At the Gateway to Wallacea: Human Settlement and Resource Use at Gua Gede Cave Nusa Penida Island

Ati Rati Hidayah1* and Deo Agung Prakoso2

Nusa Penida Island, a small island located south of Bali, preserves evidence of human occupation from the Late Pleistocene onwards. One of the cave habitation sites on the island is Gua Gede, a strategically located dwelling cave situated on the southeastern margin of Sundaland directly overlooking Lombok Island to the east across the Lombok Strait. Nusa Penida formed part of the southern migration route of early humans prior to their crossing of the deep-water straits separating the Sunda and Sahul Shelves. This paper discusses how the inhabitants of Gua Gede adapted to and exploited the natural resources of Nusa Penida despite the island’s limited environmental conditions, particularly the absence of hard stone suitable for lithic tool production. Through technological analyses, including morphological examination and microscopic observation of manufacturing traces on Late Pleistocene artefacts recovered from excavations at Gua Gede, this study demonstrates that human populations associated with the Song Gede developed adaptive strategies that extended beyond lithic technology. The use of animal bones as osseous artefacts to fulfill daily functional needs reflects flexible technological responses to past environmental conditions.