JAVA MAN: DISCOVERY, PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS - HISTORY - 2025

The Javanese man referred to the fossil remains that were found on the Indonesian island called Java and that belonged to an already extinct primate. The discovery occurred at the end of the 19th century and they were the first remains of a species of archaic humans known by the name of Homo erectus.

For a long time the discovery of the remains of the Java man was considered a hoax and the controversy involved everything related to the subject. Later, the find occupied an important place in history, especially in the part referring to human evolution.

Collection of remains of the Java man in a museum in Indonesia. Source: Midori, via Wikimedia Commons.

Discovery

In 1880 Eugéne Dubois, a Dutch anatomist and geologist, traveled to Southeast Asia. Dubois had been trained together with Ernst Haeckel and defended the ideas that Darwin put forward on the theory of evolution.

Dubois's trip to Asia responded to his need to find the missing link, the missing piece to demonstrate the evolution of the ape to humans. His investigations began on Sumatra, an Indonesian island, where he learned that some remains of human bones had been found near Wajak.

Wajak was a town that was to the east of the island Java. It was then that Dubois decided to move to that island to continue his research. He came to Java in 1890 and began his studies a year later.

He began exploring along the Solo River in Trinil. His work team consisted of two army sergeants and 50 workers, who were rather convicts in the Indies who had been leased.

In October 1891, Dubois discovered a skull cap and later found a femur and a tooth in the same place. He drew his first conclusions and stated that the owner of the skull cap had had a small brain. He even used mustard seeds to measure cranial capacity, which gave an idea of ​​size.

The femur had characteristics of modernity, being a justification for Dubois to ensure that the owner could maintain an upright posture.

At first Dubois called his discovery Anthropithecus erectus, which in Spanish would be the equivalent of erect ape man.

Detractors

Dubois published all the information about his discovery in 1894, which caused much controversy around the world. He claimed to have found the missing link between humans and apes, a statement so resounding that it caused great resistance among scientists of the time, but also in the community at large.

Criticism and doubts about Dubois's finding generated great bitterness and annoyance in the Dutchman. He made the decision to keep the fossil remains in a trunk, where they remained for more than 30 years.

This increased the belief that the Javanese man was simply a hoax. Dubois died in 1940 embittered and without recognition for his find.

Recognition

Years later, the remains were examined by other scientists. Studies by the American biologist Ernst Mayr allowed Javanese man to receive the classification of Homo erectus.

Over the years, more human remains of Homo erectus were found on the island of Java, more specifically in the Sangiran and Modjokerto areas.

Physical and social characteristics

The Javanese man had a height of five feet eight inches, which is equal to 173 centimeters. Thanks to his thighs, it was possible to conclude that he walked upright, just like humans do today.

The femur remains found are thicker than modern ones, being an indication that Javanese man was a species that ran a lot.

The skull also had very specific characteristics. The bones were thick, the forehead was broad, and it had no chin or chin. The brow area was also prominent and the jaw was large. On the top of the head was present a ridge that served to join the muscles of the jaw.

It was established that the Java man skull only had a capacity of 900 cubic centimeters. This was a lower capacity than the later Homo erectus remains that were studied.

The teeth were human, although with some similarities to the teeth of apes, with large and overlapping canines. Thanks to the analysis of the anatomical and archaeological characteristics, it was possible to determine that the meat of vertebrate animals was a very important element in the diet of Javanese man.

Some evidence even indicates that this species used shells as tools to cut meat.

Cultural material

Homo erectus was estimated to have reached Eurasian territory about 1.8 million years ago. This migratory phenomenon was known as the first African exodus.

Some findings made it possible to determine that the community in which the Javanese man and the rest of Homo erectus lived lived in an area of ​​always humid forests. The environment was even compared to that of the savannas, although floods could be something frequent in the area.

These conclusions were made possible by plants found at the Java man excavation site in Trinil. Among the plants that were found were ferns, ficus, grass and indigofera. All this vegetation was typical of tropical jungle sites and that had low lands.

Fire control

Most archaeologists have reached a consensus that Homo erectus communities controlled fire for more than 400,000 years.

Burnt wood remains were found in the Java man excavation, dating back more than 800 thousand years. The same happens in many other similar excavations. But these findings were not conclusive due to the characteristics of the area where the remains of the Javanese man were found, since it is a region of volcanic activity.

The charring debris may have been a consequence of natural fires, so there is no conclusive evidence that Java man controlled the fire.

The agreement reached is to admit that the Javanese man was aware of the use of fire. Natural fires could serve for its use sporadically, but the Javanese man did not leave any archaeological pattern that would allow him to categorically affirm the type of manipulation he made of this element.

References

1. Daniel, A. (2013). Tracking Ancient Legends. United States: Xlibris LLC.
2. Nabhan, G. (2014). Why Some Like It Hot. Washington: Island Press.
3. Panopio, I., & Santico-Rolda, R. (1988). Sociology and anthropology. Manila: Goodwill Trading Co.
4. Swisher, C., Curtis, G., & Lewin, R. (2002). Java man. London: Abacus.
5. College Division. The Bobbs-Merrill Reprint Series in the Social Sciences. (1950). Taxonomy categories in fossil hominids.