Candidate of Biological Sciences V. MUZHCHINKIN.
In autumn 2004, the preliminary results of the excavations of the Australian-Indonesian expedition on the island of Flores were published. This Indonesian island is located between Java and Timor, south of Sulawesi, where the Asian block earth's crust borders with the Australo-New Guinea. The findings made by the expedition in the grotto of Liang Bua became a scientific sensation.
Reconstruction of the Pygmy site from the island of Flores.
Stone tools found on the island may have belonged to Floresian "hobbits". So the world press, remembering the heroes of Tolkien's epic, immediately dubbed the ancient inhabitants of the island.
This is how the forest dwarfs looked like, stories about which are passed on by the modern inhabitants of the island of Flores by word of mouth for many generations.
Comparison of skulls (left to right) of Floresian man, Neanderthal and modern man reasonable.
The dwarf stegodon, which pygmies could hunt, is now an extinct relative of the elephant (one and a half meters at the withers).
The Indonesian region is remembered for one of the first anthropological sensations. In 1891, the Dutch explorer E. Dubois found fragments of the skeleton of an ape-man, Pithecanthropus, in Java. The commotion then made in the press was gradually replaced by the obligatory presence in all school textbooks. detailed story about the Javanese find. It was found that creatures similar to Pithecanthropus - upright, about 170 cm tall, with a kilogram brain, capable of using fire (the oldest bonfires are more than a million years old) and making a variety of stone (and, probably, bone and wood) inventory - were common in the expanses of Eurasia and Africa. Now they are referred to as "upright man".
The island itself was discovered in the 16th century by the Portuguese, who gave it the name Flores - the island of Flowers. Archaeologists have been digging on Flores since 1952, and even then it became clear that people lived here in the early Pleistocene. Dutch priest and amateur archaeologist Theodore Verhoeven discovered human stone tools along with the bones of giant Komodo dragons and medium-sized stegodons (distant relatives of modern elephants). And now, in a karst failure 40 meters deep, filled with sediment and located 25 kilometers from the seashore, at an altitude of 500 meters above its current level, an almost complete skeleton of a woman and the remains of several more similar individuals were found.
The skeleton belonged to a normally built adult woman, only a meter tall and apparently weighing 20-30 kilograms. These miniature sizes are very confusing for anthropologists. Of the three species of the genus Homo currently distinguished (Homo habilis, Homo erectus, and Homo sapiens), the creature found, in all respects, except for size, fits into the limits of the “upright walking” species, which also includes the Javanese Pithecanthropus. But so far, a separate species has been created for him (more precisely, for her) - the Floresian man, Homo floresiensis.
The small size of the Floresian man and especially the small size of his brain inevitably lead to the continuation of a discussion that has lasted for almost two centuries about the importance of such indicators as the size of the brain and the whole body for assessing human capabilities.
A 400-gram brain (judging by the volume of the cranium) was possessed by a Floresian man, the brain of an adult chimpanzee and a newborn modern man weighs the same. The intellectual capabilities of a newborn baby are still difficult to assess. Every year we learn something new about the capabilities of the chimpanzee brain: this brain allows us to operate with two hundred words of sign language, use improvised objects as tools, adopt the skills of members of our social group ... So the four hundred gram brain of "hobbits" is fraught with more possibilities than it seems at first sight. But is it really possible to consider the stone scrapers, cutters and piercers found in the same layer with the skeleton as the products of these pygmies, and not other members of our genus Homo? And the next inevitable and still unanswered question: what is the difference between the capabilities of the four hundred gram brain of Floresians and the capabilities of the kilogram brain of their closest relatives and alleged progenitors - Pithecanthropes? After all, those, in turn, are in terms of brain size at the lower limit of the normal weight of this organ in a modern person. Everyone remembers the school example with the kilogram brain of Anatole France and the two-kilogram brain of Turgenev, writers equally successful in their work.
Body size is easier to deal with than brain size. The heights of representatives of modern tribes range from less than one and a half meters in the Zairian Mbuti (and, possibly, in some groups of Andamanese and Filipinos) to almost two meters in the Central African Watussi-Tutsi, that is, they differ by one and a half times. Within our own species, populations can be found in which short stature is combined with small head size. Then the last reasons to isolate the Floresian pygmies from other local variants of Homo erectus are removed.
It turns out quite a similar picture for the species Homo sapiens and the species Homo erectus: a double spread in the volume of the cranium and one and a half - in height. In this case, the Floresian find prolongs the presence of Homo erectus on the historical scene up to one and a half million years, from the beginning of the Pleistocene and almost to its end. Our own species, having appeared in the geological record only in the last third of the Pleistocene, almost immediately, judging by the latest data from genetic studies, broke up into two long coexisting trunks: the so-called Neanderthals and all the rest. Moreover, for almost all of its history, our species, Homo sapiens, coexisted with the widespread Homo erectus.
Here we move into the realm of folkloristics. Stories about the presence in the area of some humanoid creatures (large, small, ferocious, peaceful, avoiding contact with people or going towards them), inhabiting mountains, forests or swamps, are common throughout the Old and New Worlds. And what is curious: their descriptions are similar to reconstructions of fossil anthropological finds, with which the locals, who talked with folklorists, are usually unfamiliar.
So, Bigfoot in the descriptions of eyewitnesses resembles Australopithecus or Gigantopithecus. There are also "forest people" in Indonesia. Modern inhabitants of the island of Flores talk in detail about "ebu-gogo". The name translates as "omnivorous grandmothers". These are forest inhabitants about a meter tall, long-haired, with rounded tummies, long arms and fingers. They speak among themselves in their own language in low voices and are able, like parrots, to repeat the words of a person addressing them. In their hands, they never noticed stone or other tools or weapons. They ate everything raw - vegetables, fruits, meat (including human), hence the epithet "omnivores" (you can also translate "gluttonous"). When people offered food to strangers from the forest, they ate the treat along with bowls made from pumpkins. Ebu-gogo sometimes ravaged the fields local residents, people endured these antics, but when the forest men stole and ate the baby, they decided to drive them away from their homes. They fled, among other things, in the direction of the Liang Bua grotto, where the current finds were made. Residents of Flores claim that the last time the gluttonous "grandmothers" were seen was a hundred years ago. Three hundred years ago, when colonists from Holland first landed on the island, voracious forest dwarfs were, they say, quite common, but now it is not possible to meet them in the forest. Maybe these were the "hobbits" who have survived almost to this day?
But let's go back to 18 thousand years ago, at the height of the last ice age, when a significant part of the waters of the World Ocean was drawn into the circumpolar ice sheets. The ocean level was more than a hundred meters lower than the modern one, the shelves were exposed, the Mediterranean water barrier between Africa and Eurasia became shallow, Beringia connected Eurasia with the Americas, and the southeastern edge of Eurasia almost merges with the Australo-New Guinean mainland. Increased in size due to the shallowing of the ocean, the island of Flores western edge almost adjoins Eurasia, and to the east it is pushed far into the strait separating the shallow Banda Sea from the Australo-New Guinean mainland. In the middle of this strait is Timor, which has grown in size, so that if not by land, then on primitive rafts and boats it was possible to move from Eurasia to the current New Guinea and Australia, which, according to current finds, was inhabited by humans about 60,000 years ago. It turns out that for at least 50 thousand years, the Floresian pygmies lived in the conditions of a "passage yard", when waves of future Australian aborigines swept through them.
With the end of the ice age and the rise of the ocean, the outskirts of the continents broke up into many islands, and the Homo sapiens populations that had long settled down here had to move to dry places. The end of the history of the newly discovered species of our genus is hidden, apparently, in the deposits of the last ten thousand years on the southern edge of the present Malay Archipelago.
Captions for illustrations
ill. 1. The outline of the island of Flores in our time and 18 thousand years ago, when the masses of water were collected in huge polar ice caps, and the ocean level dropped by more than 100 meters. The dotted line shows the modern outlines of the land, the solid line shows the coast during the period of low ocean level, when it was possible to pass on dry land from Asia to America, and on primitive rafts to sail to Australia.
At the top of the Kelimutu volcano, in its very crater, there are three lakes, it would seem that this is so unusual, but it is unusual that they are all different in color. And they can even change their color from time to time, which is why these lakes are also considered mystical.
Volcano Kelimutu, located approximately in the middle of the Indonesian island of Flores (Flores), is considered perhaps the main attraction of the island. The volcano rises to 1639 meters above sea level, which belongs to the Indonesian Eastern Lesser Sunda Islands. Its last eruption was more than forty years ago. After the eruption, depressions-colders formed in the magma, in which water from atmospheric precipitation forms lakes, in this case as many as three.
Each of the three lakes has its own name, the local inhabitants of the Lio tribe endow them with the ability to absorb the souls of dead people, and when the souls in the lakes get angry, they change their color. "Lake of the Elderly" (Tiwu Ata Mbupu), located at the western point of the volcano and which is located separately from the others, it is turquoise in color. And here come the souls of the elderly who led a pious lifestyle. Two other lakes are located side by side and separated from each other by a crater wall, one of them is called the "lake of boys and girls" (Tiwu Nuwa Muri Koo Fai), it is green and the souls of young people fall into it. And the third is the "Enchanted Lake" (Tiwu Ata Polo) of blood-red color, and according to beliefs, the souls of sinners and murderers get here. The colors of the lakes change from black to turquoise, red or green.
But scientists have their own explanation for the color of the lakes, the variability is explained by the presence of dissolved minerals of various nature in the water. It all depends on the chemical reactions and elements found in each of the lakes, and it is strange that each of the lakes, even those that are in close proximity to each other, contains different chemical elements and is therefore painted in different colors. Sulfuric and hydrochloric acids give the green color to the lake, red is the result of the reaction of hydrogen sulfide with iron, although in recent years the water of the red lake has darkened, and now it has already become almost black. There is also a second explanation for the change in the color of lakes, that incoming volcanic gases react with the minerals contained in the lakes and change their color.
The Kelimutu Volcano on the island of Flores is a miracle of nature, which, due to its remoteness, remains wild, but, nevertheless, thanks to its unusual, colored lakes, it has become famous all over the world and has become a favorite place for tourists and travelers who every year become in this place everything more.
In the morning, the lakes are covered with fog and they are poorly visible, and therefore it is best to visit the lake in the afternoon, by this time the fog usually dissipates or at dawn, before the fog appears. Tourists who decide to see the lakes need to be prepared for a long route, and it is best to stay overnight in the nearby small farming village of Moli, which often serves as a stopping point for tourists.
/ Population
The population of the island is about 1.5 million people.
These are peoples belonging to the transitional East Indonesian racial type: many residents are curly-haired and darker-skinned than most Indonesians.
The most significant ethnic groups are: Ende - 850 thousand people (eastern regions of Flores), Manggarai, about 500 thousand people (west of Flores Island), and Sikka - 175 thousand people (on the isthmus of the central part of the island).
Small ethnic groups live in the interior - Ngade, Nage, Lio, Keo, Riung, Ndao, Rokka and others.
In the Middle Ages, the island was in the zone of political influence of the Javanese Hindu empire of Majapahit.
By the 17th century, the early state formations of Flores became dependent on the Makassar principality of Gova. From that moment, the Islamization of the local population began, interrupted by the Portuguese and Dutch colonization.
Currently, 91% of the population, due to the missionary activities of the Portuguese, are Roman Catholic Christians. Francisco Xaver himself visited the islands.
And even after the transfer of the island of Flores (with the surrounding archipelagos) to Holland in 1859, the missionary activity of Catholics did not stop here. The Dutch administration, seeing the growing threat of Islamization of the island, in every possible way contributed to the strengthening of Catholicism here (at the same time planting Protestantism on other islands).
Some of the islanders living in the interior of the island continue to adhere to traditional beliefs (cult of ancestors, belief in spirits). In the center of the villages, a square with stone megalithic statues associated with the cult of ancestors is obligatory.
Highlanders' clothing consists of a loincloth or skirt. Cain, shirts or jackets are worn in the cities and on the coast.
Of interest are the mass festivities of the Manggarai (ritual dances of the battle of men in military attire), the funeral rites of the Sikko (burial in boats sent "over the sea").
A small part of the islanders (western Manggarai) adheres to Sunni Islam.
Among Muslims and noble adherents of traditional cults, polygyny is allowed. Cross-cousin marriages are preferred. Often, until the payment of the marriage price, the wife and children live in the family of her parents.
A number of peoples retain the division into estate-caste groups. There are large family communities in the mountains.
In addition to rice, corn, coffee and sugar cane are grown on Flores.
Animal husbandry is developed: breeding of buffaloes, horses, pigs, poultry.
In the south of the Indonesian archipelago, there is the mysterious flowery island of Flores, whose outlines look like a long-tailed fish. It was unknown to tourists until recently. But today they poured on him by the hundreds in search of adventure.
The beautiful name of the island, discovered in the sixteenth century by chance, is due to the Portuguese colonialists, who were delighted by the lush flowering of vegetation on it.
The nature of the island of Flores and today, five hundred years after its discovery, admires its virginity. It is the main attraction of the volcanic formation.
Exotic plants cover its surface. Places untouched by civilization allow you to touch the world of fairy tales. Most of the flowers and animals inhabiting the island of Flores remember the times when dinosaurs still lived on Earth.
Fauna and flora turn it into a paradise lost on earth, where numerous tourists rush to visit.
colorful indonesian island the only place in a country where Catholicism is practiced. The foundation of the Christian mission falls on the period of the transfer of the island of Flores to Holland. Catholics converted the local residents to their faith, and the new owners were not interested in the sacrament of baptism: this was the main condition when the colony was transferred.
Local natives are unusually hospitable, which is immediately felt by travelers who have come here. They have kept the traditional way of life. There are approximately 1.8 million inhabitants here.
(googlemaps)https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d1010100.5055622574!2d120.79246811767018!3d-8.527984695166136!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024! 2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x2db2885655aa8d7d%3A0xfd15685247b8ef6e!2z0KTQu9C-0YDQtdGB!5e0!3m2!1sru!2s!4v1497598071221(/googlemaps)
Floras island on google map
They live at a considerable distance, which provides a striking contrast that exists between nationalities. For the first time, the natives saw buses and cars only 20 years ago, when the main highway was laid.
On the island of Flores, there are many natives living in ancient villages and looking as if they had just stepped out of archival photos. Therefore, when referring to an untouched civilization, they mean both nature and animals, as well as the way of life of the islanders.
Flores Island has three unusual crater lake, the water in which the shade changes with time. The reason for the unprecedented phenomenon is still not known to scientists. Long ago, three depressions were formed as a result of volcanic eruptions, which later turned into magical lakes.
The natives believe that the souls of the dead live in them, and the changing color is associated with their anger. The souls of the ancestors who lived a righteous life live in the lake, which is at a considerable distance from the rest.
In the other two, known throughout the world, filled with wonderful water and located next to each other, the souls of the young dead and those who brought a lot of evil rest. The water in them turns from green to black-burgundy, and then, to blood-red.
One group of scientists suggests that the unique a natural phenomenon caused by the abundance of soluble minerals in the lakes and the chemical reactions that occur in the water.
Another relates this to the presence of volcanic gases in them.
The island of Flores, which not so long ago became known to the world, was created by nature, and is a real miracle. Tourists love to meet the dawn by climbing to the highest point of Kelimutu, from where you can see the magical play of the sun's rays on the water surface of the lakes.
Batu Cermin Cave
Another attraction is the mirror cave - an underground kingdom located on a rock mass. A unique spectacle is presented by the fossilized remains of unprecedented fish and huge turtles, along with fantastic-looking stalagmites, on which at certain moments the sun's rays are reflected by millions of mirrors that enter here through a gap in the arch.
Guests from all over the world come here to see this marvelous picture with their own eyes.
Labuan Bajo Village
A small village is located in the west amazing island. Tourists who are not indifferent to diving adore this picturesque place, alluring with clear water and magical beaches.
When relaxing holiday get bored, you can visit a farm where pearls are grown, or go for a walk along mysterious caves, of which there are many in the country. Those who are tired of urban bustle to be alone with nature.
Pagan rituals of the city of Bajawa
The island of Flores attracts with traditional rites, which, despite the active work of missionaries, continue to be strictly observed here. The center of religion is Ngadha, a city with an interesting mix of ancestor worship and Catholicism. There are still preserved places where the spirit is worshiped - megaliths, and the area amazes with mysticism.
scientific sensation
The popularity of the wonderful island of Flores began with the fact that experts published the results of the excavations. Truly, a find discovered in the Liang Bua cave - human bones - is considered a scientific sensation.
At first, they were mistaken for the skeleton of a child, since they belonged to a short (up to a meter) person of a miniature physique. However, in reality they are the remains of hominoids. The ancient Floresians (Homo floresiensis) had surprisingly small brains (about 400 grams), which made us wonder about their intellectual capabilities. Homo sapiens aside, the last surviving human species are the "hobbits" to whom the bones belonged.
Scientists are interested in where on the wonderful island, which is the fruit of the activity of volcanoes, the dwarf hominid appeared and what place it belongs to in the human family tree.
The found skeletons suggested that, drifting at sea, 950 years ago, the hobbits ended up on the island of Indonesia.
Surprised the archaeologists small island and other anomalies. It was possible to find out that hominids coexisted with huge birds, twice their size. Flying giants hunted short hobbits 500 years ago.
These birds from the stork family differed from relatives:
- weight (up to 15 kilograms);
- height (up to two meters).
Scientists came to this conclusion by examining the skeleton of a giant bird found on the island.
The mystery of the disappearance of dwarfs and giant birds
There are several versions that make it possible to understand this: they died as a result of volcanic activity, since the remains were covered with ash (the main one). If not for this, they could still exist today, as on the neighboring island of Komodo, where you can find huge specimens.
There are others, but one thing is indisputable - relics with an ancient pedigree lived here five hundred centuries ago, as if in Noah's ark.
What is attractive to rest on Flores?
Recently opened to the public, the island of Flores will provide a wonderful pastime for those who love leisure and who wants to retire. Its picturesque landscapes, where there is no large influx of travelers, make the rest unforgettable.
The mysterious island, located in the south of the Indonesian archipelago, resembles a fish with a long tail with its outlines. Until recently, it was little known among tourists, and now more and more vacationers flock to this friendly corner, which promises everyone a sea of adventure.
flower island
The most interesting island of Flores (Indonesia) was discovered by chance at the beginning of the 16th century. Such beautiful name he was given by the Portuguese colonizers, delighted with a lush flower paradise. Five centuries have passed since its discovery, and virgin nature is still considered the main attraction volcanic island. picturesque corner, immersed in exotic plants and tropical greenery, is not in vain recognized as a flower island.
Places untouched by civilization provide a unique opportunity to plunge into fairy world nature. It is curious that many flowers and animals of Flores have been preserved since the time when gigantic dinosaurs lived on our planet. Diverse flora and fauna is another great reason to come here on vacation to fully experience the uniqueness lost paradise on the ground.
The only Catholic corner in Indonesia
The colorful island of Flores is the only corner in Muslim Indonesia where the main religion is Catholicism. When the Portuguese gave their colony to Holland, a Christian mission had already been founded here. Catholics converted local residents to their faith, and the non-interference of new owners in the sacrament of baptism became the main condition for the transfer of territory.
Hospitable natives with a traditional way of life
About 1.8 million people live on the Indonesian island of Flores, welcoming all tourists. And the first thing that guests of an exotic corner talk about is the hospitality of the local population living in traditional way. Everyone notes the isolation of the native islanders living at a distance from each other, which has led to a striking contrast between the nationalities.
The main highway was laid about twenty years ago, and before that the natives had never seen cars and buses. By the way, there are many old villages on the island, the aborigines of which look like they came out of archival black-and-white photographs. Therefore, when people talk about untouched civilization, this applies not only to nature, but also to the way of life of the local population, which shows an increased interest in guests.
The colorful island of Flores, which gained independence in 1945, is also known for the fact that residents are allowed to hunt whales in an ancient way.
Three crater lakes that change shades
The most famous volcano of the resort is Kelimutu, whose three crater lakes are changing and scientists still argue about the cause of the amazing phenomenon. Once upon a time, after a volcanic eruption, small depressions formed, turning into wonderful lakes.
Aborigines firmly believe that the souls of the dead live in color-changing water, and any color change is associated with the wrath of ancestors. In the lake, located at a distance from the rest, the souls of people who lived righteously until old age rest.
Two other craters filled with water are located close to each other. The lake, in which the souls of young people who died at a young age and sinners who brought a lot of evil, live, is known to the whole world. The water in them changes shades, becoming green, then burgundy-black, then blood-red.
Scientists' explanations
True, scientists have their own point of view. They explain the natural phenomenon by the presence of dissolved minerals and claim that everything depends on the chemical reactions taking place in the water. However, other experts are convinced that this color change is due to volcanic gases entering the lakes.
natural phenomenon
The present natural wonder, which the whole world learned about, has become a favorite destination for tourists from all over the globe professing their love for the wonderful island. Tourists come here to meet the dawn at the top of Kelimutu, watching the magical play of sunlight on the water surface of the lakes.
mirror cave
Batu Cermin Cave is another local attraction. The underground kingdom located in the rocky massif is a delightful sight. Here you can see the stone remains of turtles and fish, admire the bizarre halls with colonies of stalagmites resembling fantastic views. According to the guests of the island, at a certain hour, the falling rays of the sun through a gap in the vault are reflected by millions of mirrors interspersed with minerals. To enjoy the marvelous picture, tourists from different corners our planet.
Labuan Bajo
In the West picturesque island there is a small settlement, which is adored by the guests of Flores, who dream of magical beaches with clear water. All lovers of diving strive to get into the village.
Well, if you get bored with a relaxing holiday, you can go to a farm where pearls are grown, or wander through the mysterious caves that Indonesia is famous for. Travelers note that there are quiet places for solitude with nature, and the opportunity to walk in absolute silence will appeal to those who are tired of the noise of large cities.
Bajava
The unique island of Flores, despite the long-term work of missionaries, is famous for its traditional rites. The city of Bajava is of interest to tourists who want to get acquainted with pagan rituals. This is the center of the Ngadha religion, which is an interesting mix of Catholicism and ancestor worship.
Visitors to the town note well-preserved megaliths - places of worship for spirits, and the whole area seems to be saturated with a mystical atmosphere.
scientific sensation
The unique island of Flores has gained incredible popularity after scientists published the results archaeological sites. The find, discovered in the Liang Bua cave, has become a real scientific sensation. The strange bones of a man one meter tall with a miniature physique extremely surprised scientists, who at first thought they had found the skeleton of a child.
However, after careful study, it was found that these are the remains of ancient hominids, called Homo floresiensis. Floresian man had an unusually small brain size of 400 grams, which caused a discussion among scientists discussing the intellectual capabilities of the ancient people who inhabited the island of Flores (Indonesia).
"Hobbits", as the archaeologists called the living creatures, are the last surviving human species, not counting Homo sapiens.
The find that destroyed the concept
The find radically overturned the coherent system of traditional paleoanthropology. Scientists are interested in the question of what place the dwarf hominid occupies in the human family tree. Where did he come from and how did he end up on an island that arose as a result of volcanic activity?
After the discovery of new skeletons, experts found that the so-called hobbits lived on the Indonesian island of Flores 950 centuries ago, most likely, they got into the territory, drifting in the sea.
New discoveries
Interestingly, a small island in Once again surprised archaeologists with unusual anomalies. As it turned out, hominids coexisted with huge birds, the size of which was twice the height of the hobbits that lived among the fantastic fauna on the Indonesian island of Flores.
About 500 centuries ago, according to archaeologists, giant marabou hunted small people. Birds from the stork family differed from other relatives: the weight exceeded 15 kilograms, and the height reached almost two meters. Such conclusions were made after researching a giant marabou skeleton found on the island.
Disputes of scientists
Now there are disputes over why the ancient dwarfs and giant birds died out. According to the main version of scientists, they were killed by a volcanic eruption, because all the remains were found under a layer of ash. Perhaps, in an isolated area, ancient relics would have existed to this day, as, for example, in neighboring Komodo
Be that as it may, but on the Indonesian island of Flores 500 centuries ago, as if on a kind of Noah's ark, there lived relics with an ancient pedigree.
Journey to picturesque Flores, emerging from the shadows of more famous islands, promises everyone a wonderful holiday and a variety of entertainment. Created here ideal conditions for a solitary pastime, and picturesque landscapes make a stay in an attractive place, devoid of an influx of tourists, unique.
