Sangiran Site: The Unfinished Story (Traces ASIA Archaeology Webinar)

Anthropological and Sociological Initiatives of the Ateneo (ASIA) and the Deep Time Archaeological Collaboratory and Cultural Resource Management Space at the Areté (Traces) in Partnership with the School of Social Sciences, Department of Sociology and Anthropology and Areté, Eduardo J. Aboitiz Sandbox Zone present Traces ASIA Webinar Series III

Sangiran Site:
The Unfinished Story

Dr. Harry Widianto

Presenter

Research Professor
Research Centre for Prehistoric Archaeology (National Research and Innovation Agency)

Reactors
Dr. Alfred F. Pawlik, Facilitator, Ateneo de Manila University
Mylene Q. Lising, MA, IMQP, Co-Facilitator, Ateneo de Manila University
Dr. Riczar B. Fuentes, Co-Facilitator, Ateneo de Manila University

Abstract

The site of Sangiran in Central Java, which was first presented to the scientific world by G.H.R. von Koenigswald in 1934, has since its discovery made an immense contribution to the history of humankind from the early Pleistocene onwards. The information obtained from the site is very extensive and mainly related to the human, cultural, faunal, and environmental evolution during the last 2 million years. The geological structure of the site indicates that only 40% of its area has been exposed - only in the upper part of the Sangiran Dome - while about 60% of the human evidence is still buried underneath in layers dating back at least 1.5 million years. For this reason, the Sangiran site is like a "never-ending story of humankind" as of now. Most of the research being conducted at the site nowadays constantly yields new discoveries and consequently raises new questions and perceptions. This presentation is about the site itself, its significance for human evolution and the latest research with its new interpretation.