Sangiran is known as a site which is closely related to the life of the early man from G.H.R. von Koenigswald’s contribution in Ngebung hills. There were some stone tools in the form of flake-blade that were made from chalcedony and jasper on one of its slopes. Though they were surface findings, Koenigswald stated if these findings were from the Middle Plestocene and dated around 400,000 years ago based on the artifacts association with Trinil’s fauna. Such statement arose some critiques from other experts, which one of them was GJ. Barstra who stated that they dated around 50,000 at most. In 1990, a systematic excavation was held to estimate correctly the dating of Homo erectus‘ culture in Sangiran. It gave spectacular discoveries like human remains, fauna remains, and in situ artifacts, including a number of akes as those of Koenigswald’s. All of teem were found in the fluvial volcanic sedimentation of the Lower Kabuh Formation which dated more than 700,000 years ago.
Besides in Ngebung, there was also other excavation in the riverbank of Dayu, Gondangrejo district. The stratigraphy of the riverbank was composed by the black clay of Pucangan Formation, grenzbank, fluvial-volcanic sedimentation, and terrace sedimentation on Kabuh Formation. When the excavation reached the grenzbank, they found 15stone tools like flakes, planes, blades, drill, and bone tools in situ. These were the first artifacts ever found in the grenzbank. Hence, regarding its sediment, those tools were believed to be 800,000 years. Surely, such culture belonged to the typical Homo erectus teat lived 0.9 – 0.3 million year ago. Then, where was the archaic Homo erectus’ culture, the oldest man in Sangiran? From 1.2 million years black day of Pucangan Formation, a huge mass of flakes were found under the grenzbank. There were 220 artifact of Sangiran’s flakes industry found inside a 3×3 meter sized excavation box. This was a set of the oldest Homo erectus’ tools in Indonesia.
Sumber: Leaflet Sangiran The Home Land of Java Man
