Sangiran is an archaeological site in Java

Sangiran

Sragen is one of regencies in Central Java province which borders directly with the East Java Province. Thus, Sragen Regency is the gateway into Central Java from the east.

Sragen Regency is also often referred to as "area of Sukowati" which has an area of 941.55 KM 2, with the topography as follows: in the middle flow region Solo River which is the longest river in Java; area south part of the slopes of Mount Lawu; the northern part of Kendeng Mountains and the west is a very popular area with the title "Sangiran Dome".

Located in the village Krikilan, Kec. Kalijambe (+ 40 km from Sragen or + 17 km from Solo) Sangiran Dome save tens of thousands of fossils from the job pleistocen (+ 2 million years ago). Ancient fossils is a 65% early hominid fossils in Indonesia and 50% in the whole world. Until now has been found more than 13,685 fossils in 2931 Fossil Museum, the rest is stored in the warehouse. As the World Heritage List (The World Cultural Heritage). The museum has facilities including: space exhibition (human fossils, ancient animals), laboratory, warehouse fossil, the slides and souvenir stalls Sangiran typical.
Sangiran privilege, according to a study geology experts in ancient times was an expanse of ocean. As a result of geological processes and effects of natural disasters Lawu eruption of Mount Merapi and Mount Merbabu, Sangiran becomes Mainland. This is evidenced by the layers of soil-forming regions are very different Sangiran with a layer of soil in other places. Each soil layer was found in the fossils by type and era. For example, fossil animals found in the sea many very bottom layer of soil, once the ocean.
As one of the archaeological heritage, the Museum Sangiran save rare fossils from prehistoric times, is from 1,200,000 to 500,000 years ago. This museum is located in the village Krikilan, about 18 km to the north of Solo. Famous as a place of origin of human ancestors Homo Erectus of Java category, hich early humans could walk upright.

Sangiran is an archaeological site in Java, Indonesia. This area has an area of 48 km ² and is located in Central Java, 15 kilometers north of Surakarta in Solo River valley and is situated at the foot of Mount Lawu. Sangiran administratively located in Sragen regency and district of Karanganyar in Central Java. In 1977, Sangiran determined by the Minister of Education and Culture of Indonesia as a cultural reserve. In 1996 this site is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In 1934 anthropologist Gustav Heinrich Ralph von Koenigswald began research in the area. In the following years, the results of excavations of fossils from the first human ancestor, Pithecanthropus erectus ( "Java Man"). There are about 60 more fossils of other Meganthropus palaeojavanicus fossils have been found on these sites.

Sangiran in the museum located in this region are also presented ancient human history since about 2 million years ago until 200,000 years ago, that is from when the late Pliocene to late middle Pleistocene. In this museum there is a collection of 13,086 ancient human fossils and the ancient human site stood the most comprehensive in Asia. It can also be found in vertebrate fossils, animal fossils water, rocks, sea plants and fossil stone tools. In the first study, Sangiran is a dome called Sangiran Dome.
Top of the dome is then opened through a process of erosion to form a depression. At that depression can be found in soil layers that contain information about life in the past. "Sangiran Dome" or Sangiran area that has an area along the stretch from the north-south along the 9 km. East-West along the 7 km. Sign in four districts, or approximately 59.3 km2.

Fossil findings in the "Sangiran Dome" in the collected and stored in the Museum Sangiran. The findings in the Sangiran fossils for Ancient Hominid species (thought to be the origin of human evolution) is 50 (Fifty) Type / Individual. For fossils found in the Sangiran area is 50% of the fossil discoveries in the world and is 65% of the findings in Indonesia. Hence by the 20th Session of the World Cultural Heritage Commission in Marida City, Mexico on December 5, 1996, Sangiran Defined as one of the main World Cultural Heritage "World Haritage List" Number: 593.
Sangiran Museum Collection

1. Human fossils, such as Australopithecus africanus, Pithecanthropus mojokertensis (Pithecantropus robustus), Meganthropus palaeojavanicus, Pithecanthropus erectus, Homo soloensis, Homo Neanderthal Europe, Asia Homo Neanderthal and Homo sapiens.
2. Vertebrate fossils, among other namadicus Elephas (elephant), Stegodon trigonocephalus (elephant), Mastodon sp (elephant), palaeokarabau Bubalus (buffalo), Felis palaeojavanica (tiger), Sus sp (pig), Rhinocerus sondaicus (Rhino), Bovidae (cow, bull), and Cervus sp (deer and sheep).
3. Water animal fossils, among others Crocodillus sp (crocodile), fish and crabs, shark teeth, sp Hippopotamus (hippopotamus), molluscs (Pelecypoda and Gastropoda class), Chelonia sp (a turtle), and foraminifera.
4. Rocks, such as meteorite / Taktit, Kalesdon, Diatome, Agate, amethyst
5. Stone tools, such as flakes and blades, and drill drawstring, square axes, stones and axes ball perimbas-penetak.
   

IF Von Koenigswald in 1934 did not set foot on earth Sangiran, this ancient human site may not be as famous as now. Why? Because ever since that visit, Sangiran name appears in the realm of science as the site of discovery of stone tools.

Von Koenigwald long before, in 1893, Eugene Dubois, discoverer of ancient human fossils Sandpipers, had come Sangiran. However, dry and desolate region, less memorable for him. Young doctors who have been assigned to the Dutch East Indies because he wanted to explore the broken chain of human evolution (missing link), originally selected as the location Payakumbuh research, but because it only found the fossils of animals, then switching to Tulungagung and Sandpipers. Sandpipers in the village located on the edge of the Solo River, Java, Dubois found a fossil thigh bones and skulls of early humans called Pithecanthropus erectus, the man walked upright.

Von Koenigswald interested in the tools that are similar to the surface along with animal fossils. This discovery quickly expanded thanks to the publication of Our Raffles Museum, ingapore, called the Sangiran Flake Industry. Axis deer fossil discoveries are seen as lydekkeri fauna typical Sandpipers assured, that the tools tufa flakes of material kersikan, jasper, and Chalcedon was an ancient man-made Homo erectus, which then challenged the opinion of other researchers.

Koenigswald discovery early in Sangiran becomes an interminable series of findings. Two years later, residents found the lower jaw of an ancient human fossils in layers at Sangiran Top Pucangan, following the other fossils in the following years. Present invention has reached approximately 60 individuals by early humans, is spread on the land area of Sragen regency occupies the north and south of Karanganyar District. The total number has exceeded 50 percent of all ancient human fossil discoveries in the world.

Just FYI, the same site only about a count of fingers in the world. In Asia is limited in China, India, and Indonesia. In Europe is found in Germany, France, Russia, and recently in England. African continent is more prominent with the older usability, among others in Ethiopia, Kenya and South Africa. Indonesia not only has Sangiran, but also other sites along the Solo River flow, as Sambungmacan, Sandpipers, Ngawi and Ngandong. The rest are found in Kedungbrubus, Patiayam, and Perning.

Sangiran Dilemma On the one hand, Sangiran has talked a lot about the life of ancient Java. However, on the other hand, leaving the sheet story is still buried in the ground. Sangiran are endless fields of research. Almost 70 years since its discovery, research on this site as if there is no end. Sangiran, including a unique site, behind its potential, this site offers research with a high difficulty level. See the vast region, there layers of fossils, and artifacts that reach tens of meters thickness, condition is very difficult to obtain complete data research. Not to mention the process of sedimentation of the river that forms a layer, has removed the remains of the original context.

High content of sand that makes the site very susceptible to erosion and landslides, the most frequently brought to the surface of the fossil. Not surprisingly, the heavy rain appeared to have better than fossil excavation activities, because it will rain erodes the entire surface sites simultaneously and causelandslide disaster on the cliffs, while the excavation is only dwelling on a piece of land with limited depth. Fossil hunters quite understand this condition, so that in each of their rain through the cliffs in the area of farming, in order to find exposed fossils.

It seems Von Koenigswald teaching about fossil introduction decades ago, lasted until the present generation. Knowledge of high economic value to encourage them to sell the fossils to collectors rather than hand them over to the government. Such practice has become one of the difficult constraints eradicated in the protection of cultural conservation bodies Sangiran.

Millions of years Based on the evidence per calendar, early humans had lived Homo erectus Sangiran (Java) since the early Pleistocene (about 1.8 million years) to hundreds of thousands of years ago (late Middle Pleistocene). If the theory out of Africa, this Java early humans from Africa. Since 2.5 million years ago they left Africa: some to Europe and some are to China and Indonesia after passing through India. They are expected to enter Indonesia through land bridge that formed when the sea water receded at glacial period.Very impressive, they live from generation to generation for millions of years in Sangiran. The availability of environmental resources (animals, plants) to be answered.
This assumption is no doubt if they see the existence of animal fossils are scattered in the soil layers Sangiran. These early humans inhabiting Sangiran expected after low tide, or at least when Sangiran has become a swamp and part of the mainland. Fossil turtles, herbivores, elephant species stegedon, pigs, and monkeys are found in layers Pucangan-formed about 1.7 million years ago-a staple food, in addition to marsh biota and plants around him.

Sangiran natural environment more supportive of human life early when the entire region Solo depression has become the mainland since 800,000 years ago. Various types of plants and animals are available at the time expected, as evidenced by the findings in Kabuh layer. In this period of carnivores and antilope quite prominent, in addition to other animals that have existed in the previous period. Arrest made over the hunting of animals by using wood and stone tools. If the stone tools have survived until now, tools have been destroyed wooden timeless.

A new sheet of Sangiran filled by discoveries of stone tools in the last decade of research. If the findings Koenigswald and others are still in doubt as tools of Homo erectus, the findings-French team in Indonesia and Ngebung Yogyakarta Archaeological Center-Center for Archaeological Research in Dayu and Ngledok, doubts have been eliminated. Chip equipment, pembelah ax, ax perimbas, ball stone, broken stones, and stones together at animal fossils found in layers Kabuh, on the banks of ancient river deposits in Ngebung and tools in the shale layer in Dayu explain grenzbank equipment It belongs to Homo erectus who lived about 900000-500000 years ago. Thanks to this discovery proved, Sangiran early humans, like other early humans in the world, have been using stone tools to make ends meet.

Prospect development Sangiran remains of wealth has led to the most important sites in the search history of humanity and civilization. His role becomes more important when considering deserting similar sites in the world. Interest is at the basis of consideration for ratifying the UNESCO as world cultural heritage in 1996. This ratification brings a change in the position of a site that not only held on local-national interests, but also the interests of the world held.

Another consequence of the site requires high professionalism in management, in line with the management of cultural heritage in the world. The central government seems to have established such a development center that is integral to handle the research, preservation, dissemination, and utilization of this site. Location is very ideal institution in the museum today with expand become an international complex. Besides offices, the complex was built a modern museum, complete laboratory, conference room, and garden tours. Development of integrated management of this complex reflects our seriousness as a nation that has a great appreciation of the Sangiran, and manage it well for the development of science and public interest around .