# Homo floresiensis, the origin of the Flores "hobbits" > Homo floresiensis, a hominin about a metre tall with a brain of about 400 cc, lived on the Indonesian island of Flores from at least 700,000 years ago… Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis Publisher: Mysteries Department Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page) Updated: 2026-10-27T17:47:32+00:00 --- **MYS** 0CZNMCEW7JWZ·Mystery · object # Homo floresiensis, the origin of the Flores "hobbits" **0** [Follow][Ask a question](https://mysteriesdept.com/questions/key-questions?mystery=homo-floresiensis) Homo floresiensis, the origin of the Flores "hobbits" ![A Homo floresiensis' skull](https://mysteriesdept.com/media/folio/homo-floresiensis-lead) Rama · CC BY-SA 3.0 fr Type specimen LB1, partial skeleton from Liang Bua, found 2003⁠[[1]] Stature and brain About 1 m tall; endocranial volume about 426 cc by micro-CT⁠[[10]] Liang Bua skeletal remains About 100,000-60,000 years old; tools 190,000-50,000 years⁠[[4]] Oldest fossils Mata Menge, So'a Basin, about 700,000 years⁠[[6]] First tools on Flores Wolo Sege, about one million years⁠[[14]] Latest find A Mata Menge humerus 9-16% smaller than LB1's (2024)⁠[[7]] Held National Research Centre of Archaeology (Liang Bua); Geological Museum, Bandung (Mata Menge)⁠[[7]] Status Partly explained Questions 1 of 4 answered People [**Michael J. Morwood** Archaeologist; co-director of the Liang Bua excavations](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/people/FIG0CZNMDXR1WPS/michael-j-morwood)[**Peter Brown** Palaeoanthropologist, University of New England; described LB1](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/people/FIG0CZNMDNY5AWV/peter-brown)[**Adam Brumm** Archaeologist, Griffith University; So'a Basin dating](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/people/FIG0CZNMEX02QN9/adam-brumm)[**Gerrit D. van den Bergh** Palaeontologist, University of Wollongong; Mata Menge excavations](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/people/FIG0CZNMEN670CP/gerrit-d-van-den-bergh)[**Thomas Sutikna** Archaeologist; Liang Bua excavations and the 2016 revision](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/people/FIG0CZNME5J48SJ/thomas-sutikna) All 6 people › [**Yousuke Kaifu** Palaeoanthropologist, University of Tokyo; Mata Menge fossils](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/people/FIG0CZNMEDC5STP/yousuke-kaifu) Catalog key**MYS** 0CZNMCEW7JWZ In September 2003 an Indonesian-Australian team digging in Liang Bua, a limestone cave in western Flores, found the partial skeleton of an adult about a metre tall with a brain the size of a chimpanzee's. Peter Brown, Michael Morwood and colleagues named it Homo floresiensis in 2004⁠[[1]]. The first dates put it at only 18,000 years old, which would have meant a second human species living alongside modern humans almost to the end of the Ice Age⁠[[2]]. The find set off a long fight over whether it was a new species at all or a modern human with a disorder⁠[[3]]. Two decades on, much has been settled. Re-excavation showed the 2004 ages came from younger sediment, and the skeletons are 100,000 to 60,000 years old, with stone tools until about 50,000 years ago⁠[[4]]. Fossils at Mata Menge in central Flores show that hominins of the same small size lived there 700,000 years ago⁠[[5]]⁠[[6]], and in 2024 a humerus from the same deposits proved even smaller than LB1's⁠[[7]]. Tests of the pathology readings have gone against them⁠[[8]]⁠[[9]]. What is not settled is where the lineage came from. One reading has Homo erectus, known on nearby Java from more than a million years ago, reaching Flores and shrinking under island conditions⁠[[7]]⁠[[10]]. The other has an earlier, already small hominin, akin to Homo habilis, leaving Africa and reaching Flores, with H. floresiensis its last survivor⁠[[11]]. The two predict different things in the anatomy and in the age of the first Flores hominins, and both are still argued. Of the 4 questions on this site, 1 are answered. The most likely answer to “From which earlier hominin did Homo floresiensis descend?”, not yet confirmed: an early Asian Homo erectus population reached Flores and evolved small body and brain size by insular…. ### Key questionsset by the editors [**From which earlier hominin did Homo floresiensis descend?** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/questions/QST0CZNMHTR12T1/from-which-earlier-hominin-did-homo-floresiensis-descend)Most likely: an early Asian Homo erectus population reached Flores and evolved small body and brain size by insular… [**Is Homo floresiensis a distinct species, or are the Liang Bua remains pathological modern humans?** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/questions/QST0CZNMJ2J1C0W/is-homo-floresiensis-a-distinct-species-or-are-the-liang-bua)Answered: h. floresiensis is a distinct hominin species. [All 4 questions ](https://mysteriesdept.com/questions/key-questions?mystery=homo-floresiensis) ## The object LB1 is the type specimen: a nearly complete cranium and mandible with much of the legs, parts of the arms, hands, feet and pelvis, of an adult probably female⁠[[1]]. Its endocranial volume, re-measured by micro-CT, is about 426 cc⁠[[10]]. Remains of perhaps a dozen more individuals were found at Liang Bua, with stone tools and the bones of Stegodon, a dwarf proboscidean, giant rats, Komodo dragons and vultures⁠[[12]]. The originals are held by the National Research Centre of Archaeology in Jakarta; the Mata Menge fossils are at the Geological Museum, Bandung⁠[[7]]⁠[[13]]. [![LB1, type specimen of Homo floresiensis](https://mysteriesdept.com/media/folio/homo-floresiensis-a-lb1-m1)](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/artifacts/ART0CZNMW2W2H3Z/lb1-type-specimen-of-homo-floresiensis) LB1, type specimen of Homo floresiensisRama, 2003. CC BY-SA 3.0 fr[Artifact ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/artifacts/ART0CZNMW2W2H3Z/lb1-type-specimen-of-homo-floresiensis) The anatomy is a mosaic. The skull is small with thick bone and a sloping face, and the brain is small, but the teeth are small too; the wrists and shoulders are primitive, the legs short and the feet long⁠[[1]]⁠[[11]]. Interpretation depends on which of these traits are inherited and which are the result of being small. **Map of the area** [Open the full map](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/map) [Area][Region] [+][−] 1 **Liang Bua, Manggarai, Flores** Cave Within 1 km 2 **Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia** Island A region 3 **Mata Menge, So'a Basin, Ngada, Flores** Fossil site Within 10 km 4 **Wolo Sege, So'a Basin** Archaeological site Within 10 km Within 1 kmA regionNatural Earth ### Timeline **Timeline** Squeezed where little happened. Each mark is a published claim, by how it stands:AcceptedMost likelyStill possibleDisputedRuled out ## What is known The chronology is now firm at both ends. Stone tools on Flores go back about a million years at Wolo Sege⁠[[14]]. At Mata Menge a fluvial sandstone dated to about 700,000 years by argon and fission-track dates on bracketing ash layers, with uranium-series and ESR dates on teeth, holds a jaw fragment, teeth and now a humerus of very small hominins⁠[[6]]⁠[[5]]⁠[[7]]. At Liang Bua the skeletal remains date to about 100,000-60,000 years and the tools of the species to about 190,000-50,000 years⁠[[4]]. [![SOA-MM9 humerus fragment, Mata Menge](https://mysteriesdept.com/files/v/78575424f7e8e801d026e4ded989dbeb224bf6ee9e5c9a2bf8e6dfe65ed07e7c/w800)](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/artifacts/ART0CZNMWJG7Y9A/soa-mm9-humerus-fragment-mata-menge) SOA-MM9 humerus fragment, Mata MengeKaifu et al.. CC BY 4.0[Artifact ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/artifacts/ART0CZNMWJG7Y9A/soa-mm9-humerus-fragment-mata-menge) The species disappears from Liang Bua before modern humans are recorded there. Rainfall at the cave fell steeply between 76,000 and 61,000 years ago, with a record low of summer rain at 61,000-55,000 years, as Stegodon became rarer⁠[[15]]. Taphonomy of the Stegodon bones shows Komodo dragons had first access to carcasses and H. floresiensis scavenged what was left, and finds no sign of deliberate fire⁠[[16]]. The living short-statured people of nearby Rampasasa carry Denisovan and Neanderthal DNA but no trace of another archaic hominin, and their stature evolved independently⁠[[17]]. ## What has been tested The pathology readings have been tested repeatedly. LB1's virtual endocast does not match microcephalic humans⁠[[18]]. 3D geometric morphometrics of the cranium groups it with fossil Homo rather than with modern humans with microcephaly or other conditions⁠[[9]]. A trait-by-trait review of the Down syndrome diagnosis found the features absent or not diagnostic⁠[[8]]. The discovery of equally small hominins at Mata Menge 600,000 years earlier removes the need for a pathology to explain LB1's size⁠[[5]]. Proponents maintain the asymmetry and other features of LB1 are abnormal⁠[[19]]; a 2026 study finds a similar cranial deformation in Indonesian H. erectus and reads it as a sign of helpless infancy, not disease⁠[[20]]. Ancestry has been tested by phylogenetics and by modelling. Parsimony and Bayesian analyses of characters across the skeleton place H. floresiensis as an early Homo lineage, sister to H. habilis or to H. habilis plus later Homo⁠[[11]]. Micro-CT brain measurement and scaling models show that an erectus-sized brain could shrink to LB1's size under insular dwarfing, beyond the scaling seen in other primates⁠[[10]]; quantitative-genetic models of the island rule show the change could be fast⁠[[21]]. The 2024 Mata Menge teeth include one that resembles early Javanese H. erectus⁠[[7]]. ## The readings Dwarfed Homo erectus. An early Asian H. erectus population reached Flores, probably by about a million years ago, and became smaller under island conditions; by 700,000 years it was already tiny⁠[[7]]⁠[[10]]. For it: Java's H. erectus is the nearest known hominin population, the Mata Menge teeth and the shared cranial deformation link the two, and dwarfing on islands is common in mammals⁠[[7]]⁠[[20]]⁠[[21]]. Against it: primitive wrist, shoulder, foot and pelvic traits that H. erectus had lost, which a phylogenetic analysis reads as inherited from an earlier ancestor⁠[[11]]. An early, small Homo lineage. A hominin like H. habilis left Africa early, already small, and its descendants reached Flores⁠[[11]]. For it: the primitive postcranial traits and the phylogenetic results. Against it: no such hominin is known outside Africa before H. erectus, and the oldest Flores fossils show an erectus-like tooth⁠[[7]]. Pathological modern humans. LB1 was a modern human with microcephaly, Down syndrome or another disorder, and the Liang Bua remains were a small-bodied modern population⁠[[3]]⁠[[19]]. This is now rejected by most researchers: the dates put the remains before modern humans on Flores, several individuals share the anatomy, Mata Menge shows the same size 700,000 years ago, and the shape analyses group LB1 with fossil Homo⁠[[4]]⁠[[5]]⁠[[9]]. ### Published claims **Published claims and their status** | Year | Who | Claimed | Status | Reason | |---|---|---|---|---| | 2004 | Peter Brown and colleagues⁠[1] | LB1, a metre-tall adult with a brain of about 380 cc, belongs to a new species, Homo floresiensis. | Accepted | Older remains of the same small size at Mata Menge and 3D comparisons with fossil and pathological crania bear it out⁠[5]⁠[9] | | 2004 | Mike Morwood and colleagues⁠[2] | LB1 lived about 18,000 years ago, so the species overlapped with modern humans for tens of thousands of years. | Ruled out | New excavation showed those dates came from younger deposits; the skeletal remains date to about 100,000 to 60,000 years ago⁠[4] | | 2004 | Mike Morwood and colleagues⁠[2] | The Liang Bua hominins hunted young Stegodon and used fire. | Disputed | Bite marks and bone-part profiles show Komodo dragons had first access, and no deliberate fire was found⁠[16] | | 2005 | Dean Falk and colleagues⁠[18] | LB1's endocast is unlike those of microcephalic humans and fits an advanced small-brained hominin. | Accepted | Later shape studies of the whole cranium reached the same result⁠[9] | | 2006 | Teuku Jacob and colleagues⁠[3] | The Liang Bua remains are small-bodied modern humans, and LB1 had a pathological, microcephalic skull. | Ruled out | The remains are 100,000 to 60,000 years old, before modern humans reached Flores, and hominins as small lived there 700,000 years ago⁠[4]⁠[5] | | 2010 | Adam Brumm and colleagues⁠[14] | Stone tools at Wolo Sege show hominins were on Flores by about a million years ago. | Accepted | The dates have stood, and hominin fossils of 700,000 years from the same basin confirm an early arrival⁠[6] | | 2013 | Daisuke Kubo and colleagues⁠[10] | LB1's brain was about 426 cc, a size reachable from Javanese Homo erectus by island dwarfing. | Most likely | The Mata Menge humerus and tooth point to a small erectus-like ancestor, though phylogenies built on many traits disagree⁠[7]⁠[11] | | 2013 | Karen Baab and colleagues⁠[9] | In 3D shape LB1's cranium groups with fossil Homo, not with microcephalic or other pathological modern humans. | Accepted | No later shape study has overturned it⁠[8] | | 2014 | Maciej Henneberg and colleagues⁠[19] | LB1 was a modern human with Down syndrome, and Homo floresiensis is not a valid species. | Ruled out | The proposed Down syndrome traits are absent or not diagnostic, and the remains predate modern humans on Flores⁠[8]⁠[4] | | 2016 | Thomas Sutikna and colleagues⁠[4] | The Homo floresiensis remains date to about 100,000 to 60,000 years ago and its stone tools to about 50,000. | Accepted | Several dating methods agree, and the finds were re-plotted against the new stratigraphy in 2018⁠[12] | | 2016 | Gerrit van den Bergh and colleagues⁠[5] | A jaw fragment and teeth from Mata Menge, about 700,000 years old, come from early relatives of Homo floresiensis, even smaller than LB1. | Accepted | The age rests on tephra dates, and a humerus found later at the site confirms the small size⁠[6]⁠[7] | | 2017 | Debbie Argue and colleagues⁠[11] | Homo floresiensis is the sister of Homo habilis, from an early small-bodied lineage that left Africa before Homo erectus. | Still possible | The phylogenies support it, but no pre-erectus hominin is known outside Africa and the Mata Menge tooth resembles Javanese H. erectus⁠[7] | | 2018 | Serena Tucci and colleagues⁠[17] | The short-statured people of Rampasasa near Liang Bua carry no Homo floresiensis ancestry; their small size evolved separately. | Accepted | Their genomes show Denisovan and Neanderthal admixture but no trace of another archaic hominin⁠[17] | | 2022 | Gregory Forth⁠[22] | Lio accounts of an "ape-man" on Flores are best explained by a non-sapiens hominin that survived into recent times. | Disputed | It rests on testimony alone, with no specimen, photograph or DNA, and the bones and tools at Liang Bua end about 50,000 years ago⁠[4] | | 2024 | Yousuke Kaifu and colleagues⁠[7] | A 700,000-year-old humerus from Mata Menge shows the small body size evolved early, from an Asian Homo erectus ancestor. | Most likely | The humerus is direct evidence for early small size; the erectus ancestry rests on a single tooth and is contested by trait-based phylogenies⁠[11] | | 2025 | Michael Gagan and colleagues⁠[15] | Summer rainfall fell to a record low between 61,000 and 55,000 years ago, and the drying, with the decline of Stegodon, drove Homo floresiensis from Liang Bua. | Most likely | The timing matches the end of the skeletal record, though it shows what happened at one cave, not across Flores⁠[15]⁠[4] | | 2026 | E. Grace Veatch and colleagues⁠[16] | Homo floresiensis scavenged Stegodon carcasses after Komodo dragons had fed, and did not use fire. | Accepted | It rests on a systematic taphonomic study of the whole proboscidean assemblage⁠[16] | ## What would settle it Fossils between one million and 700,000 years old from the So'a Basin would show the size and anatomy of the first Flores hominins: an erectus-sized founder supports dwarfing, an already small one does not. Ancient proteins from Mata Menge or Liang Bua teeth, if they survive in the tropics, would place the lineage molecularly, as enamel proteomes have placed Homo erectus and Denisovans in China; no such result has been published. A phylogenetic analysis that includes the Mata Menge material and corrects for size, run on shared open character matrices and 3D data, would test whether the primitive traits are inherited or allometric. The 3D data of the original fossils are not openly available; their release would let the shape analyses be repeated by anyone. ## Questions 1 of 4 questions are answered. **Key questions** [All 4](https://mysteriesdept.com/questions/key-questions?mystery=homo-floresiensis) **0** [From which earlier hominin did Homo floresiensis descend?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/questions/QST0CZNMHTR12T1/from-which-earlier-hominin-did-homo-floresiensis-descend) 0 of 1 sub-questions answered·0 Most likely: an early Asian Homo erectus population reached Flores and evolved small body and brain size by insular… **0** [Is Homo floresiensis a distinct species, or are the Liang Bua remains pathological modern humans?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/questions/QST0CZNMJ2J1C0W/is-homo-floresiensis-a-distinct-species-or-are-the-liang-bua) 0 of 1 sub-questions answered·0 Answered: H. floresiensis is a distinct hominin species. ## Evidence 19 findings [From which earlier hominin did Homo floresiensis descend?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/questions/QST0CZNMHTR12T1/from-which-earlier-hominin-did-homo-floresiensis-descend)8 findings [An early Asian Homo erectus population reached Flores and evolved small body and brain size by insular…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/answers/ANS0CZNMJT05D1P/an-early-asian-homo-erectus-population-reached-flores-and)Most likely +[A 700,000-year-old Mata Menge tooth resembles early Javanese H. erectus.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/evidence/EVD0CZNMK1T2PM7/a-700-000-year-old-mata-menge-tooth-resembles-early-javanese)Supported +[LB1's endocranial volume (about 426 cc) can be reached from Javanese H. erectus under insular scaling.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/evidence/EVD0CZNMK9M0WFD/lb1s-endocranial-volume-about-426-cc-can-be-reached-from)Supported +[Quantitative-genetic island-rule models show fast brain-body reduction is plausible.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/evidence/EVD0CZNMKHE08M5/quantitative-genetic-island-rule-models-show-fast-brain-body)Suggestive +[Deformational plagiocephaly, a marker of helpless infancy, occurs in Indonesian H. erectus and H. floresiensis.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/evidence/EVD0CZNMKS85VGN/deformational-plagiocephaly-a-marker-of-helpless-infancy)Suggestive −[Parsimony and Bayesian phylogenies place H. floresiensis outside a H. erectus ancestry.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/evidence/EVD0CZNMM120DT5/parsimony-and-bayesian-phylogenies-place-h-floresiensis)Supported [An early, small-bodied Homo lineage related to H. habilis left Africa before H. erectus, and H. floresiensis…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/answers/ANS0CZNMM8W678M/an-early-small-bodied-homo-lineage-related-to-h-habilis-left)Most likely +[Cranial, dental and postcranial phylogenies support a sister relationship with H. habilis.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/evidence/EVD0CZNMMGP6FQ0/cranial-dental-and-postcranial-phylogenies-support-a-sister)Supported −[No pre-erectus hominin is known outside Africa.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/evidence/EVD0CZNMMRG6ACJ/no-pre-erectus-hominin-is-known-outside-africa)Supported −[The Mata Menge tooth with Javanese H. erectus affinities.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/evidence/EVD0CZNMN0A499Z/the-mata-menge-tooth-with-javanese-h-erectus-affinities)Suggestive [Is Homo floresiensis a distinct species, or are the Liang Bua remains pathological modern humans?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/questions/QST0CZNMJ2J1C0W/is-homo-floresiensis-a-distinct-species-or-are-the-liang-bua)7 findings [H. floresiensis is a distinct hominin species.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/answers/ANS0CZNMNFY5DJ3/h-floresiensis-is-a-distinct-hominin-species)Most likely +[Liang Bua skeletal remains date to 100,000-60,000 years, before modern humans on Flores.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/evidence/EVD0CZNMNQR0HHF/liang-bua-skeletal-remains-date-to-100-000-60-000-years)Established +[Hominins of the same small size lived at Mata Menge 700,000 years ago.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/evidence/EVD0CZNMNZJ1EZG/hominins-of-the-same-small-size-lived-at-mata-menge-700-000)Established +[3D cranial shape groups LB1 with fossil Homo, not with microcephalic or other pathological humans.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/evidence/EVD0CZNMP7C6CJT/3d-cranial-shape-groups-lb1-with-fossil-homo-not-with)Supported +[Down syndrome traits are absent or not diagnostic.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/evidence/EVD0CZNMPF62A9G/down-syndrome-traits-are-absent-or-not-diagnostic)Supported [LB1 was a modern human with microcephaly, Down syndrome or another disorder, from a small-bodied modern…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/answers/ANS0CZNMPQ050SN/lb1-was-a-modern-human-with-microcephaly-down-syndrome-or)Disputed +[LB1's asymmetry and features were read as signs of Down syndrome.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/evidence/EVD0CZNMPYT4JKQ/lb1s-asymmetry-and-features-were-read-as-signs-of-down)Speculative −[Dates of 100,000-60,000 years for the remains.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/evidence/EVD0CZNMQ6M723A/dates-of-100-000-60-000-years-for-the-remains)Established −[LB1's endocast does not match microcephalic humans.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/evidence/EVD0CZNMQEE5VXH/lb1s-endocast-does-not-match-microcephalic-humans)Supported [Why did Homo floresiensis disappear from Liang Bua about 60,000-50,000 years ago?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/questions/QST0CZNMJAC4D6J/why-did-homo-floresiensis-disappear-from-liang-bua-about-60)2 findings [Progressive drying of the landscape, a collapse of Stegodon and competition for water and prey drove the…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/answers/ANS0CZNMQY21KVR/progressive-drying-of-the-landscape-a-collapse-of-stegodon)Most likely +[Summer rainfall reached a record low at 61,000-55,000 years ago as Stegodon declined.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/evidence/EVD0CZNMR5W4WKS/summer-rainfall-reached-a-record-low-at-61-000-55-000-years)Supported [Arriving modern humans displaced or killed them.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/answers/ANS0CZNMRDP2XKP/arriving-modern-humans-displaced-or-killed-them)Disputed −[The skeletal remains end about 60,000 years ago and the tools about 50,000, before modern humans are recorded at Liang Bua.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/evidence/EVD0CZNMRNG3Q5H/the-skeletal-remains-end-about-60-000-years-ago-and-the)Supported [Did Homo floresiensis hunt Stegodon and use fire?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/questions/QST0CZNMJJ63AEG/did-homo-floresiensis-hunt-stegodon-and-use-fire)2 findings [H. floresiensis hunted Stegodon and used fire.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/answers/ANS0CZNMS546S27/h-floresiensis-hunted-stegodon-and-used-fire)Disputed −[Komodo dragons had primary access; H. floresiensis scavenged low-utility elements; no intentional fire.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/evidence/EVD0CZNMSCY3P5E/komodo-dragons-had-primary-access-h-floresiensis-scavenged)Supported [H. floresiensis scavenged carcasses after Komodo dragons and did not use fire.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/answers/ANS0CZNMSMR1GBQ/h-floresiensis-scavenged-carcasses-after-komodo-dragons-and)Most likely +[Systematic taphonomy of the proboscidean assemblage supports this.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/evidence/EVD0CZNMSWJ5H84/systematic-taphonomy-of-the-proboscidean-assemblage-supports)Supported ## Artifacts The films, photos, papers and objects this mystery rests on, each with its own key and its distance from the original. **Artifacts** [See all 14](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/artifacts) Photo1 step from object [LB1, type specimen of Homo floresiensis](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/artifacts/ART0CZNMW2W2H3Z/lb1-type-specimen-of-homo-floresiensis) Rama · CC BY-SA 3.0 fr Photo1 step from object [SOA-MM9 humerus fragment, Mata Menge](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/artifacts/ART0CZNMWJG7Y9A/soa-mm9-humerus-fragment-mata-menge) Kaifu et al · CC BY 4.0 Photo1 step from object [Mata Menge mandible fragment and teeth](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/artifacts/ART0CZNMWTA1MMC/mata-menge-mandible-fragment-and-teeth) van den Bergh and others · publisher Document2 steps from object [Liang Bua Stegodon bone assemblage](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/artifacts/ART0CZNMX246A8B/liang-bua-stegodon-bone-assemblage) Veatch and others · publisher Photo1 step from object [Stone artefacts from Wolo Sege](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/artifacts/ART0CZNMXSJ0HHQ/stone-artefacts-from-wolo-sege) Brumm and others · publisher Dataset2 steps from object [Stalagmites from Liang Bua used for the rainfall record](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/artifacts/ART0CZNMY963CH3/stalagmites-from-liang-bua-used-for-the-rainfall-record) Gagan and others · public (NOAA World Data Service for Paleoclimatology) [See all 14 artifacts](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-floresiensis/artifacts) ## See also [ **Who were the Denisovans? The Harbin "Dragon Man" cranium** A human lineage known from DNA since 2010, tied to the Harbin cranium in 2025. ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/denisovan-identity) [ **Homo naledi and the Rising Star burial claims** Bones of a small-brained hominin found deep in South Africa's Rising Star cave. ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/homo-naledi-burials) [ **Nebra Sky Disc** A bronze disc inlaid with gold sun, moon and stars, dug up by looters in 1999. ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/nebra-sky-disc) [ **Gallo-Roman dodecahedra** About 130 hollow bronze dodecahedra from Roman provinces, 2nd to 4th century AD. ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/roman-dodecahedra) ## References 1. 1.[Brown, P., Sutikna, T., Morwood, M. et al. 2004. A new small-bodied hominin from the Late Pleistocene of Flores, Indonesia. 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