Hobbit fossils indicate that small humans inhabited Indonesian islands 700,000 years ago.

The discovery of Hobbit fossils, scientifically known as Homo floresiensis, on the Indonesian island of Flores has significantly altered our understanding of human evolution and migration patterns. These small hominins, standing approximately one meter tall and exhibiting unique morphological characteristics, have been dated to around 700,000 years ago. This finding not only challenges conventional narratives about the timeline of human habitation in Southeast Asia but also raises intriguing questions regarding the adaptability and diversity of early hominin species.

Homo floresiensis exhibits a combination of primitive and derived traits that suggest a complex evolutionary history. The fossils reveal a distinct morphology characterized by a small cranial capacity akin to that of much earlier hominins while retaining features associated with later species. Such anatomical characteristics imply that these small humans may have descended from an ancestral population that adapted to the isolated environment of Flores. This adaptation could be indicative of insular dwarfism—a phenomenon where species evolve smaller sizes due to limited resources and environmental pressures on islands.

The original hobbit fossils date back to between 60,000 and 100,000 years ago. The new fossils were excavated at a site called Mata Menge, about 45 miles from the cave where the first hobbit remains were uncovered. The fossils were found on the top of a ribbon-shaped, pebbly sandstone layer in a small stream. They included exceptionally small teeth that possibly came from two individuals, researchers said. 

The So’a Basin in central Flores, Indonesia, is a key region for elucidating the origin and evolution of H. floresiensis, a diminutive hominin species known from the Late Pleistocene at Liang Bua, a limestone cave in western Flores As with another small-bodied Homo discovered in Luzon, the evolutionary history of this insular hominin species has been the subject of protracted debate. Previous field studies of the Early to Middle Pleistocene (Calabrian–Chibanian) sequence of the So’a Basin have recovered fossil remains of endemic fauna (dwarfed Stegodon, Komodo monitor, giant rat, birds, crocodiles and tortoises) technologically simple stone artefacts (the oldest of which date back to at least 1.02 ± 0.02 million years ago and, importantly, a fragmentary mandible and six isolated teeth of a small-sized hominin9. These homini fossils were excavated from a sandstone layer of fluvial origin (Layer II) of the upper fossil-bearing interval at the Mata Menge site, which is dated to between 0.65 and 0.773  These fossils exhibit general morphological affinities to the type series of H. floresiensis from Liang Bua (0.1–0.06 Ma) and to early H. erectus from Java (1.1–0.8 Ma)11, but lack the unique molar specializations characterizing the former and were substantially smaller than the latter9.While the hobbits didn't face predators, they still had to deal with the island's Komodo dragons and giant stork-like birds that stood almost six feet tall. "These were a big stress for them – they must have been intelligent," Kaifu said.

Small-brained as they were, the hobbits used stone tools and appear to have hunted some of the other dwarf animals on the island, including a mini elephant species called dwarf stegodons about the size of modern buffalo. the hobbits may also have used fire.

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Sarah H

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