biostudies-literatureUnknown646(8084)Hakim BThe dispersal of archaic hominins beyond mainland Southeast Asia (Sunda)¹ represents the earliest evidence for humans crossing ocean barriers to reach isolated landmasses^2-4. Previously, the oldest indication of hominins in Wallacea, the oceanic island zone east of Sunda, comprised flaked stone artefacts deposited at least 1.02 ± 0.02 million years ago (Ma) at Wolo Sege on Flores⁵. Early hominins were also established on the oceanic island of Luzon (Philippines), as indicated by both stone artefacts and cut marks on faunal remains dating to between 777 and 631 thousand years ago (ka) at Kalinga⁶. Moreover, fossils of extinct, small-bodied hominins occur on Flores (Homo floresiensis)^7-12 and Luzon (Homo luzonensis)¹³. On SulaNature378-383https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12507672biostudies-literatureHominins on Sulawesi during the Early Pleistocene.PMC12507672Arman Bungaran PMas'ud ZBrumm AAkib AMoore MWNurani IASaiful AMBurhan BMuhammad PHFakhriMahmud IPuspaningrum MRYu WSardi RHakim BDuli ASomba NAubert MYurnaldi DWibowo UPPerston YLJoannes-Boyau Rvan den Bergh GDAdhityatama SSuryatmanAnshari KAHaris AfalseHominins on Sulawesi during the Early Pleistocene.The dispersal of archaic hominins beyond mainland Southeast Asia (Sunda)¹ represents the earliest evidence for humans crossing ocean barriers to reach isolated landmasses^2-4. Previously, the oldest indication of hominins in Wallacea, the oceanic island zone east of Sunda, comprised flaked stone artefacts deposited at least 1.02 ± 0.02 million years ago (Ma) at Wolo Sege on Flores⁵. Early hominins were also established on the oceanic island of Luzon (Philippines), as indicated by both stone artefacts and cut marks on faunal remains dating to between 777 and 631 thousand years ago (ka) at Kalinga⁶. Moreover, fossils of extinct, small-bodied hominins occur on Flores (Homo floresiensis)^7-12 and Luzon (Homo luzonensis)¹³. On Sula2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 Oct2026-06-04T08:52:10.125Z2026-05-07T03:12:20.587ZS-EPMC125076724077009610.1038/s41586-025-09348-6