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During the transition from the Pleistocene era (or ice age; 2.58 million to 11,700 years ago) to the Holocene era (11,700 years ago until now), the temperature of the earth’s surface underwent major changes.
During this volatile period, the polar ice begins to melt and the sea level rises.
As a result, the islands in Wallacea, a basin in central Indonesia, are becoming smaller and more isolated. This area is also undergoing changes in vegetation that force humans to better adapt to available food resources.
Author provided
The uniqueness of prehistoric geography makes the Wallacea Islands well suited for research related to prehistoric human life patterns in adaptation after the end of the Ice Age.
In September and October 2015, our team of Indonesian and Australian researchers conducted excavations at the Here Sorot Cave on Kisar Island, an island in the southwestern Maluku district that is rich in remains of prehistoric human remains, specifically to study changes in patterns of human consumption due to changes in climate.
When the weather suddenly cools down in Indonesia
Humans began inhabiting the Highlight Here Cave about 15,000 years ago when sea levels rose after the end of the ice age peak. The climate phenomenon is expected to encourage the flourishing of coastal life and the increase in residential intensity at many prehistoric sites in Wallacea.
At the beginning of this period, humans in Here Sorot consumed predominantly fish, turtles, shellfish, crabs, and sea urchins.
Suddenly, climate change occurs dramatically during the final stages of ice melt, or period called Bølling-Allerød 14,500-12,800 years ago, which resulted in an increase in the intensity of occupation in the Cave Here, highlight anything.
(Platt et al., 2017), CC BY
At that time, the area around the Little Probe Islands, including Kisar, showed cooling even as the ice in the northern hemisphere was melting.
The combination of the two previous events makes the weather in Wallacea cool, but sea levels continue to rise due to warming in the northern hemisphere.
We found many hooks made of shells back then that supported the possibility that they would fish more often in deep water waters.
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In this period, humans on the island of Kisar also added their consumption menu to land animals, especially reptiles such as snakes and lizards.
These animals can reproduce well because they have the ability to survive in cold weather conditions.
Then slowly heat it up again
Then, in 12,800-9,500,000 years ago, the intensity of occupation in the Highlight Cave decreased, until it was finally abandoned for about 3,000 years.
This residential period coincides with the times. Younger Dryas, events of climatic turbulence in Europe, where previously the climate began to warm up but suddenly cooled down again for several hundred years.
But again around the equator, the opposite is true. As long as Younger Dryas, the weather conditions around the equator actually heated up.
The situation, where the temperature is getting higher, even though the sea level has stopped rising, will probably cause the inhabitants of Here Highlight to leave, and move to an island that has more resources to survive.
Author provided
During this minimum period of occupation, our fossil excavations show that the hunting intensity of marine animals decreased, while land animals increased.
Terrestrial animals that were previously dominated by snakes classified as reptiles are now also dominated by mice belonging to the group of mammals.
Archaeological and paleontological studies have shown that the rat population has increased with increased inter-island transport activities, agriculture, and land clearing in the early Holocene.
Rat populations are likely to increase on Kisar Island because they are transported by ships from other islands.
Towards the stability of the holocene climate
According to our archaeological data, Highlight Cave was inhabited between 5,000 and 1,600 years ago here.
Right now, the climate is slowly stabilizing, due to the end of the melting process due to global warming, to a state similar to the present.
Ideally, this climate makes humans increasingly capable of developing agricultural and livestock technologies. They also began to live more in groups and to build larger communities.
This is supported by the discovery of ceramic fragments and high residual carbon content dating back to the Middle Holocene, which was around 4,000 years ago. This discovery indicates the early development of technology in food processing and storage.
Learn from the past to prepare for the future
With archeology and paleontology, we can learn how the environment plays a central factor in the development of human civilization.
Understanding the past can help us understand our position in human civilization. Humans have been able to survive through various climatic changes that occur on Earth using the surrounding resources.
Recent global warming is a challenge that must be faced with care. Forest fires, floods, and fluctuating weather conditions are increasingly vulnerable.
Therefore, we are obliged to be better at managing nature. All levels of society should be able to meet the needs for energy, food and clean water while paying attention to the environmental balance.
The primitive community on the island of Kisar has demonstrated the incredible durability and adaptability of our species. We have the capacity to face change before our eyes: our historical record has shown it.
We are ‘wise man’ or ‘Homo sapiensHomo sapiens‘, In latin. Then we must continue to be wise, or our time on earth must end.
