Stories from Deli

UNDER THE LINE: 250,000 Years Old

Algemeen handelsblad voor Nederlandsch-Indië
03-11-1924

We held it in our hands on Wednesday morning, the Stone of the Ancients, carefully wrapped in a piece of cloth. We received it with reverence from Dr. Stein, the Inspector of the Archaeological Service, who arrived from Java the day before. And we regarded it with respect and awe, as is fitting for such an ancient artifact.

It is the stone that missionary Neumann unearthed from the ravine near Sibolangit, where a large rock stands. On one side, it is adorned with a carved human figure, while on the other side, it features a square chamber. This is the rock near which Dr. Stein Callenfels is currently conducting further research and where he plans to dig, as reported by the Sumatra Post.

A gray weapon, dangerous in the clenched hands of the primitive man who wielded it, whose grip could still almost be felt when holding it. Even the way our modern hands grasp it evokes ancient instincts. When one holds this stone, this axe, this knife, equipped with a sharp zigzag edge, any notion of elegance or modern “lifestyle” is excluded. What remains is only the Grip, and then… the Strike.

Our readers are familiar with the prehistory of this prehistoric stone. In the ravine near Sibolangit, the large rock block was discovered, as mentioned earlier. Mr. Stein Callenfels visited the site in 1920, examined it, and concluded that the carved “batoe kembang” (flower stone) was no older than about 500 years. At that time, the great Batak Aroe Kingdom existed in the area, and it is likely that the chamber in question was no more than a burial chamber for one of the great rulers.

Missionary Neumann took a keen interest in this spot and went to excavate there a few months ago. He had to break through several meters of tuff stone, after which he reached a layer of clay. He did not find any additional chambers but did come across a stone, which he—remarkably insightfully—sent to the Archaeological Service.

This stone, however, dates from an unimaginably older period. Stones of this kind have also been found in British India and elsewhere in the world, but never before in the Dutch East Indies. The laterite layers in which they were found in British India are estimated by geologists to be around… 250,000 years old. In Europe, they were first discovered in the Somme Valley, in gravel layers likely dating from the last interglacial period, while some are believed to be even older. All date between 200,000 and 250,000 years.

What Dr. Stein Callenfels showed us on Wednesday morning is the first deliberately crafted tool made by humans. When humans began to become human—and one must hear Mr. Stein Callenfels tell this with great enthusiasm—they used their fingers and nails for hunting, eating, and all sorts of other activities. Understandably, this did not get them very far. Therefore, after a long period, experience led them to the idea of extending the lever of their arm with a sturdy branch and increasing the power of their blow by using a stone.

After use, such a stone would be discarded. Then, they discovered that work could be done more efficiently when the stone had a point or a sharp edge. That worked better. And so, in the upward course of evolution, the primitive man arrived at making a suitable weapon or tool using another stone.

Thus, the first tool, dating from the so-called Chellean period, came into existence, and it lay before us. It is a piece of gray stone, with a handle-like shape at the top and extending to both sides, and a chipped point, resulting in a sharp zigzag line.

We asked Mr. Callenfels if we had any idea of what the people who used this tool were like. He immediately pulled out a large book with illustrations and showed us the jawbone of this ancestor. This jawbone was found in a gravel pit near Heidelberg, 20 meters deep, in gravel layers that, at the very youngest, belong to the second interglacial period. It is a miracle that this bone, naturally turned to stone, has survived, considering that even granite from that time has disintegrated.

The jaw is coarse and heavily built and would certainly have been classified as that of an ape-man, if it weren’t for the perfectly preserved teeth that undeniably belonged to a human. Between this ancient being and us, connected by touching this tool, lay 250,000 years. A small philosophical moment for a… mayfly, as our kind antiquarian referred to humankind.

Thursday, as the paper reports, Mr. Callenfels will depart for the site. Mr. Duys will arrange for the necessary laborers. The digging must, of course, be carried out with extreme caution. Next week, a surveyor will arrive to map out the area. Mr. Callenfels has two months and will stay in Sibolangit.

Finally, he told us that, in his opinion, there are three possibilities to consider. The first is that the people who used this tool were wandering hunters—moving from place to place, following the deer or other game—and that they eventually returned to this rock, using it as a shelter since the cover it provided was ideal. If this proves to be true, then more remains will likely be found.

The second possibility is that the stone was carried along by floods or other natural forces, in which case, nothing else will be found. However, this is unlikely.

And the third possibility is that there was only one person behind the rock who perished there or lost or discarded the tool during a chase. In that case, nothing else will be found either. Our informant, however, does not want to seriously consider this possibility for now.

And thus, a very interesting work begins. Only after considerable time will we know if there is a real chance of finding something. It would be a great success if Dr. Callenfels manages to recover some other remains of the gray or black ancient man and snatch them from oblivion.

After completing his work here, Mr. Callenfels will head to Bondol, where dolmens have been found standing six poles apart. Excavations will also be carried out there. Indeed, there is much work for the service these days.