Gunung Kidul, ancient man home<\/p>\n
Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
People living near Gunung Kidul are used to being called
\ncountry bumpkins from the mountain -- a reference to their
\nperceived backwardness and lack of education. However, if we gaze
\nfar, far back into the past, we see that this reference is
\nextremely inappropriate, as the ancestors of modern man lived in
\nthe Gunung Kidul area.<\/p>\n
Only those ignorant of history will consider the Gunung Kidul
\npeople in Yogyakarta as backward and uneducated. It turns out
\nthat the area now known as Pegunungan Seribu, stretching from the
\nsouthern coastal area to the northern part of Gunung Kidul
\nregency, used to be the dwelling place of ancient man.<\/p>\n
Thousands of years ago, this area was home to ancient man. For
\ncenturies, they lived in the mountainous area before emerging and
\ntrekking into low-lying areas of what are now Wonosari and
\nYogyakarta.<\/p>\n
Traces of the civilization of ancient man in Gunung Kidul are
\nnow being studied by a team from Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada
\nUniversity's Integrated Project of Archaeological Areas.<\/p>\n
The project leader, Susetyo Edi Yuwono, who is a lecturer in
\nthe university's Department of Archaeology, said that since 1998
\nhis department had been excavating a number of archaeological
\nsites in the Gunung Kidul area, including a number of caves, or
\nsong in the local language.<\/p>\n
\"In this area you can find hundreds of rock shelters or caves,
\nwhere the relics of ancient man's life are thought to be. From
\nthe six sites under excavation, we have found much evidence that
\nthis area used to be the seat of the civilization of ancient man.<\/p>\n
\"In the course of the excavation in Song Bentar and Song
\nBlentong, we have found various human and animal fossils, as well
\nas hunting tools,\" Susetyo said at Song Bentar in Ponjong, Gunung
\nKidul regency.<\/p>\n
Within just a week of excavation work in the two locations,
\nhis team had found numerous fossils. The team is confident that
\nif they continue the work, get more financial support and some
\nhelp from the regional administration, more fossils will be
\nfound.<\/p>\n
Susetyo said his team needed more money to cover its
\noperational costs. Another problem, he added, is that in the
\nfield their excavation work can clash with the economic interests
\nof the locals.<\/p>\n
In several locations in the area thought to be
\narchaeologically important, the hills and caves have been
\nexploited by locals for mining. Many of the hills and caves in
\nGunung Kidul are now mining sites for lime or calcite, phosphate,
\ngypsum and other minerals.<\/p>\n
\"The fact that these mining activities ignore the
\nenvironmental and historical significance of these places is
\nreason enough for our deep concern. In fact, we have brought up
\nthis matter with the Gunung Kidul regional administration, but it
\ncan do very little because the mining permits come from the
\nprovincial administration. Look, there are a lot of historical
\ncaves, like Lawa Cave in Ponjong, for example, that have been
\ntotally destroyed by mining,\" Susetyo said.<\/p>\n
Lawa Cave, the largest in Ponjong, is believed to be one of
\nthe main dwelling places of ancient man. Over the past nine
\nyears, the contents of the cave, mainly guano, have been
\ndepleted. The cave itself is in a state of utter destruction.<\/p>\n
Guano, which is a very expensive natural fertilizer, has done
\ngreat damage to the archaeological treasures of the cave. In
\nterms of archaeology, the cave is thought to be invaluable, as
\nonce a number of fossilized animals like horses and cows, as well
\nas hunting tools, were found in the guano.<\/p>\n
This discovery, said Susetyo, came from only a single
\nlocation. In Gunung Kidul, there are 18 districts believed to
\nhave unexcavated archaeological sites. There are traces of
\nancient life in the hundreds of caves in this area.<\/p>\n
\"Our initial conclusion is that in the Mesolithic period,
\nabout 10,000 years ago, the Gunung Kidul area was a seat of life
\nfor ancient man. This continued to the more recent periods, until
\nthey went down and began to live in the low-lying areas such as
\nWonosari.\"<\/p>\n
Information gathered from the excavations in Song Bentar and
\nSong Blendrong, said Susetyo, can give a representative
\nillustration of how our ancient ancestors' lived.<\/p>\n
In Song Bentar, for instance, both human fossils and
\nfossilized large animals like boars, bulls and tigers have been
\nfound. Moreover, the team also discovered arrows, which were used
\nfor hunting. An analysis of the soil structure and other findings
\nhave led the team to assume that the cave, located along the
\nborder with Central Java, saw at least three different phases of
\nancient settlement.<\/p>\n
Based on the preliminary findings from these sites, the team
\nis convinced the Pegunungan Seribu area used to be the seat of
\nlife for ancient man.<\/p>\n
\"Interestingly, in our research in Gunung Kidul, we found the
\nfossilized teeth of a hippopotamus during the excavation of
\nSengok Cave in Playen subdistrict. After being examined, the
\nfossilized teeth were found to be as old as the fossils of other
\nanimals found in the same area. Most likely, the hippopotamus
\nused to live in this area and was eaten by man,\" said Susetyo.<\/p>\n
He is convinced that the team, with financial and political
\nsupport, can collect more evidence to prove that the Gunung Kidul
\narea was at one time the seat of a civilization of ancient man.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/gunung-kidul-ancient-man-home-1447893297",
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