Exploring the archaeological Liang Bua Cave
Liang Bua Cave is a place of discovery of human-like creatures (hominines) named Homo Floresiensis at Liang Bua in 2001 in Manggarai. Liang Bua cave site is one of the world’s most important archaeological sites. Excavations in Liang Bua cave near Ruteng have unearthed fossilized bones of a human species the adults of which reached a height of only 105 cm on average. The excavations took place in 2003 and in subsequent years, the remains of at least 7 individuals have been discovered. The scientific name of the species is homo Floresiensis, but the nickname “Flores hobbit” has become more popular. The fossils were found under layers of about 6m of volcanic ash and mud and were associated with stone tools and fossils of animals, such as Komodo lizards and small-sized stegodon (kind of elephants). They were dated between 30,000 and 18,000 years ago. In Liang Bua Cave there are stalactites and stalagmites in the cave. The large cave is half open facing a river valley, and it is easy to see that it was an attractive dwelling place to prehistoric man. In the nearby museum, you will see the real hobbit and more information about the findings. Despite its famous archaeological findings, no replica or information about these findings is located in Liang Bua. Visitors can only see the massive cave with stalagmite stones, imagining that ancient elephants, komodo, and short humans (Homo Floresiensis) once lived here thousands of years ago.
