Archaeologists have uncovered ancient stone tools on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, providing compelling evidence that early humans inhabited the region over a million years ago. The discovery at the Calio site, near the village of Ujung in Soppeng Regency, southwestern Sulawesi, has yielded artifacts dated between 1.04 and 1.48 million years old. This finding represents the most ancient indication of hominin presence discovered in the Wallacea region, an island group situated between mainland Asia and Australia. The stone implements, crafted from chert using percussion flaking to create sharp edges, suggest a sophisticated level of technological capability for the time.
While the identity of the toolmakers remains unknown due to the absence of accompanying fossil remains, researchers hypothesize that these tools may have been created by Homo erectus, or a species that evolved from Homo erectus populations isolated on Sulawesi. This aligns with accumulating evidence of early human presence on other Southeast Asian islands, such as Flores and Luzon, during a similar ancient timeframe. The presence of these tools raises intriguing questions about the capabilities of early humans to navigate significant sea crossings. Wallacea, characterized by its deep-water channels, presented a formidable barrier. Experts suggest that hominins likely reached Sulawesi accidentally, possibly by rafting on natural vegetation mats, as the technology for constructing boats is not believed to have existed at that time. This challenges previous understandings of early human migration, suggesting that island hopping across Wallacea occurred much earlier than previously understood. Prior to this discovery, the oldest recognized toolkit in Wallacea was found on Flores, dating back approximately 1.02 million years. The new evidence from Sulawesi shifts the focus northward and implies that an unidentified hominin population successfully crossed at least 50 kilometers of open water. This finding contributes significantly to our understanding of early human dispersal across Southeast Asia and the technological prowess of our ancient ancestors. Further excavations and research are anticipated to shed more light on the identities of these early inhabitants and their migratory paths, potentially revealing more about the evolution of species like Homo floresiensis, the famed "hobbits" of nearby Flores.