Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 136
Father Theodor Verhoeven's dig at Mata Menge, where he found stone tools
mixed with Stegodon bones. Verhoeven hypothesized that early hominans, probably Homo
erectus allied to Java Man, had lived in the area, even though these people would have had
to cross deep-water passages in order to reach Flores.
The giant Australian
Megalania
went (or was driven) extinct at the same time
as modern humans arrived in Australia. It was dinosaur-sized, probably 6
or more meters in length. The Komodo dragon bones found in the Liang
Bua cave belonged to animals not quite as large but still bigger than those
on Komodo and Rinca today. The hunters of these animals must have been
expert, fearless, and well organized.
Scattered among all these bones were more crude stone tools, like those
that had been found at Mata Menge. And the people who had killed the ani-
mals were quite capable of cooking their kills. Fire-charred stones, including
the remnants of a distinct fi re ring, were found along with the bones.
In September 2003 the Australian members of the team had left for the
season. The Indonesian members, led by Thomas Sutikna, continued the
