Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Revised stratigraphy and chronology for Homo floresiensis at Liang Bua in Indonesia

Nature volume 532, pages 366–369 (2016)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Homo floresiensis, a primitive hominin species discovered in Late Pleistocene sediments at Liang Bua (Flores, Indonesia)1,2,3, has generated wide interest and scientific debate. A major reason this taxon is controversial is because the H. floresiensis-bearing deposits, which include associated stone artefacts2,3,4 and remains of other extinct endemic fauna5,6, were dated to between about 95 and 12 thousand calendar years (kyr) ago2,3,7. These ages suggested that H. floresiensis survived until long after modern humans reached Australia by ~50 kyr ago8,9,10. Here we report new stratigraphic and chronological evidence from Liang Bua that does not support the ages inferred previously for the H. floresiensis holotype (LB1), ~18 thousand calibrated radiocarbon years before present (kyr cal. bp), or the time of last appearance of this species (about 17 or 13–11 kyr cal. bp)1,2,3,7,11. Instead, the skeletal remains of H. floresiensis and the deposits containing them are dated to between about 100 and 60 kyr ago, whereas stone artefacts attributable to this species range from about 190 to 50 kyr in age. Whether H. floresiensis survived after 50 kyr ago—potentially encountering modern humans on Flores or other hominins dispersing through southeast Asia, such as Denisovans12,13—is an open question.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Site location.
Figure 2: Composite stratigraphic section of deposits at Liang Bua, with approximate ages.
Figure 3: Stratigraphy of excavated Sectors near the eastern wall of the cave.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Brown, P. et al. A new small-bodied hominin from the Late Pleistocene of Flores, Indonesia. Nature 431, 1055–1061 (2004)

    ADS  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Morwood, M. J. et al. Archaeology and age of a new hominin from Flores in eastern Indonesia. Nature 431, 1087–1091 (2004)

    ADS  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Morwood, M. J. et al. Further evidence for small-bodied hominins from the Late Pleistocene of Flores, Indonesia. Nature 437, 1012–1017 (2005)

    ADS  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Moore, M. W., Sutikna, T., Jatmiko, Morwood, M. J. & Brumm, A. Continuities in stone flaking technology at Liang Bua, Flores, Indonesia. J. Hum. Evol. 57, 503–526 (2009)

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. van den Bergh, G. D. et al. The Liang Bua faunal remains: a 95 k.yr. sequence from Flores, East Indonesia. J. Hum. Evol. 57, 527–537 (2009)

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Meijer, H. J. M. et al. Late Pleistocene–Holocene non-passerine avifauna of Liang Bua (Flores, Indonesia). J. Vertebr. Paleontol. 33, 877–894 (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Roberts, R. G. et al. Geochronology of cave deposits at Liang Bua and of adjacent river terraces in the Wae Racang valley, western Flores, Indonesia: a synthesis of age estimates for the type locality of Homo floresiensis . J. Hum. Evol. 57, 484–502 (2009)

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Roberts, R. G. et al. Thermoluminescence dating of a 50,000-year-old human occupation site in northern Australia. Nature 345, 153–156 (1990)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Bowler, J. M. et al. New ages for human occupation and climatic change at Lake Mungo, Australia. Nature 421, 837–840 (2003)

    ADS  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Clarkson, C. et al. The archaeology, chronology and stratigraphy of Madjedbebe (Malakunanja II): a site in northern Australia with early occupation. J. Hum. Evol. 83, 46–64 (2015)

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Morwood, M. J. et al. Preface: research at Liang Bua, Flores, Indonesia. J. Hum. Evol. 57, 437–449 (2009)

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Reich, D. et al. Genetic history of an archaic hominin group from Denisova Cave in Siberia. Nature 468, 1053–1060 (2010)

    ADS  PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Reich, D. et al. Denisova admixture and the first modern human dispersals into Southeast Asia and Oceania. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 89, 516–528 (2011)

    PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Falk, D. et al. The brain of Homo floresiensis . Science 308, 242–245 (2005)

    ADS  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Larson, S. G. et al. Homo floresiensis and the evolution of the hominin shoulder. J. Hum. Evol. 53, 718–731 (2007)

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Tocheri, M. W. et al. The primitive wrist of Homo floresiensis and its implications for hominin evolution. Science 317, 1743–1745 (2007)

    ADS  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Jungers, W. L. et al. The foot of Homo floresiensis . Nature 459, 81–84 (2009)

    ADS  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Morwood, M. J. & Jungers, W. L. (Eds). Paleoanthropological Research at Liang Bua, Flores, Indonesia. J. Hum. Evol. 57, 437–648 (2009)

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Kaifu, Y. et al. Craniofacial morphology of Homo floresiensis: description, taxonomic affinities, and evolutionary implication. J. Hum. Evol. 61, 644–682 (2011)

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Orr, C. M. et al. New wrist bones of Homo floresiensis from Liang Bua (Flores, Indonesia). J. Hum. Evol. 64, 109–129 (2013)

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Li, B., Jacobs, Z., Roberts, R. G. & Li, S.-H. Review and assessment of the potential of post-IR IRSL dating methods to circumvent the problem of anomalous fading in feldspar luminescence. Geochronometria 41, 178–201 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Westaway, K. E. & Roberts, R. G. A dual-aliquot regenerative-dose protocol (DAP) for thermoluminescence (TL) dating of quartz sediments using the light-sensitive and isothermally stimulated red emissions. Quat. Sci. Rev. 25, 2513–2528 (2006)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  23. Grün, R., Eggins, S., Kinsley, L., Moseley, H. & Sambridge, M. Laser ablation U-series analysis of fossil bones and teeth. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. 416, 150–167 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  24. Sambridge, M., Grün, R. & Eggins, S. U-series dating of bone in an open system: the diffusion–adsorption–decay model. Quat. Geochronol. 9, 42–53 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  25. Storey, M., Roberts, R. G. & Saidin, M. Astronomically calibrated 40Ar/39Ar age for the Toba supereruption and global synchronization of late Quaternary records. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 109, 18684–18688 (2012)

    ADS  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Rivera, T. A., Storey, M., Schmitz, M. D. & Crowley, J. L. Age intercalibration of 40Ar/39Ar sanidine and chemically distinct U/Pb zircon populations from the Alder Creek Rhyolite Quaternary geochronology standard. Chem. Geol. 345, 87–98 (2013)

    ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Westaway, K. E. et al. Homo floresiensis and the late Pleistocene environments of eastern Indonesia: defining the nature of the relationship. Quat. Sci. Rev. 28, 2897–2912 (2009)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  28. Westaway, K. E. et al. Establishing the time of initial human occupation of Liang Bua, western Flores, Indonesia. Quat. Geochronol. 2, 337–343 (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  29. Mijares, A. S. et al. New evidence for a 67,000-year-old human presence at Callao Cave, Luzon, Philippines. J. Hum. Evol. 59, 123–132 (2010)

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. van den Bergh, G. D. et al. Earliest hominin occupation of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Nature 529, 208–211 (2016)

    ADS  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Heinrich, K. F. J. in Electron Probe Quantitation (eds Heinrich, K. F. J. & Newbury, D. E. ), 9–18 (Plenum, 1991)

  32. Jochum, K. P. et al. MPI-DING reference glasses for in situ microanalysis: New reference values for element concentrations and isotope ratios. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 7, Q02008 (2006)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  33. Alloway, B. V. et al. Correspondence between glass-FT and 14C ages of silicic pyroclastic flow deposits sourced from Maninjau Caldera, west-central Sumatra. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 227, 121–133 (2004)

    ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Jacobs, Z. & Roberts, R. G. An improved single grain OSL chronology for the sedimentary deposits from Diepkloof Rockshelter, Western Cape, South Africa. J. Archaeol. Sci. 63, 175–192 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  35. Prescott, J. R. & Hutton, J. T. Cosmic ray contributions to dose rates for luminescence and ESR dating: large depths and long-term time variations. Radiat. Meas. 23, 497–500 (1994)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Neudorf, C. M., Roberts, R. G. & Jacobs, Z. Sources of overdispersion in a K-rich feldspar sample from north-central India: insights from D e, K content and IRSL age distributions for individual grains. Radiat. Meas. 47, 696–702 (2012)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Neudorf, C. M. Luminescence Investigations into the Time of Final Deposition of Toba Volcanic Ash and Artefact-bearing Alluvial Sediments in the Middle Son Valley, Madhya Pradesh, India. PhD thesis, Univ. of Wollongong (2012)

  38. Huntley, D. J. & Hancock, R. G. V. The Rb contents of the K-feldspars being measured in optical dating. Anc. TL 19, 43–46 (2001)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Aitken, M. J. An Introduction to Optical Dating (Oxford Univ. Press, 1998)

  40. Bøtter-Jensen, L., Andersen, C. E., Duller, G. A. T. & Murray, A. S. Developments in radiation, stimulation and observation facilities in luminescence measurements. Radiat. Meas. 37, 535–541 (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  41. Roberts, R. G. et al. Optical dating in archaeology: thirty years in retrospect and grand challenges for the future. J. Archaeol. Sci. 56, 41–60 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  42. Li, B. & Li, S.-H. Luminescence dating of K-feldspar from sediments: a protocol without anomalous fading correction. Quat. Geochronol. 6, 468–479 (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  43. Thiel, C. et al. Luminescence dating of the Stratzing loess profile (Austria) – testing the potential of an elevated temperature post-IR IRSL protocol. Quat. Int. 234, 23–31 (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  44. Li, B., Roberts, R. G. & Jacobs, Z. On the dose dependency of the bleachable and non-bleachable components of IRSL from K-feldspar: improved procedures for luminescence dating of Quaternary sediments. Quat. Geochronol. 17, 1–13 (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  45. Huntley, D. J. & Lamothe, M. Ubiquity of anomalous fading in K-feldspars and the measurement and correction for it in optical dating. Can. J. Earth Sci. 38, 1093–1106 (2001)

    ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  46. Auclair, M., Lamothe, M. & Huot, S. Measurement of anomalous fading for feldspar IRSL using SAR. Radiat. Meas. 37, 487–492 (2003)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  47. Galbraith, R. F., Roberts, R. G., Laslett, G. M., Yoshida, H. & Olley, J. M. Optical dating of single and multiple grains of quartz from Jinmium rock shelter, northern Australia: Part 1, experimental design and statistical models. Archaeometry 41, 339–364 (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  48. Galbraith, R. F. & Roberts, R. G. Statistical aspects of equivalent dose and error calculation and display in OSL dating: an overview and some recommendations. Quat. Geochronol. 11, 1–27 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  49. Franklin, A. D., Prescott, J. R. & Robertson, G. B. Comparison of blue and red TL from quartz. Radiat. Meas. 32, 633–639 (2000)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  50. Westaway, K. E. The red, white and blue of quartz luminescence: a comparison of D e values derived for sediments from Australia and Indonesia using TL and OSL emissions. Radiat. Meas. 44, 462–466 (2009)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  51. Demeter, F. et al. Anatomically modern human in Southeast Asia (Laos) by 46 ka. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 109, 14375–14380 (2012)

    ADS  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  52. Eggins, S. M. et al. In situ U-series dating by laser-ablation multi-collector ICPMS: new prospects for Quaternary geochronology. Quat. Sci. Rev. 24, 2523–2538 (2005)

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  53. Grün, R. et al. ESR and U-series analyses of teeth from the palaeoanthropological site of Hexian, Anhui Province, China. J. Hum. Evol. 34, 555–564 (1998)

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  54. Hellstrom, J. & Pickering, R. Recent advances and future prospects of the U–Th and U–Pb chronometers applicable to archaeology. J. Archaeol. Sci. 56, 32–40 (2015)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  55. Zhou, H.-y., Zhao, J.-x., Wang, Q., Feng, Y.-x. & Tang, J. Speleothem-derived Asian summer monsoon variations in Central China, 54–46 ka. J. Quat. Sci. 26, 781–790 (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  56. Clark, T. R. et al. Discerning the timing and cause of historical mortality events in modern Porites from the Great Barrier Reef. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 138, 57–80 (2014)

    ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  57. Ludwig, K. R. User’s Manual for Isoplot 3.75: a Geochronological Toolkit for Microsoft Excel (Berkeley Geochron. Center, 2012)

  58. Cheng, H. et al. The half-lives of uranium-234 and thorium-230. Chem. Geol. 169, 17–33 (2000)

    ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  59. Zhao, J.-x. Yu, K.-f. & Feng, Y.-x. High-precision 238U–234U–230Th disequilibrium dating of the recent past: a review. Quat. Geochronol. 4, 423–433 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  60. Lee, J.-Y. et al. A redetermination of the isotopic abundances of atmospheric Ar. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 70, 4507–4512 (2006)

    ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  61. Wood, R. From revolution to convention: the past, present and future of radiocarbon dating. J. Archaeol. Sci. 56, 61–72 (2015)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  62. Hogg, A. G. et al. SHCal13 Southern Hemisphere calibration, 0–50,000 years cal BP. Radiocarbon 55, 1889–1903 (2013)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  63. Bird, M. I. et al. Radiocarbon dating of “old” charcoal using a wet oxidation, stepped-combustion procedure. Radiocarbon 41, 127–140 (1999)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  64. Brock, F., Higham, T. F. G., Ditchfield, P. & Bronk Ramsey, C. Current pretreatment methods for AMS radiocarbon dating at the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit (ORAU). Radiocarbon 52, 103–112 (2010)

Download references

Acknowledgements

The 2007–2014 excavations at Liang Bua were supported by an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project grant to M.J.M. (DP0770234), a Waitt Foundation/National Geographic Society grant to M.W.T. and T.S. (No. 2121-2) and a Smithsonian Scholarly Studies Program award to M.W.T. Additional funding was provided by the Peter Buck Fund for Human Origins Research, the Smithsonian’s Human Origins Program, the University of Wollongong (UOW) and the ARC (DP1093049 to K.E.W.). T.S. is supported by a UOW postgraduate scholarship, M.W.T. by a Canada Research Chair, M.A. and A.B. by ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards (DE140100254 and DE130101560, respectively), B.L. by an ARC Future Fellowship (FT14010038), R.G.R. by an ARC Australian Laureate Fellowship (FL130100116) and B.V.A. by a Victoria University of Wellington Science Faculty Research Grant (201255). QUADLAB is funded by the Villum Foundation. Fieldwork was authorised by Pusat Penelitian Arkeologi Nasional (Jakarta, Indonesia) and Pemerintah Daerah Kabupaten Manggarai (Flores, Nusa Tenggara Timur). We also thank I Made Geria, V. N. Sene, R. Potts, P. Goldberg, K. Douka, G. Veatch, V. Rossi, A. Metallo, L. Kinsley, Y. Jafari, T. Lachlan, A. D. Nguyen, D. Yurnaldi, R. Setiawan, I Dewa Kompiang and the entire Liang Bua Team from Teras, Golo Manuk and Bere.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Thomas Sutikna and Matthew W. Tocheri: These authors contributed equally to this work.

  2. Michael J. Morwood and Rokus Due Awe: Deceased.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong,, 2522, New South Wales, Australia

    Thomas Sutikna, Michael J. Morwood, E. Wahyu Saptomo,  Jatmiko, Rokus Due Awe, Bo Li, Brent V. Alloway, Mike W. Morley, Gerrit D. van den Bergh & Richard G. Roberts

  2. Pusat Penelitian Arkeologi Nasional, Jakarta, 12510, Indonesia

    Thomas Sutikna, E. Wahyu Saptomo,  Jatmiko, Rokus Due Awe & Sri Wasisto

  3. Department of Anthropology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, P7B 5E1, Ontario, Canada

    Matthew W. Tocheri

  4. Department of Anthropology, Human Origins Program, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA

    Matthew W. Tocheri & Hanneke J. M. Meijer

  5. Department of Environmental Sciences, Traps MQ Luminescence Dating Facility, Macquarie University, Sydney, 2109, New South Wales, Australia

    Kira E. Westaway

  6. Research Centre for Human Evolution, Place, Evolution and Rock Art Heritage Unit, Griffith University, Gold Coast, 4222, Queensland, Australia

    Maxime Aubert

  7. School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, 2522, New South Wales, Australia

    Maxime Aubert & Adam Brumm

  8. School of Earth Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Queensland, Australia

    Jian-xin Zhao

  9. QUADLAB, Section of Earth and Planetary System Science, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen, 1350, Denmark

    Michael Storey

  10. School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, 6012, New Zealand

    Brent V. Alloway

  11. Department of Natural History, University Museum of Bergen, University of Bergen, Bergen, 5007, Norway

    Hanneke J. M. Meijer

  12. Research Centre for Human Evolution, Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, 4111, Queensland, Australia

    Rainer Grün & Adam Brumm

  13. Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, 0200, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

    Rainer Grün

  14. GeoQuEST Research Centre, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, 2522, New South Wales, Australia

    Anthony Dosseto

  15. Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University Medical Center, Stony Brook, 11794, New York, USA

    William L. Jungers

  16. Association Vahatra, BP 3972, Antananarivo, 101, Madagascar

    William L. Jungers

Authors
  1. Thomas Sutikna
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Matthew W. Tocheri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Michael J. Morwood
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. E. Wahyu Saptomo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Jatmiko
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Rokus Due Awe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Sri Wasisto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Kira E. Westaway
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Maxime Aubert
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Bo Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Jian-xin Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  12. Michael Storey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  13. Brent V. Alloway
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  14. Mike W. Morley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  15. Hanneke J. M. Meijer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  16. Gerrit D. van den Bergh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  17. Rainer Grün
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  18. Anthony Dosseto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  19. Adam Brumm
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  20. William L. Jungers
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  21. Richard G. Roberts
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

M.J.M., R. P. Soejono and R.G.R. conceived and coordinated the original research program at Liang Bua (2001–2004). The new excavations were planned and directed by T.S., E.W.S. and M.J.M. (2007–2009), and by T.S., M.W.T., E.W.S., J. and M.J.M. (2010–2014). T.S. led the stratigraphic analyses, with major contributions from M.W.T., S.W., M.J.M., K.E.W., R.D.A., E.W.S. and J., and additional input from M.W.M., H.J.M.M., G.D.vdB., B.V.A., A.B., W.L.J. and R.G.R. Dating analyses were conducted by B.L. and R.G.R. (IRSL), K.E.W. (TL), M.A., R.G. and A.D. (234U/230Th, bones), J.-x.Z. (234U/230Th, speleothems), and M.S. (40Ar/39Ar). B.V.A. analysed the volcanic tephra, R.D.A., H.J.M.M., G.D.vdB., M.W.T. and W.L.J. analysed the faunal remains, and J. analysed the stone artefacts. T.S., M.W.T. and R.G.R. wrote the paper, with early contributions from M.J.M. and additional input from all other authors.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Thomas Sutikna, Matthew W. Tocheri or Richard G. Roberts.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Extended data figures and tables

Extended Data Figure 1 Stratigraphy of the excavated area near the eastern cave wall at eight stages of depositional history, with approximate ages indicated.

a–h, Each panel shows the remnant deposits exposed in the 2-m-wide baulks of the following Sectors (from left to right): north VII, east VII, XI and XXIII, south XXIII and XXI, west XXI, XV and XVI, and north XVI. The pedestal deposits shown in b–d were truncated by one or more phases of erosion that resulted in an erosional surface (that is, an unconformity) that slopes steeply down towards the cave mouth (see also Supplementary Video 1). The black arrows relate to the accompanying text in each panel. The maximum depth excavated was 10.75 m in Sector VII (for example, the left two panels in h).

Extended Data Figure 2 Deposits containing the remains of Homo floresiensis.

These deposits (A) consist of multiple layers of fine-grained sediment interspersed with layers of weathered limestone and loose gravel, and are directly overlain by two tephras (T1 and T2). a, South baulk of Sector XV, near the eastern cave wall. b, West baulk of Sector XV, also showing the unconformably overlying deposits (B). c, d, North and east baulks of Sector XIX, near the cave centre.

Extended Data Figure 3 The volcaniclastic deposits at Liang Bua.

a, Photograph of tephras T6–T8 (north baulk of Sector XVI). b, Photograph of tephras T1–T5 (south baulk of Sector XXI). c, Bivariate plot of FeO and CaO concentrations (expressed as weight %), acquired by electron microprobe analysis of glass shards from T1 (n = 6), T3 (n = 4), T5 (n = 10) and T7 (n = 15), as well as the Youngest Toba Tuff (YTT, n = 207, ± 1σ) from northern Sumatra. d, Bivariate plot of FeO and K2O concentrations (symbols as in c). e, Bivariate plot of SiO2 and Na2O + K2O concentrations (symbols as in c). f, Isotope correlation (inverse isochron) plot for hornblende crystals from T1. The error ellipses represent individual analyses (n = 28). The ellipse on the far right-hand side was omitted from the 40Ar/39Ar age determination of 79 ± 12 kyr (at 1σ).

Extended Data Figure 4 Erosional surface of the pedestal in the west baulks of Sectors XV and XVI.

The dashed line marks the steeply sloping boundary between remnant deposits (T2, T1 and the underlying Homo floresiensis-bearing sediments) that comprise part of the pedestal (A) and the much younger deposits (B) that unconformably overlie the contact. a, Photograph taken at an upward angle showing the sedimentary differences between the deposits above and below the erosional boundary. b, Illustration of the erosional surface and underlying deposits shown in a.

Extended Data Figure 5 Erosional surface of the pedestal near the eastern wall of the cave.

a, Illustration of the erosional surface and the locations of LB1, LB4, LB6 and LB8 below the boundary (see also Fig. 3). The deposits that unconformably overlie the pedestal are shown in the south and west baulks. The stippled cube outlines the photographed area (in Sector XV) shown in b and c. Both photographs taken from above, with north towards the bottom of the page.

Extended Data Figure 6 Locations of sediment samples dated in this study and TL data for quartz grains from Liang Bua.

a, Stratigraphy of the excavated area near the eastern cave wall (Sector baulks as in Extended Data Fig. 1) with TL samples indicated by red circles, IRSL samples by blue circles and the 40Ar/39Ar sample by a yellow square. Also shown are the TL and IRSL sample codes and the locations of hominin remains LB1 and LB6. b, Representative isothermal (260 °C) TL decay curves for the natural (black line) and test dose (grey line) signals from sample LB08-15-3. c, d, Regenerated TL dose–response curves for one pair of Aliquots A and B of sample LB08-15-3, respectively; the equivalent dose (De) is estimated by projecting the natural signal (red square) on to the dose–response curve fitted to the regenerated signals (blue diamonds). e, Radial plot47,48 of De values for Aliquot A (n = 12) of sample LB08-15-3; the grey band is centred on the weighted mean De calculated using the central age model. f, Radial plot of the corresponding De values for Aliquot B (n = 12) of the same sample. The grey band is centred on the central age model estimate, with the two high-De outliers omitted. The red line intersects the right-hand axis at the De calculated by fitting the minimum age model47,48 to all 12 values. g, h, Radial plots of De values for Aliquots A and B of sample LB12-23-1 (symbols as in e and f).

Extended Data Figure 7 IRSL data and potassium (K) concentrations for feldspar grains from Liang Bua.

a, Representative IRSL (50 °C) and multiple elevated temperature (100–250 °C) post-infrared IRSL (pIRIR) decay curves for a single aliquot of sample LB12-OSL1. b, IRSL (50 °C) and pIRIR (290 °C) decay curves for a different aliquot of LB12-OSL1. c, Regenerated pIRIR (290 °C) dose–response curve for the aliquot shown in b; the equivalent dose (De) is estimated by projecting the natural signal (red square) on to the dose–response curve fitted to the regenerated signals (blue diamonds). d–j, Radial plots of IRSL ages (corrected for residual dose and anomalous fading) for single aliquots of each sample: d, LB12-OSL1; e, LB12-OSL2; f, LB12-OSL3; g, LB12-OSL4; h, LB12-OSL5; i, LB12-OSL6; and j, LB12-OSL7. IRSL ages were also obtained for single grains of samples LB12-OSL3 and LB12-OSL4, and are shown as open triangles in f and g. The grey bands in each plot are centred on the weighted mean ages calculated using the central age model. k, l, Radial plots of IRSL ages (corrected as for d–j) for samples LBS7-40a and LBS7-42a, respectively; single aliquots are shown as filled circles and single grains as open triangles. The upper and lower red lines intersect the right-hand axis at the maximum and minimum single-grain ages, respectively. m, Distribution of pIRIR intensities from 28 individual grains of feldspar from sample LB12-OSL3 that had been given a regenerative dose of 80 Gy. The relative contribution of each grain to the total (cumulative) pIRIR light sum is plotted as a function of K concentration (measured by wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy); note the reversed scale on the x-axis. n, Cumulative pIRIR light sum for the same 28 grains as shown in m, plotted as a function of grains ranked by K concentration (which decreases from left to right).

Extended Data Figure 8 Laser-ablation uranium-series analyses of hominin bone fragments from various Sectors and spits (depth intervals), and their modelled ages.

a, Modern human femur (132A/LB/27D/03) from Sector IV, spit 27 (265–275 cm). b, Homo floresiensis ulna (LB1/52) from Sector XI, spit 58A (575–585 cm). c, H. floresiensis ulna (LB2/1) from Sector IV, spit 42D (415–425 cm). d, H. floresiensis ulna (LB6/3) from Sector XI, spit 51 (505–515 cm). Each laser spot is 265 μm in diameter and the age errors are at 2σ.

Extended Data Figure 9 Laser-ablation uranium-series analyses of bone fragments of Stegodon florensis insularis from various spits (depth intervals) in Sector XI, and their modelled ages.

a, U-s-01/LB/XI/32/04, spit 32 (315–325 cm). b, U-s-02/LB/XI/45/04, spit 45 (445–455 cm). c, U-s-03/LB/XI/47/04, spit 47 (465–475 cm). d, U-s-04/LB/XI/49/04, spit 49 (485–495 cm). e, U-s-05/LB/XI/51/04, spit 51 (505–515 cm). f, U-s-06/LB/XI/52/04, spit 52 (515–525 cm). g, U-s-07/LB/XI/65/04, spit 65 (645–655 cm). h, U-s-08/LB/XI/65B/04, spit 65B (645–655 cm). Each laser spot is 265 μm in diameter and the age errors are at 2σ.

Extended Data Figure 10 Deposits stratigraphically above the unconformity in Sector XVI and displaced slab of deposit in Sector XXII.

a, The north baulk (~2 m wide) of Sector XVI. b, Excavated floors (white arrow points north) of spits 61–63 (615–635 cm depth); the field of view is ~1.6 m in width. The stippled box in a indicates the floor of spit 63 in b, where fragments of T1 (+) are visible in spit 63, and fragments of T3 (*) and T1 are concentrated in the band just above the label for spit 61. Eroded fragments (between about 1 cm and 60 cm in size) of T1, T2 and T3 have been consistently recovered from deposits unconformably overlying the erosional surface of the pedestal, indicating reworking of the pedestal deposits before ~13 kyr cal. bp. c, Photograph of the west baulk and parts of the south and north baulks (at left and right, respectively) of Sector XXII showing a displaced slab of deposit that contains intact portions of the uppermost part of T3 (arrow) and the overlying layers, up to and including the flowstone (fs) that caps T5. The stratigraphic position of the slab beneath T7 and T8 indicates that it broke away from its original location, slightly to the south, and slid down the steeply sloping erosional surface before ~13 kyr cal. bp. Also shown are the Homo floresiensis-bearing deposits (A) and the unconformably overlying deposits (B), which include eroded fragments of T1 (+), T2 (#) and T3 (*). d, Illustration of the west baulk of Sector XXII, as shown in c.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

This file contains Supplementary Information sections 1-6 which contain a Supplementary Discussion and Supplementary Tables 1-8 – see contents page for details. (PDF 995 kb)

Animated summary of the stratigraphy and chronology of the Liang Bua depositional sequence.

Animated summary of the stratigraphy and chronology of the Liang Bua depositional sequence. (WMV 29745 kb)

PowerPoint slides

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Sutikna, T., Tocheri, M., Morwood, M. et al. Revised stratigraphy and chronology for Homo floresiensis at Liang Bua in Indonesia. Nature 532, 366–369 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature17179

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature17179

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing