Getting to Know the History of Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis and Its Discoverer – Are
there any Sinaumed’s here who like and are passionate about history subjects? Wow, that must be a
lot considering that history is the most enjoyable subject and is in great demand by students.
Why is that? Because as Sinaumed’s knows and has experienced himself, in history lessons
students are invited to get to know and know in detail about the history or maybe the origins of everything
related to their country. That way, of course, history subjects have a lot of knowledge that is
given to students, especially about the past.
So for Sinaumed’s who are fond of history subjects, surely they will be familiar with ancient human terms or
sentences, right? Ancient humans themselves were living creatures of the human type, they
existed for thousands of years or even millions of years ago on the surface of the earth. It is
known according to circulating information that early humans had various races and tribes.
Early humans had the characteristic of moving around or commonly known as nomadic life.
They will always move from one place to another in order to find and meet the needs of life in a
new environment.
As Sinaumed’s knows, the fact is that ancient humans were spread all over the world, including the country of
Indonesia, which also became a place for ancient humans to spread. In Indonesia itself there
are many types of ancient humans found in various regions and the discoveries of these ancient humans are
not only spread in one area. As for several areas that are known as areas or locations for the
discovery of famous ancient human fossils, such as in several areas on the island of Java, for example in
the Solo area, Trinil area, and even as far as the Flores area.
The types of ancient humans found also varied based on their level of revolution, such as the ancient human
types Meganthropus, Pithecanthropus, and the last one was Homo. So, in this article, we will
invite Sinaumed’s to get to know one of the many ancient human species found in Indonesia, namely the
Pithecanthropus type.
Did Sinaumed’s know that this Pithecanthropus ancient human type was divided into several more types?
There are three ancient humans of the Pithecanthropus type found in Indonesia, one of which is a
type of ancient human named Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis or what is known in Indonesian as a large and
strong ape-man. Apart from these designations or names, Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis also has
another name or designation, namely Pithecanthropus Robustus.
That’s it? Oh, of course not, there are many things that Sinaumed’s should know about the
Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis species so that Sinaumed’s can get to know this ancient human type more deeply.
So, for this reason, we will explain in detail all things related to the ancient human type
Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis for Sinaumed’s.
Before learning about the early humans of the Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis type, we will first invite Sinaumed’s to
understand and absorb the core definition of the ancient humans themselves.
A. What is meant by Early Man?
Early humans were one of the living things with the human kind that lived and reproduced in prehistoric
times or pre-historic times. Prehistoric times are usually also known as prehistoric times.
According to research from several experts, it is most likely that ancient humans existed, lived,
and lived on earth about four million years ago. Very long isn’t it?
B. Early Human Life Patterns in Prehistoric Times
According to research conducted by experts, it was also stated that early humans were thought to have lived
in groups and depended entirely on the presence of food in their environment. Groups of ancient
humans would usually look for food such as fruits or wild plants that grow in their environment.
Not only wild fruits and vegetables, they also began to hunt wild animals and eat them as
food.
The ancient human way of life was of course very simple. When they entered the era of hunting
and gathering (food gathering) or what is commonly referred to as the paleolithic (old stone) era, the
ancient human group naturally developed and made all kinds of tools or tools that could support their lives
and make it easier for them to hunt for food. They usually make these tools or tools from
animal bones and stones.
The history of ancient human life is clearly recorded by the existence of various types of discoveries such
as the discovery of fossils and artifacts which are considered to be relics of ancient times.
With the existence of fossils and artifacts from ancient times, it can help scientists to be able
to assemble and compile how life lived and divide the types of early humans in prehistoric times.
C. Let’s Get to Know Pithecanthropus
Mojokertensis
After knowing and understanding the meaning and how early humans lived in prehistoric times, it’s time for us to
introduce and explain to Sinaumed’s all about one of the ancient human species found in Indonesia, namely the
ancient human type Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis.
Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis or who can also be known by the name or designation Pithecanthropus Robustus
is one of the many ancient human species whose fossils have been found in the territory of the Republic of
Indonesia. It is known that the discovery of ancient human fossils of the Pithecanthropus
Mojokertensis type was first discovered in the Perning Village area in Mojokerto Regency, East Java
Province. According to history, the name or designation of this ancient human type
Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis has a meaning which when translated into Indonesian means an upright, large
and strong ape man originating from Mojokerto. Apart from being called an upright, big, and
strong ape man from Mojokerto, Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis is also considered the oldest ape man in
Java.
The mention of Pithecanthropus itself is considered to vary based on the region of the world.
For example, the mention of Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis for the African continent usually calls
it Homo Ergaster, for Indonesia it is called Pithecanthropus, for China it is called Sinanthropus
Pekinensis, and for European countries it is called Neanderthalensis.
D. History and Discoverer of
Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis
After briefly getting to know the meaning of Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis, next we will invite Sinaumed’s to learn
about the origins or history of the discovery of Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis and who discovered the early
human fossils of the Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis type in Indonesia.
As Sinaumed’s knows, there are various early human fossils of the Pithecanthropus type found in the territory
of the State of Indonesia. Various types of ancient human fossils of the Pithecanthropus type
itself are divided into three types. The three types of Pithecanthropus are Pithecanthropus
Erectus, Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis, and the last is Pithecanthropus Soloensis. The
discovery of ancient human fossils with the Pithecanthropus type began around the 1890s. The
first discovery of ancient humans with the Pithecanthropus type was in the area of Solo City, Central Java
Province. Precisely in Trinil.
After that, several ancient human fossils were found which were identified as early humans with the type
Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis. The discovery of ancient human fossils was discovered by a
native who worked for a paleontologist and geologist from Germany, the paleontologist named Gustav Heinrich
Ralph von Koenigswald or who is familiarly known as von Koenigswald. Gustav Heinrich Ralph von
Koenigswald was also an inventor, he found fossils of early humans of the Meganthropus paleojavanicus type
around 1941’s. The discovery of the Meganthropus Paleojavanicus fossil von Koenigswald found
himself right in the Sangiran area.
Now for the discovery of ancient human fossils with the type Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis by someone who
worked for von Koenigswald, they are indigenous people or native Indonesians who have the name Tjokrohandojo
or who are familiarly known as Andojo and J. Duyejes. Tjokrohandojo or Andojo and J. Duyejes
found ancient human fossils with the type Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis in the form of a head bone or what
is often called a skull, it is estimated that the skull belonged to a child with an estimated age of five.
The discovery of an ancient human skull fossil of the Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis type was found
around the Kepuh Klagen area, northern Mojokerto City, East Java Province in the 1936s.
How? Does Sinaumed’s understand sufficiently and clearly about the history, origins, and who
discovered this early human fossil of the Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis type? After Sinaumed’s
understands and understands the story of how the early human fossils of the Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis
type were first found, then we will tell Sinaumed’s what the physical characteristics and special
characteristics possessed by the ancient human type Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis.
E. Physical Characteristics of Pithecanthropus
Mojokertensis
Quoted from the book History Module for Class X by Hasnawati in 2020, it is explained that there are
several physical characteristics possessed by early human fossils of the Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis type.
The book also mentions that Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis is still in the same category as the
early humans of the Homo erectus type. The existence of this statement is because the physical
characteristics of early humans of the Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis type are not much different from the
physical characteristics of early humans of the Homo erectus type.
So, in the
following, we will describe and explain some of the physical characteristics possessed by ancient human
fossils of the Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis type. Check it out!
1 Early humans of the Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis type had an almost upright body shape like today’s humans,
with a height range of about 165 cm to 180 cm.
2. Early humans of the Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis type had the quality of the nape muscles which were quite
strong and sturdy.
3. Early humans of the Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis type had cheekbones, chewing tools or teeth, the majority of
which were molars, and very strong jaws.
4. Early humans of the Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis type had a part of the head, especially the forehead that
looked prominent, thick, and even seemed to widen to the temples.
5. Early humans of the Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis type had a nose that was wide in size and did not have a
chin on his head.
6. Early humans of the Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis type had a backbone that looked more prominent.
7. Early humans of the Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis type had a volume capacity or brain capacity that was still
considered imperfect, namely only around 750 cc to 1,300 cc.
F. Lifestyle of Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis
After knowing some of the physical characteristics and special characteristics possessed by ancient humans of the
Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis type, now is the time for Sinaumed’s to know about how the pattern of life or daily
life was lived by ancient humans of the Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis type.
Early humans of the Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis type are known to usually live in a nomadic way or what
is usually interpreted as living by moving their place of residence. To be able to live by
moving around, early humans of the Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis type always tried to adapt their places to
their food supplies. Early humans of the Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis type depended heavily on
the natural environmental conditions they lived in. Due to living by way of moving around,
early humans of the Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis type usually tended to live in groups.
Even though they live in groups, their group is only a group with a small scale or size. Why
is that? That’s because they have to be able to adjust and see what food supplies they have,
whether it’s enough for all group members or not. Early humans of the Pithecanthropus
Mojokertensis type had their main food, which was animal meat they obtained from hunting.
To be able to meet their needs for meat, they hunt using very simple hunting tools. The
hunting tools are mostly made of stone and bones from the animals they previously hunted. There
are several hunting tools that have names and are quite well-known, maybe Sinaumed’s is no stranger to the
names of these hunting tools. The hunting tools consist of flakes, trimming axes, various tools
made from animal bones, scraping axes, and many more.
These hunting tools are used to
catch animals, to kill animals, and to cut the meat of animals that have been hunted. Not
only that, hunting tools are also very useful as rakes of food that can make it easier for them to find
food, usually used for food ingredients that are a kind of tubers or other food ingredients that are in
the ground.
So, that’s some information about the ancient human type Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis that we can convey
to Sinaumed’s. There are so many things that Sinaumed’s knows now, right? Starting from
what is the ancient human type Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis, the story about the discovery of the first
fossil and who discovered it, various physical characteristics and special characteristics possessed by the
ancient human type Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis, and the last is the pattern of life or daily life
experienced by early humans of the Pithecanthropus Mojokertensis type. In this way, Sinaumed’s’
curiosity has disappeared and has been replaced by broader knowledge, right?