History of Ancient Man

A. Paleolithic

Mean age Palaeolitikum old stone age. This era is characterized by the use of tools that looks very simple and primitive. The characteristics of human life in this day and age, that live in groups; live around streams, caves, or in the trees, and rely on foods from nature by collecting (food gathering) as well as hunting. Therefore, early humans are always moving from one place to another (nomadic). In Indonesia, early humans who lived during this period is a half-ape called Pithecanthropus erectus, Pithecanthropus robustus, Meganthropus palaeojavanicus. Also next live some kind of homo (humans), of which Homo erectus soloensis and wajakensis.

B. Period Mezolitikum

Mezolitikum age means middle stone age (mezo) or mid. This era is also called the era of "gathering food (food gathering) advanced", which began at the end of the ice age, about 10,000 years ago. Experts estimate of people living in this era is the nation Melanesoide who were the ancestors of people in Papua, Semang, Aeta, Sakai, and Aboriginal. Same with Palaeolitikum age, age humans Mezolitikum get food by hunting and fishing. They live in caves under the cliff (abris Souche roche), beach, and mountains niche. Abris Souche roche cave resembles a niche to be able to protect themselves from the heat and rain.

Results of human cultural heritage at that time was in the form of art tools found in caves and graffiti (or paintings) on the walls of the cave, like the cave Leang-Leang, South Sulawesi, which was found by Mrs. Heeren Palm in 1950. Van Stein Callenfels find sharp tools such as arrowheads, flakes, and stone grinders at Lawa Cave near Sampung, Ponorogo, and Madiun. In addition, the results of relics found in a kitchen trash can and snail shells as high as 7 meters along the east coast of Sumatra called kjokkenmoddinger. Equipment found in the cell where it is ax Sumatra, pabble culture, and hunting tools from animal bones.

C. Neolithic

Neolithic stone age means young. In Indonesia, the Neolithic began about 1,500 BC. Way of life to make ends meet has experienced rapid change, from the way food gathering to food producting, that is by growing crops and raising livestock. At that time people have started to settle in a house on stilts to avoid the danger of wild animals.

Neolithic humans has also been started to make granaries to store grains and grain supplies. Tradition store grain in barns can still be seen in Lebak, Banten. Bedouins there are so appreciative of rice are considered granting Nyai Sri Pohaci. They do not need to buy rice from paddy menjualbelikan outsiders because customary law is prohibited. They apparently have been practicing self-sufficiency since the time of the ancestors.

At this time, early humans Indonesia has known two kinds of equipment, namely square pickaxe and hatchet shaped. Square pickaxe spread in western Indonesia, estimated this culture spread from Yunnan in southern China to Laos and later immigrated to the islands of Indonesia. Hatchet shaped spread in eastern Indonesia are imported from Japan, and then spread to Taiwan, the Philippines, North Sulawesi, Maluku, Papua and the islands of Melanesia. Examples of rectangular axes was found in Bengkulu, chalcedony stone; measuring 11.7 × 3.9 cm, and used as a ceremonial object complement or provision grave. While the oval ax found in Klungkung, Bali, made of stone Agats; measuring 5.5 × 2.5 cm, and is used in the ceremonies of the ancestral spirits. In addition it was also found that a pitcher made of clay; measuring 29.5 × 19.5 cm; derived from Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara. This pitcher is used as stock grave.

D. Megalithic era

Megalithic era means large stone age. At this time people are familiar with animism and dynamism. Animism is the belief in ancestral spirits (ancestors) who inhabit objects, such as trees, rocks, rivers, mountains, sharp weapons. While dynamism is a form of belief that everything has a supernatural power or force that can affect the success or failure in human life. From the results of legacy, estimated humans on the Megalithic Age've known forms of spiritual beliefs, that is the way to treat people who died with treated either as a form of respect.

The belief of early humans to the natural forces and spirits can be seen from the discovery of primitive beliefs buildings. Relics that are spiritual in the Megalithic era found in Nias, Sumba, Flores, South Sumatra, Southeast Sulawesi and Kalimantan, in the form of menhirs, dolmen, sarcophagus, a stone tomb, punden berundakundak, as well as statues. Menhir is a stone monument as a place of worship; dolmen is to put the stone table of offerings; sarcophagus is a dimple-shaped building that resembled a coffin; grave stones are stone plates arranged to bury the bodies; punden is a terraced building as a place of worship, while statues is the embodiment of the subject of worship which resemble human or animal.

E. Bronze Age

Indonesia early humans only experience without going through the time of the Bronze Age copper. Bronze Age culture is the result of assimilation of the indigenous people of Indonesia (Proto-Malays) with Mongoloid peoples that make up the race Deutero Malay (Melayu Muda). Called the bronze age because in this period of human intelligence have had in fused bronze. In Southeast Asia, the use of metal began around 3000-2000 BC. Future use of metal, bronze, and iron in early human life in Indonesia called perundagian. Iron tools which are found in Indonesia shaped tools daily necessities, such as a knife, sickle, ax, sword and spear. Manufacture of iron tools and techniques require special skills that may be owned only by some members of the community, the group undagi. Outside Indonesia, based on archaeological evidence, before human use ferrous metal they had known beforehand copper and bronze. Process the ore into metal easier to copper rather than iron.