PUBLIC LECTURE: Quest for the Hobbit ancestors: recent research in Flores and Sulawesi, Indonesia

An IAS public lecture by Mike Morwood, Professor of Archaeology, University of Wollongong.

In 2003, an Australian-Indonesian research team announced the discovery of endemic hominin species, Homo floresiensis, on the East Indonesian island of Flores. The species lived at Liang Bua from 95,000 until a mere 17,000 yeares ago, and appeared to have many very primitive traits - including a stature of about 1 metre, a brain of only 400 cc, ape-like body proportions and large feet. This discovery was so at odds with conventional palaeoanthroplogical wisdom, and the implications so profound that it engendered much debate and controversy. In fact, some even argued that these hominins were a population of dwarfed modern humans suffering a range of pathologies.

The Liang Bua findings are still controversial, but the debate has moved on. Now the main issue is what hominin species gave rise to H.floresiensis, when and where? This lecture will describe work in progress in the Soa Basin of central Flores, and the Walanae Basin of Southwest Sualwesi - two areas which may shed light on the mysterious Hobbit origins.

This lecture is free. No RSVP required.