Hominins on Sulawesi during the Early Pleistocene

Budianto Hakim (), Unggul Prasetyo Wibowo, Gerrit D. Bergh, Dida Yurnaldi, Renaud Joannes-Boyau, Akin Duli, Suryatman, Ratno Sardi, Indah Asikin Nurani, Mika Rizki Puspaningrum, Irfan Mahmud, Afdalah Haris, Khairun Al Anshari, Andi Muhammad Saiful, P. Arman Bungaran, Shinatria Adhityatama, Putra Hudlinas Muhammad, Anwar Akib, Nani Somba, Fakhri, Basran Burhan, Zubair Mas’ud, Mark W. Moore, Yinika L. Perston, Wenjing Yu, Maxime Aubert and Adam Brumm ()
Additional contact information
Budianto Hakim: Pusat Riset Arkeologi Prasejarah dan Sejarah (Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN))
Unggul Prasetyo Wibowo: Museum Geologi Bandung
Gerrit D. Bergh: Environmental Futures, University of Wollongong
Dida Yurnaldi: Centre for Geological Survey, Geological Agency of Indonesia
Renaud Joannes-Boyau: Geoarchaeology and Archaeometry Research Group, Southern Cross University
Akin Duli: Pusat Kolaborasi Riset Arkeologi Sulawesi (BRIN–Universitas Hasanuddin)
Suryatman: Pusat Kolaborasi Riset Arkeologi Sulawesi (BRIN–Universitas Hasanuddin)
Ratno Sardi: Pusat Riset Arkeologi Prasejarah dan Sejarah (Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN))
Indah Asikin Nurani: Pusat Riset Arkeologi Prasejarah dan Sejarah (Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN))
Mika Rizki Puspaningrum: Faculty of Earth Sciences and Technology, Bandung Institute of Technology
Irfan Mahmud: Pusat Riset Arkeologi Prasejarah dan Sejarah (Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN))
Afdalah Haris: Indonesian Association of Archaeologists (IAAI Komda Sulawesi)
Khairun Al Anshari: Indonesian Association of Archaeologists (IAAI Komda Sulawesi)
Andi Muhammad Saiful: Pusat Kolaborasi Riset Arkeologi Sulawesi (BRIN–Universitas Hasanuddin)
P. Arman Bungaran: Indonesian Association of Archaeologists (IAAI Komda Sulawesi)
Shinatria Adhityatama: Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University
Putra Hudlinas Muhammad: Indonesian Association of Archaeologists (IAAI Komda Sulawesi)
Anwar Akib: Pemerhati dan Pelestari Budaya di Soppeng
Nani Somba: Pusat Riset Arkeologi Lingkungan, Maritim dan Budaya Berkelanjutan (BRIN)
Fakhri: Pusat Riset Arkeometri (BRIN)
Basran Burhan: Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University
Zubair Mas’ud: Pusat Riset Arkeologi Prasejarah dan Sejarah (Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN))
Mark W. Moore: Archaeology and Palaeoanthropology, University of New England
Yinika L. Perston: Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University
Wenjing Yu: Geoarchaeology and Archaeometry Research Group, Southern Cross University
Maxime Aubert: Geoarchaeology and Archaeometry Research Group, Southern Cross University
Adam Brumm: Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University

Nature, 2025, vol. 646, issue 8084, 378-383

Abstract: Abstract The dispersal of archaic hominins beyond mainland Southeast Asia (Sunda)1 represents the earliest evidence for humans crossing ocean barriers to reach isolated landmasses2–4. Previously, the oldest indication of hominins in Wallacea, the oceanic island zone east of Sunda, comprised flaked stone artefacts deposited at least 1.02 ± 0.02 million years ago (Ma) at Wolo Sege on Flores5. Early hominins were also established on the oceanic island of Luzon (Philippines), as indicated by both stone artefacts and cut marks on faunal remains dating to between 777 and 631 thousand years ago (ka) at Kalinga6. Moreover, fossils of extinct, small-bodied hominins occur on Flores (Homo floresiensis)7–12 and Luzon (Homo luzonensis)13. On Sulawesi, the largest Wallacean island, previous excavations revealed stone artefacts with a minimum age of 194 ka at the open site of Talepu in the Walanae Depression14, long preceding the earliest known presence of modern humans (Homo sapiens) in the region (73–63 ka in Sunda)15. Here we show that stone artefacts also occur at the nearby site of Calio in fossiliferous layers dated to at least 1.04 Ma and possibly up to 1.48 Ma, using palaeomagnetic dating of sedimentary rocks and coupled Uranium-series (U-series) and electron-spin resonance (US–ESR) dating of fossil teeth. The discovery of Early Pleistocene artefacts at Calio suggests that Sulawesi was populated by hominins at around the same time as Flores, if not earlier.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09348-6

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