A jawbone, a fragment of arm bone, and a tooth collected from a historical dig site in Indonesia could up-end our entire understanding of human history.
Reports this week revealed how the remains of a “hobbit” species of human being that lived around 700,000 years were discovered by excavators at a site named Mata Menge. The site, located on the island of Flores, is unearthing new evidence of a species of human that was first discovered 20 years ago in the same region.
But were they really hobbits? Well, that depends on your definition. The term “hobbit” comes from the Lord of the Rings movie and book trilogy – but anyone familiar with the fictional story will know that the term “hobbit” can refer to people only marginally smaller than the average modern human. The species we’re talking about is believed to have stood at just 3’6. This “hobbit” happens to be much shorter than the Homo Floresiensis, a taller hobbit species of human that was discovered back in 2003.
Experts say that when they first recovered a small fragment of arm bone, measuring barely more than three inches, they actually thought that it was a piece of crocodile bone. Scientists are perplexed by the discovery, with the co-author of the study, Yousuke Kaifu, telling The Associated Press that the team “did not expect” to find even smaller examples of humans at the site.
The Mata Menge site, where the latest hobbit discovery was made, was first discovered in the 1990s and has since been the focus of a number of archeological excavations. The site is best known for the discovery of the larger hobbit species Homo Floresiensis, which was discovered in the Liang Bua cave. Remains and artifacts discovered at the site, some of which date back 700,000 years, include various kinds of stone tools.
The site has been providing researcher with new insights into human history for decades, and the latest discoveries indicate that much more could be learned from the site.
