Difference between revisions of "Java Man" - New World Encyclopedia
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==Fossil discoveries== | ==Fossil discoveries== | ||
| + | [[Eugene Dubois]], a medical officer in the Royal Dutch East Indies Army, is credit with the initial discovery of Java Man. Dubois, who had been a physician and lecturer in anatomy at Amsterdam University, sought to find the "missing link" and joined the Dutch Army "with the clear ulterior motive" of using his spare time to search for human ancestors (Gould 1990). The Netherlands had a colonial presence in Indonesia, and the view of Dubois' time was that tropical Asia offered the greatest promise for his quest (Gould 1990). Alfred Wallace, for one, was convinced the origins of modern humans might lay in Southeast Asia (Kreger 2005). However, Dubois' search on Sumatra from 1887 to 1890 ended in failure. | ||
| + | In October of 1891, laborers working for Dubois—Gould (1990) claims the day-to-day digging was done by convict laborers commanded by army sergeants&mdash found on the island of Java, along the Solo River near the village of Trinil, a thick, mineralized skull cap (Kreger 2005). Later, in August of 1892, a femur was found. In 1894, Dubois designated this ''Pithecanthropus erectus'' (Kreger 2005), based on its morphology that he considered to be intermediate between that of humans and apes. | ||
| + | At the time, this discovery was the oldest [[hominid]] (in the anthropological sense of human or close human relatives) remains ever found. It was also the first cited as support for [[Charles Darwin]]'s and [[Alfred Russel Wallace]]'s theory of evolution. Many scientists of the day even suggested that Dubois' Java Man might have been the so-called "missing link", the creature that is supposed to provide the evolutionary connection between the [[ape]]s and modern man. | ||
| + | Dubois made his find public a few years later, when he returned from Java in 1895. He received "much warm support" and "overt testimonials in medals and honorary doctorates" (Gould 1990). But he "also generated a firestorm of doubt and protest," with some labeling his find merely an ape, others that it was a diseased modern skeleton, and yet others a mixture of a modern human femur and an ape's skull cap (Gould 1990). Dubois was disillusioned, and withdrew the Trinil bones, and refused access to them; some say they even spent some time in box in his house under the floorboards or in a museum strong box (Gould 1990; Kreger 2005). In 1923, he brought the specimens back for scientific viewing, but at this time was reported to declare that the Trinil bones belonged to a giant [[gibbon]] (Gould 1990). Gould finds this later claim to be a false legend. Rather, Dubois, who worked for years on brain size and proportions relative to body size, attempted (albeit mistakedly) to give ''Pithecanthropus'' the body proportions of a gibbon, but with an exceedingly large brain at exactly half that of humans, "thus rendering his man of Java, the pride of his career, as direct ancestor of all modern humans" (Gould 1990). | ||
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| + | Dubois' find was not a complete specimen, but consisted merely of a skullcap, a femur, and three teeth. It was also not clear whether those bones came from the same species. A 342-page report written shortly after the find throws much doubt upon the validity of this particular specimen. Despite this, the Java Man is still found in many textbooks today. A second Java Man was later discovered in the village of Sangiran, Central Java, 18km to the north of Solo. These remains—a skullcap of similar size to that found by Dubois—was discovered by Berlin-born paleontologist Gustav Heinrich Ralph von Koenigswald in 1936, as a direct result of excavations by Dubois in 1891. | ||
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| + | The best preserved hominid cranium from Java is Sangiran 17. This specimen was discovered by a farmer at Sangiran, Java, Indonesia, in 1969. Sangiran 17 has been an important specimen for those who accept the multiregional hypothesis that has erectus moving into Asia early, and evolving into Homo sapiens with gene flow being maintained between various African, Asian, and European populations. | ||
| + | [http://www.archaeologyinfo.com/homoerectus.htm ''Homo erectus'': Introduction]. ''Archaeology.info''. Retrieved March 4, 2007. | ||
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| + | "* Kreger, C. D. 2005. The Javanese specimens are a source of great controversy. No specimen from Indonesia has been found in a well-dated locale. Often, they have been found by locals and bought by researchers or interested laypersons. The older dates (ranging near 1.7 myr) are very controversial, and very tenuous. For example, the Modjokerto child was discovered by a hired workman in 1936, and the specimen was "dated" decades later by looking at the material that adhered to the cranium, and matching that matrix to a strata based on the information of where the specimen was found, finding a strata that matched the material taken from the specimen, then dating the samples of stratum that were assumed to be where the specimen originally came from. Specimens like Sangiran 17 and Trinil 2 have been dated to approximately 800 kyr and 400 kyr, respectively. | ||
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| + | Until older human remains were discovered in the [[Great Rift Valley]] in [[Kenya]], Due to 19th-century skepticism, this theory was never credited to Dubois. In recent years, several anthropologists have argued that '''Java Man''' is not the "[[missing link]]", but is in fact, ''a true member of the Human family''. <ref>''Marvin L. Lubenow - Bones of Contention, page 87''</ref> | ||
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| + | at the site of [[Trinil]] in 1891. The word "pithecanthropos" was derived from Greek roots and means ''ape man''. | ||
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Note:Early in the century, due to the discoveries on Java and at Zhoukoudian, it was believed that modern humans first evolved in Asia. This contradicted [[Charles Darwin]]'s idea of African human origin. However, during the 1950s and 1970s, the numerous fossil finds from East Africa ([[Kenya]]) yielded evidence that the oldest hominins (members of the tribe Hominini: extinct and extant [[chimpanzee]]s and humans) originated there. It is now believed that ''H. erectus'' is a descendant of earlier hominins such as ''[[Australopithecus]]'' and early ''Homo'' species (e.g., ''[[H. habilis]]''). ''H. erectus'' appears to originally have migrated from Africa during the Early [[Pleistocene]] around 2.0 million years ago, dispersing throughout most of the [[Old World]]. | Note:Early in the century, due to the discoveries on Java and at Zhoukoudian, it was believed that modern humans first evolved in Asia. This contradicted [[Charles Darwin]]'s idea of African human origin. However, during the 1950s and 1970s, the numerous fossil finds from East Africa ([[Kenya]]) yielded evidence that the oldest hominins (members of the tribe Hominini: extinct and extant [[chimpanzee]]s and humans) originated there. It is now believed that ''H. erectus'' is a descendant of earlier hominins such as ''[[Australopithecus]]'' and early ''Homo'' species (e.g., ''[[H. habilis]]''). ''H. erectus'' appears to originally have migrated from Africa during the Early [[Pleistocene]] around 2.0 million years ago, dispersing throughout most of the [[Old World]]. | ||
''H. erectus'' remains an important hominin since it is believed to be the first to leave Africa. In addition ''H. erectus'' was the first human ancestor to walk truly upright, which was made possible by the development of locking knees and a different location of the [[foramen magnum]] (the hole in the skull where the spine enters). | ''H. erectus'' remains an important hominin since it is believed to be the first to leave Africa. In addition ''H. erectus'' was the first human ancestor to walk truly upright, which was made possible by the development of locking knees and a different location of the [[foramen magnum]] (the hole in the skull where the spine enters). | ||
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[[Sir Arthur Keith]], an anatomist of from [[Cambridge University]], later claimed that the skull cap itself, '<i>[is] distinctly human and reflected a brain capacity well within the range of humans living today</i>',<ref>Marvin L. Lubenow</i> - Bones of Contention, page 86-99</ref>, thus refuting [[Eugene Dubois]]'s original claim that '<i>[Java man] represents a stage in the devolopment of modern man from a smaller-brained ancestor</i>'.<ref> World Book Encyclopedia - Book 10, 50</ref> | [[Sir Arthur Keith]], an anatomist of from [[Cambridge University]], later claimed that the skull cap itself, '<i>[is] distinctly human and reflected a brain capacity well within the range of humans living today</i>',<ref>Marvin L. Lubenow</i> - Bones of Contention, page 86-99</ref>, thus refuting [[Eugene Dubois]]'s original claim that '<i>[Java man] represents a stage in the devolopment of modern man from a smaller-brained ancestor</i>'.<ref> World Book Encyclopedia - Book 10, 50</ref> | ||
Revision as of 20:39, 11 March 2007
Java Man was one of the first specimens of Homo erectus to be discovered, having been located first in 1891 in Java (Indonesia). It was originally given the scientific name Pithecanthropus erectus ("ape-man who walked upright") by its discoverer Eugène Dubois, who found the remains with the aid of laborers. When other fossils purported to be the same specimen were found in China and Africa, Java Man was redesignated as Homo erectus.
Homo erectus ("upright man") is an extinct species of the genus Homo, that lived from about 1.8 million years ago (mya) to 50-70,000 years ago. It is considered to be the first hominid to spread out of Africa. However, often the early phase in Africa, from 1.8 to 1.25 (or 1.6) mya, is considered to be a separate species, Homo ergaster, or it is seen as a subspecies of erectus, Homo erectus ergaster (Mayr 2001). The later populations found in Asia, Europe, and Africa are considered Home erectus.
The initial 1891 discovery has been dated to about 400,000 years ago (Kreger 2005). Originally, H. erectus was believed to have disappeared roughly 400,000 years ago, but some deposits in Java thought to contain H. erectus fossils were dated at only 50,000 years ago, which would mean that at least one population would have been a contemporary of modern humans (Smithsonian 2007a).
Fossil discoveries
Eugene Dubois, a medical officer in the Royal Dutch East Indies Army, is credit with the initial discovery of Java Man. Dubois, who had been a physician and lecturer in anatomy at Amsterdam University, sought to find the "missing link" and joined the Dutch Army "with the clear ulterior motive" of using his spare time to search for human ancestors (Gould 1990). The Netherlands had a colonial presence in Indonesia, and the view of Dubois' time was that tropical Asia offered the greatest promise for his quest (Gould 1990). Alfred Wallace, for one, was convinced the origins of modern humans might lay in Southeast Asia (Kreger 2005). However, Dubois' search on Sumatra from 1887 to 1890 ended in failure.
In October of 1891, laborers working for Dubois—Gould (1990) claims the day-to-day digging was done by convict laborers commanded by army sergeants&mdash found on the island of Java, along the Solo River near the village of Trinil, a thick, mineralized skull cap (Kreger 2005). Later, in August of 1892, a femur was found. In 1894, Dubois designated this Pithecanthropus erectus (Kreger 2005), based on its morphology that he considered to be intermediate between that of humans and apes.
At the time, this discovery was the oldest hominid (in the anthropological sense of human or close human relatives) remains ever found. It was also the first cited as support for Charles Darwin's and Alfred Russel Wallace's theory of evolution. Many scientists of the day even suggested that Dubois' Java Man might have been the so-called "missing link", the creature that is supposed to provide the evolutionary connection between the apes and modern man.
Dubois made his find public a few years later, when he returned from Java in 1895. He received "much warm support" and "overt testimonials in medals and honorary doctorates" (Gould 1990). But he "also generated a firestorm of doubt and protest," with some labeling his find merely an ape, others that it was a diseased modern skeleton, and yet others a mixture of a modern human femur and an ape's skull cap (Gould 1990). Dubois was disillusioned, and withdrew the Trinil bones, and refused access to them; some say they even spent some time in box in his house under the floorboards or in a museum strong box (Gould 1990; Kreger 2005). In 1923, he brought the specimens back for scientific viewing, but at this time was reported to declare that the Trinil bones belonged to a giant gibbon (Gould 1990). Gould finds this later claim to be a false legend. Rather, Dubois, who worked for years on brain size and proportions relative to body size, attempted (albeit mistakedly) to give Pithecanthropus the body proportions of a gibbon, but with an exceedingly large brain at exactly half that of humans, "thus rendering his man of Java, the pride of his career, as direct ancestor of all modern humans" (Gould 1990).
Dubois' find was not a complete specimen, but consisted merely of a skullcap, a femur, and three teeth. It was also not clear whether those bones came from the same species. A 342-page report written shortly after the find throws much doubt upon the validity of this particular specimen. Despite this, the Java Man is still found in many textbooks today. A second Java Man was later discovered in the village of Sangiran, Central Java, 18km to the north of Solo. These remains—a skullcap of similar size to that found by Dubois—was discovered by Berlin-born paleontologist Gustav Heinrich Ralph von Koenigswald in 1936, as a direct result of excavations by Dubois in 1891.
The best preserved hominid cranium from Java is Sangiran 17. This specimen was discovered by a farmer at Sangiran, Java, Indonesia, in 1969. Sangiran 17 has been an important specimen for those who accept the multiregional hypothesis that has erectus moving into Asia early, and evolving into Homo sapiens with gene flow being maintained between various African, Asian, and European populations. Homo erectus: Introduction. Archaeology.info. Retrieved March 4, 2007.
"* Kreger, C. D. 2005. The Javanese specimens are a source of great controversy. No specimen from Indonesia has been found in a well-dated locale. Often, they have been found by locals and bought by researchers or interested laypersons. The older dates (ranging near 1.7 myr) are very controversial, and very tenuous. For example, the Modjokerto child was discovered by a hired workman in 1936, and the specimen was "dated" decades later by looking at the material that adhered to the cranium, and matching that matrix to a strata based on the information of where the specimen was found, finding a strata that matched the material taken from the specimen, then dating the samples of stratum that were assumed to be where the specimen originally came from. Specimens like Sangiran 17 and Trinil 2 have been dated to approximately 800 kyr and 400 kyr, respectively.
Until older human remains were discovered in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, Due to 19th-century skepticism, this theory was never credited to Dubois. In recent years, several anthropologists have argued that Java Man is not the "missing link", but is in fact, a true member of the Human family. [1]
at the site of Trinil in 1891. The word "pithecanthropos" was derived from Greek roots and means ape man.
Note:Early in the century, due to the discoveries on Java and at Zhoukoudian, it was believed that modern humans first evolved in Asia. This contradicted Charles Darwin's idea of African human origin. However, during the 1950s and 1970s, the numerous fossil finds from East Africa (Kenya) yielded evidence that the oldest hominins (members of the tribe Hominini: extinct and extant chimpanzees and humans) originated there. It is now believed that H. erectus is a descendant of earlier hominins such as Australopithecus and early Homo species (e.g., H. habilis). H. erectus appears to originally have migrated from Africa during the Early Pleistocene around 2.0 million years ago, dispersing throughout most of the Old World.
H. erectus remains an important hominin since it is believed to be the first to leave Africa. In addition H. erectus was the first human ancestor to walk truly upright, which was made possible by the development of locking knees and a different location of the foramen magnum (the hole in the skull where the spine enters).
NOte
Sir Arthur Keith, an anatomist of from Cambridge University, later claimed that the skull cap itself, '[is] distinctly human and reflected a brain capacity well within the range of humans living today',[2], thus refuting Eugene Dubois's original claim that '[Java man] represents a stage in the devolopment of modern man from a smaller-brained ancestor'.[3]
Even as recently as 1994, Time Magazine stated that '[Java Man] is a legimate evolutionary ancestor'[4] which is in disagreement with several anthropologists.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. 2007a. Homo erectus. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved March 4, 2007.
See also
Sahelanthropus tchadensis • Orrorin tugenensis • Ardipithecus
Australopithecus: A. anamensis • A. afarensis • A. bahrelghazali • A. africanus • A. garhi
Paranthropus: P. aethiopicus • P. boisei • P. robustus
Kenyanthropus platyops
Homo: H. habilis • H. rudolfensis • H. georgicus • H. ergaster • H. erectus (H. e. lantianensis • H. e. palaeojavanicus • H. e. pekinensis • H. e. soloensis) • H. cepranensis • H. antecessor • H. heidelbergensis • H. neanderthalensis • H. rhodesiensis • H. floresiensis • Homo sapiens (H. s. idaltu • H. s. sapiens)
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