Taphonomic Changes of an Early Middle Pleistocene Stegodon Bone Assemblage from Flores, Indonesia

Abstract

The fossil bone assemblage at Mata Menge in the Soa Basin, Flores (Indonesia) has been the location for excavations for over 65 years. Since 2013, excavations have targeted the fossil bearing Upper Interval, yielding hominin fossils, stone artefacts, and endemic fauna. This freshwater channel site, approximately 700 kyr, provides the earliest fossil evidence for Homo floresiensis. The aim of this thesis was to undertake taphonomic analysis on Stegodon long limb bones and a representative sample of the fossil material from the assemblage, and compare the findings with both experimental and natural observations from the literature, in order to identify characteristic bone modifications and the likely taphonomic agents