GEOARCHAEOLOGY STUDY OF THE NORTHERN PART OF CENTRAL JAVA FOR PALAEOENVIRONMENT RECONTRACTION, OCCUPATION, AND HUMAN ROAMING DURING QUATERNARY

• Main Author: Tri Hascaryo, Agus
• Format: Dissertations
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/37387
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Quaternary Geology of the northern part of Central Java has not been studied in detail, especially palaeo-environmental changes including its sedimentation processes. The existence of vertebrate and human fossils in the northern part of Central Java (Patiayam Site) and south of the area (Kendeng Zone including Trinil and Sangiran), indicates that the paleo-environment of northern part of Central Java was suitable habitat for living. The vertebrate fossils and the hominid remains found in the northern part of Central Java sediments could be used as a basis for developing of vertebrate-biostratigraphy in the studied area, which has never been done. The aim of this research is to reconstruct the palae-environment, occupation, and pattern of human roaming the northern part of Central Java during the Quaternary. This research was conducted by means of literature review, fieldwork, and laboratory work. The laboratory work includes petrography, grain size analysis, archaeometry, radiometric dating, Scanning Electronic Microscope (SEM), and Computer Tomography (CT) Scan.. The oldest lithological unit exposed in the studied area is Mundu Formation, which consists of shallow marine sediments deposited during Plio-Pleistocene. The Mundu Formation unconformably overlain by Quaternary sediments. The Quaternary sediments in the studied area are divided into Lusi Formation and Lusi Terraces, deposited from the Late Pleistocene to Holocene. The Lusi Terraces comprise of: a morphological terrace namely Lusi Terrace 1, and other terraces, which are the sedimentary terraces, are Lusi Terrace 2, Lusi Terrace 3, Lusi Terrace 4, and Lusi Terrace 5. The Lusi River Basin is a suitable environment for the development of the fauna, including vertebrates, as well as humans and their culture. The discovered faunas consist of: Bovidae, Elephantidae, Stegodontidae, Rhinocerotidae, Cervidae, Crocodilidae, and Testudinidae. The hominid fossil fragment was found in a very coarse and conglomeratic sandstone. Based on the tomographic CT-Scan analysis, the specimen that was found in 2016 is a piece of temporal part of cranium belongs to a juvenile Homo sapiens. The age of the sediment where temporal part of Homo sapiens was found is 131.5 + 13.2 ka, obtained by using Infrared Optically Stimulated Luminescience (IR-OSL) dating method on feldspar. date as Artifact tools made of shells, bones, and stones were found abundantly in the Upper Middle Pleistocene Lusi Formation and the Late Pleistocene Lusi Terrace 3. The artifacts found in the Lusi Formation include: flakes-blades made from andesite, spatula bone tools and pounder made from antler. All artifact found in the Lusi Formation have characters of the Patjitanian Technology. Additionally, a scrapper tools made of shell was also found in the Lusi Formation. Meanwhile, the Lusi Terrace 3 contains chopping tools, spatulate, and bone scrapper. The chopping tools indicates the Patjitanian Technology, while the spatulate and scrapper are products of Ngandongian Technology. Paleoclimate reconstruction based on phytolith analysis used Elongation Index Formula (Ie), which is a ratio between all elongated phytolith cells and all phytolith cells, is considered better than other existing formulas. Result of palaeoclimate reconstruction and paleontological study suggest that the Lusi River Valley was a suitable habitat for hominid and other faunal occupation, as well as a temporary stop over area during their roaming on the Java Island. Based on Geoarchaeology analysis, there are three main roaming routes that were used by hominins and other vertebrate faunas in Central Java: 1) from the central part to the north, 2) from the central part to the south, and 3) northern and southern roaming routes.