Ancient Artifacts Discovered in Island Cave Suggest Earlier Human Presence in Pacific Region
Rewritten Article:
In a mind-blowing discovery, archaeologists have stumbled upon ancient tree resin in West Papua, which they claim is the oldest evidence of human presence in the Pacific. A team of researchers, led by Dylan Gaffney from the University of Oxford, delved into the Mololo Cave nestled within Waigeo Island of the Raja Ampat archipelago and unearthed stone artifacts, animal bones, charcoal, and tree resin. The tree resin was the game-changer, providing an accurate timeline of human occupation.
"We found various animal bones in the deposit," explained Gaffney, "including smaller creatures such as rodents and bats. Larger animals like terrestrial birds, marsupials, and megabats, though, likely resulted from human hunting."
The cave also housed marine animal remains, hinting at ancient humans dragging their catch from the coast (approximately 15 kilometers away) and processing it within the cave.
The team discovered that the tree resin pieces were not a natural occurrence. According to their research, published in Antiquity, ancient humans cut bark from trees, hardened the resin, and crafted it into shape. Though the exact use of this resin remains a mystery, the researchers speculate it might have been used as a fuel source for fires. By radiocarbon dating the layers containing the resins, they deduced that humans inhabited the cave as early as 55,000 years ago.
The exact route and timing of human migration across the Pacific islands continue to stir debate. In the distant past, other hominins, including Homo erectus and Homo floresiensis, traversed the islands. Although it's likely that Mololo Cave was inhabited by Homo sapiens, there's a possibility that the assemblage could have been created by relatives of Denisovans, an enigmatic group of extinct hominins.
The 'hobbits' of Flores island became extinct around 50,000 years ago, and this study suggests that early modern humans might have landed on Waigeo Island around the same time. During the last Ice Age, the distance between Waitanta (a paleoisland consisting of today's Waigeo and Batanta islands) and the paleocontinent Sahul was a mere 2.5 kilometers at its narrowest point.
The researchers hypothesize that early explorers might have initially entered Sahul via Australia and swiftly advanced northwest, reaching Waitanta from the Bird's Head Peninsula of New Guinea. The team conducted simulations to explore possible routes ancient humans could have taken into New Guinea through the Raja Ampat archipelago. They now plan to delve deeper into sites across the archipelago to clarify the exact timeline of human settlements, potentially revealing the specific group of humans who occupied the area.
- The discovery of ancient tree resin in West Papua could offer insight into the miniaturized tools technology used by early humans, as researchers suggest they likely extracted and hardened the resin for specific purposes, such as fuel for fires.
- As science continues to uncover evidence of ancient human presence in distant lands like the Pacific, the future may bring more discoveries about the past, challenging our current understanding of human migration patterns.
- In the same way that archaeologists have unearthed mammal bones from smaller creatures like rodents and bats to larger ones like birds, marsupials, and megabats, studying the bones of marsupials can contribute to our understanding of past human hunting practices.
- The study also hints at the possibility that future excavations in the Raja Ampat archipelago may reveal even more about the enigmatic Denisovans, who could have played a role in the creation of the artifacts found in Mololo Cave.
