Prehistoric Man Site Sangiran - World Cultural Heritage in Indonesia

Prehistoric Man Site Sangiran located between Sragen and Surakarta (Solo), in Central Java province, Indonesia, with an area of 5,600 hectares.

English name: Sangiran Early Man Site
Location: Central Java Province
Year of recognition: 1996
Criteria: (iii)(vi)
Acreage: 5,600 hectares

In 1883, Dutch anthropologists conducted preliminary fieldwork at Sangiran.

In 1936-1941, anthropologists from the Netherlands, Germany, and Indonesia conducted excavations here and discovered prehistoric human fossils, stone tools, and animal fossils deposited in the geological strata. existed for the past 2.4 million years.

The 50 fossil specimens named Meganthropus Palaeo and Pithecanthropus Erectus / Homo Erectus (an upright man, about 700 hundred years ago – 1.8 million years ago) found at Sangiran account for more than half of all prehistoric human fossils known in the world.

Fossil samples found here show that: Sangiran was inhabited by prehistoric humans about 1 million years ago, is one of the main sites for understanding human evolution. It is also a place to display many aspects of the very long-term material and cultural evolution of man in the context of the environment.

The Sangiran archaeological area is currently divided into 4 museum clusters, displaying exhibitions inside and outside the house: Krikilan Cluster, Ngebung Cluster, Bukuran Cluster and Dayu Cluster are connected to each other by a special travel route:

Table of Contents

1. Krikilan Cluster

The Krikilan Cluster (Krikilan Cluster) includes the Visitor Area and the Sangiran Archaeological Museum (Museum Manusia Purba Sangiran), first built in 2011. The visitor center and the Sangiran Archaeological Museum have an area. Construction area is about 16675m2 with 3 main spaces:

– General information room, providing visitors with comprehensive information about Sangiran with displays and interactive media supporting information…

– Gallery of documents and artifacts of fossils found here with about 13,809 artifacts:
. Prehistoric human fossils, found here Homo Sapiens and clones of prehistoric humans found elsewhere: Australopithecus Africanus, Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis, Homo Soloensis, European Homo Neanderthal, Asian Homo Neanderthal (clone).
. Fossils of terrestrial animals, marine and freshwater animals, mollusks…
. Artifact stone.

– The room presents information about the formation of the solar system in the form of short films, and the development of the earth through the introduction of fossils, artifacts, and sculptures.

– Conference room, meeting, introducing changes in the environment and life of animals and people in the area from about 1 million years ago…

2. Ngebung Cluster

Ngembung Cluster (Ngebung Cluster) has important historical value, because this is where the first fossils were discovered. Within the Cluster is the Ngebung Archaeological Museum (Museum Manusia Purba Klaster Ngebung), which introduces the history of search, discovery and excavation at Sangiran. This is also the place to introduce paleontologists, geologists such as archeologists: Eugene Dubois, JC van Es, GHR von Konigswald…who are credited with finding and discovering historical values of Sangiran.

3. Bukuran Cluster

The Bukuran Cluster (Bukuran Cluster) is located in the village of Bukuran and is one of the fossil-rich sites of human evolution. Most of the fossil discoveries of prehistoric Homo Erectus at Sangiran are located here, making it a center for information on the evolution of prehistoric humans.

Bukuran Archaeological Museum (Museum Manusia Purba Klaster Bukuran), built in 2013, is a place to store and introduce the evolution of nature and influencing factors, presented through graphic images. and interactive devices.
The first area of the museum presents a wide variety of species that exist on earth; adaptations of animals to natural selection, through short films and interactive games.

The next area describes the site documents, where fossils of prehistoric creatures and humans were discovered. It is also the place to present the theories of evolution and introduce genetic and biological technologies in the creation of new species.

In 2014, a new additional museum was built here – the Manyarejo Museum (Museum Manusia Purba Klaster Manyarejo). This is where the theory of evolution of nature and man is introduced. All materials are presented in attractive, color images and graphics using interactive technology (touch screen accessible in English and Indonesian) providing information about behavior. planet Earth from the formation of the planet until the origin of man.

4. Dayu . Cluster

The Dayu Cluster (Dayu Cluster) with the Dayu Archaeological Museum (Museum Manusia Purba Klaster Dayu), as part of the Sangiran Museum of Prehistory, located in Dayu village, Karanganyar commune, is one of the important sites in Sangiran. Many of the sites here hold artifacts of life millions of years ago, including flora, fauna, people and culture, as well as traces of environmental changes that have occurred over millions of years. at Sangiran.

The museum was built in 2013, is an information center about ancient geology and culture of mankind in the Homo Erectus period. In the museum, in addition to artifacts, there is also an information system with screens, information technology equipment for educational needs and a source of knowledge about the past…