  Jerimalai Location in East Timor | |
| Location | nearTutuala,Lautém District |
|---|---|
| Region | East Timor |
| Coordinates | 8°23′38″S127°16′6″E / 8.39389°S 127.26833°E /-8.39389; 127.26833 |
| Altitude | 75 m (246 ft) |
| Type | Limestone cave |
Jerimalai is alimestone cave southeast ofTutuala, on the eastern tip ofEast Timor. Fish remains and fish hooks excavated in Jerimalai provide evidence for advanced fishing technique by inhabitants of Timor 42,000 years ago.[1][2]
Jerimalai has the third oldest findings discovered inWallacea, afterMadjedbebe in mainland Northern Australia and theLaili cave nearManatuto on Timor.[3]
The cave lies at an altitude of 75 m, less than a kilometer from the sea.[1]
42,000 years ago, the sea was 55 m lower than in 2016, and the cave was 2.8 km from the sea. 22,000 years ago, during theLast Glacial Maximum, the sea level was 121 m lower than in 2016 and Jerimalai was 3.5 km from the shore. During the glacial age, the descent from the cave to the coastline was much steeper, which explains why the cave was little used at that time.[1]
Since 2005, several archaeological findings dating back more than 42,000 years have been made in the cave. The age of the findings was determined using radiocarbon dating. However, some findings might be older, as their level ofCarbon-14 is below thedetection limit.[1]
The inhabitants of the cave fed on turtles, tuna and giant rats (probablyCoryphomys buehleri).[4] Archaeologists also believe some stones and shells were used as jewelry.[1]
Tools found in Jerimalai are similar to findings in theLiang Bua cave attributed toHomo floresiensis, who lived on the nearby island ofFlores until 50,000 years ago. The high similarity has prompted questions about whether tools in Liang Bua were made byHomo sapiens, and not byHomo floresiensis.[5]
The fish remains found in Jerimalai are the oldest evidence of fishing far from the shore.[6][7] In addition, a fish hook believed to be between 16,000 and 23,000 years old was discovered. The four inches long hook is made from the shell of a marine snail. The hook was used to catch fish in the coastal waters, which at the time were rich in coral reef fish.[4]
The high advancement of fishing technique for the time can be explained by the lack of land animals on Timor in that era. 40,000 years ago, rodents and reptiles were the only land species available to the inhabitants of Timor.[4]
Five pieces of jewelry were also found, made from the shell ofNautilus pompilius and stained withocher. They had small tiles and drilled holes. Since nautiluses are usually caught at depths of 150 m or more,[8] it is believed that the shells were collected washed up on the beach. This would also explain why among the thousands of shell fragments (about 50 kg of material was collected during the excavation) only 268 belong toNautilus pompilius. It is believed that the jewelry made of nautilus shells had a great cultural significance.[1]
The findings corroborate the theory that the anatomically modern man spread from Asia to Australia on the South route over theLesser Sunda Islands and not on the northern route viaBorneo,Sulawesi andNew Guinea. Earlier findings on the islands of the southern route were too young to prove that the southern route was the propagation path.[9]
Jerimalai also preservesfossils ofbirds. With the exception of an undescribed species ofGrus, all the avian remains represent taxa still extant in the present.[10]