ecology, for both prehistoric and historic societies. It is considered in North America to be one of the four sub-fields of anthropology.

Roman theater, Alexandria, Egypt

Usage

As with words such as encyclop(a)edia and gyn(a)ecology, archaeology traditionally has an ae combination; however, unlike many other words, the ae is still widely retained. Contrary to popular belief in other parts of the world, the spelling archeology is not predominant in United States dictionaries, though it is the spelling used by the United States government organizations involved in the field. The traditional spelling, archaeology, continues to be the most common form in everyday writing throughout the world, including the U.S.A.