Hunter Gatherers in Labyrinth Karst: An Early Holocene Record from Gunung Sewu, Java

Gua Mandung is an inland prehistoric site in Gunung Sewu karst area. This area is rich in valleys and corridors which make up Gunung Sewu’s distinct labyrinth-like landscape. Gunung Sewu today is known to have a harsh environment, limited water supply, and a short wet season compared to other parts of Java. However, here we report evidence of occupation at the site of Gua Mandung since at least 11,073 cal BP. An abundance of terrestrial fauna remains alongside numerous bone tools with differing functionalities suggests that these early cave dwellers applied maximum subsistence strategies on the available inland resources. Gua Mandung records heavily exploitation of small to large terrestrial fauna including macaque, porcupine, deer, pig, cattle, rat, snake, and monitor lizard. The site's proximity to nearby lakes and a ~5 km walk to the coast also provided Gua Mandung’s early inhabitants with secondary aquatic resources. Our findings support this, showing additional exploitation of fish, freshwater shells and occasional marine shells, barnacles, crab, and sea urchin. Based on our findings from the Gua Mandung excavation, and in comparison with surrounding archaeological sites, coastal resource exploitation appears to have been a common, albeit more minor, subsistence strategy employed by the early inland communities of the Gunung Sewu karst area.