NGANDONG (Solo)
LOCATION
Terrace deposits of the Solo river, near Randublatung,
10 km N of Ngawi, east-central Java, Indonesia.
DISCOVERY
Excavations directed by C. ter Haar and later G. H.
R. von Koenigswald, 1931 (Ngandong 1-4), 1932
(Ngandong 5-8,13) and 1933 (Ngandong 9-12,14).
Also T. Jacob, reported 1982 (Ngandong 15, 16).
Note: The numbering system used here is that origi-
nated by Oakley et al. (1975) but not always followed
by subsequent authors (e.g., Santa Luca, 1980).
MATERIAL
Three adult calvariae (Ngandong 3, 7, and 12) and
five calottes (Ngandong 1, 6, 10, 11, and 16); adult
(Ngandong 4 and 15) and immature (Ngandong 2,5,
8, and 9) cranial fragments; tibiae (Ngandong 13 and
14). For the reader’s convenience, Ngandong specimen
number conversions are given below:Ng 1 = Solo I 1931 (Calotte laclung most of L supraor-
bital region and most of L temporal; all of base. Sur-
face looks oddly polished and even carved at certain
points, e.g., the R squamosal and around bregma.)
Ng 2 = Solo I1 1931 (Juvenile frontal.)
Ng 3 = Solo 111 1931 (Partial calotte with posterior
part of the frontal and most of R and L parietals
and part of left petromastoid region. Bone rela-
tively thick.)Ng 4 = Solo IIIA 1931 (Tiny fragment of R parietal.)
Ng 5 = Solo IV 1932 (Frontal and both parietals,
complete but reconstructed. Very knobbly exte-
rior, especially on the R side. Trauma.)
Ng 6 = Solo V 1932 (Calotte with most of L temporal;
R subsquamous missing.)
Ng 7 = Solo VI 1932 (Calvaria with base.)
Ng 8 = Solo VII 1932 (Posterior portion of a R
parietal, preserving the posterior part of the
squamosal suture.)
Ng 9 = Solo A 1933 (Tibia.)
Ng 10 = Solo B 1933 (Tibia.)
Ng 11 = Solo VIII 1933 (R and L parietals. Some sur-
face weathering and reconstruction. Anteriorly
some bone missing.)
Ng 12 = Solo IX 1933 (Quite heavily reconstructed
calotte, with portions of R alisphenoid and R and L
temporal and parietal missing. Excavation damage.)
Ng 13 = Solo X 1933 (Calvaria missing face and skull
base.)
Ng 14 = Solo XI 1933 (Calvaria with base.)
Ng 15 1976 (Parietal fragment.)
Ng 16 1978 (Acetabulum.)DATING AND STRATIGRAPHIC CONTEXT
The Ngandong hominids were recovered from river
terrace deposits overlying sediments of the Kabuh Fm.
Two terrace units along the Solo river are currently450