Cave Occupation on the North Coast of Java Driven by the Submergence of the Sunda Shelf

Hari Wibowo

This study investigates the occupation on the karstic region of northern Java during the Early – Middle Holocene as an adaptive response to the submergence of the Sunda Shelf. Using integrated evidence from three sites, we present data on human dentitions, stable isotope analyses, vertebrate faunal assemblages, and molluscs to reconstruct the cave occupations. Dentition evidence indicates populations with East Asian affinities, suggesting an admixture between the Australo-Melanesian and East Asian groups during the Early Holocene. Stable isotope analyses combined with faunal remains data indicate that the environment was dominated by the forest canopy, with a slight drier episode probably caused by the Holocene Highstand around 5,500 BP. While the mollusc assemblages indicate that the sites that are currently inland were much closer to the coast during the Early-Middle Holocene. Together, these data correspond chronologically with rising sea levels that inundated low-lying Sunda Shelf, forcing communities toward more stable upland areas in the north coast of Java.