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Hobbit

Flores hobbits may have arrived on leaf baskets.  Here they interact with stegodons and Komodo dragon. Source: Peter Schouten

Flores Hobbits May Have Floated to the Island on Leaf Nests

While Frodo in Tolkien’s Middle Earth ventured very far to destroy a magic ring and Gollum was a good swimmer, real-life ‘hobbit’ ancestors may have also traversed far to get to their island! After...
The Homo floresiensis skull discovered at the Liang Bua Cave. Source: Gerdie / Adobe Stock

Chomping Away at Human Evolution: The Hobbit Bite of Homo Floresiensis

Back in 2003 a team of archaeologists excavated some skeletal remains on the island of Flores in Indonesia within the Liang Bua cave. Little did they know that their discovery would be the start of...
Luzon Island, Philippines where the bone and teeth of the new human species were found.

Evidence of New Human Species Discovered in a Cave in the Philippines

There were once many human species, but today there is only one; modern humans, Homo sapiens. However, the human family tree is growing. Researchers working in a cave in the Philippines claim to have...
In this illustration, the modern pygmy village, Rampasasa, is shown at left; in the center, a modern Rampasasa pygmy wearing the traditional head covering and clothing is juxtaposed against the face of a Homo floresiensis reconstruction; at right, pygmy elephants play in the Liang Bua cave where theH. floresiensis fossils were discovered in 2004.

Scientists Understand Why there are Short-statured Indonesians Today, But Can they Explain Hobbit Height?

Michael Westaway & Francis David Bulbeck / The Conversation Humans are diverse in size and shape – but some populations are of relatively low average height, and historically described using the...
"David with the Head of Goliath," circa 1615–16 by Valentin de Boulogne (French, Coulommiers-en-Brie 1591–1632 Rome) Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid.

The Theory of ‘Three Human Species’

By Leonardo Vintini , Epoch Times The Old Testament tells a story in which a diminutive David defeats the giant Goliath. Using just a sling to slay his enormous foe, this unlikely victor became the...
The recently unearthed ‘licking dog’ statue.

Metal Detectorist’s Roman Hoard Linked to a Temple that Likely Inspired The Lord of the Rings

Two metal detecting enthusiasts made a “once in a lifetime” discovery when they unearthed a hoard of Roman bronze artifacts at an undisclosed location. The most exciting of the finds is an intact...
Artist's impression of Homo floresiensis.

Origins of Indonesian Hobbits Finally Revealed

The most comprehensive study on the bones of Homo floresiensis, a species of tiny human discovered on the Indonesian island of Flores in 2003, has found that they most likely evolved from an ancestor...
Ghosts, Hobbits or Cannibals? The Legend of Ebu Gogo, the Secret Tribe of Wild Grandmother Flesheaters

Ghosts, Hobbits or Cannibals? The Legend of Ebu Gogo, the Secret Tribe of Wild Grandmother Flesheaters

“On the Indonesian island of Flores, these ladies have been famous for centuries. Known as Ebu Gogo , which means Granny Flesheater, they are small, hairy, elf-like creatures who live in caves in the...
Akseli Gallen-Kallela: The Departure of Väinämöinen

Väinämöinen: The Finnish Deity and Hero Who Inspired Tolkien to Create Gandalf and Tom Bombadil

J.R.R. Tolkien created remarkable stories that inspired Peter Jackson to make incredible movies. But it was his knowledge of literature and old legends which inspired the writer to use stories of...
Humans Wiped Out the Hobbit: New Study Suggests Homo Sapiens Caused Extinction of Tiny Homo Floresiensis Species

Humans Wiped Out the Hobbit: New Study Suggests Homo Sapiens Caused Extinction of Tiny Homo Floresiensis Species

In October 2004, excavation of fragmentary skeletal remains from the island of Flores in Indonesia yielded what was called "the most important find in human evolution for 100 years." Its discoverers...
The Ring of Senicianus: One Ring to Rule Them All

The Ring of Senicianus: One Ring to Rule Them All

Today, there are many Roman rings of gold and silver in museums and archives. However, one Roman ring stands out as legendary. Known as the Ring of Senicianus, the Ring of Silvianus, or the Vyne Ring...
Second Group of Tinier than Hobbit Hominins Found on Flores Island

Second Group of Tinier than Hobbit Hominins Found on Flores Island

Researchers announced today that in 2014 they found remains of a second group of even tinier archaic humans dating back at least 500,000 years before the “Hobbits” of Flores Island near Indonesia...
New Research Asserts that the Hobbits of Indonesia Vanished Earlier than Previously Believed

New Research Asserts that the Hobbits of Indonesia Vanished Earlier than Previously Believed

The pint-sized Homo floresiensis, nicknamed Hobbits, may have met their demise much earlier than previously believed. Recent research suggests that they lived around 50,000 years ago and not between...
A model of a female Homo floresiensis.

Study Says that Hobbits of Flores Island Are Not Homo Sapiens

The question about the origins of Homo floresiensis has been one of the most important problems of modern science since 2003, when a team of Australian and Indonesian researchers excavated some 18,...
The Walanae River at Paroto, east of Talepu, where some of the tools were found. Inserts: Professor Mike Morwood in 2009 examining stone artifacts collected near Talepu and Hand stencils in the Cave of Fingers.

Sulawesi Discoveries: Earliest Human Occupation Pushed Back 60,000 Years and Some of the Oldest Cave Paintings in the World

New research on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi shows the possible presence of an archaic species of hominins there dating back more than 100,000 years—at least 60,000 years earlier than the island...
The toothy smiles of the hobbit skull (left) and a modern human skull (right).

A Telling Smile: Tooth Variation Shows Hobbit was Entirely Separate Human Species

A big debate over a little person is getting a new perspective after recent analysis of prehistoric teeth. Scientists now suggest that the remains of Homo floresiensis , popularly known as the Hobbit...
Hobbit - Homo floresiensis

New theory on Hobbit species has drastic implications for Out-of-Africa theory

A controversial new theory published in the journal Nature suggests that the remains of Homo floresiensis, nicknamed the Hobbit for its small stature, do not belong to the Homo lineage at all, but...
Thomas Sutikna of the Indonesian Centre for Archeology holds the skull of Hobbit

Fierce scientific debate has erupted over identity of Hobbit species

A heated international dispute has erupted over the publication of a paper earlier this month claiming that the tiny skeleton of an adult from Indonesia’s Flores island was a modern human with Down’s...
Homo floresiensis

Researchers claim Flores bones do not represent new species of 'Hobbit' human

In October 2004, excavation of fragmentary skeletal remains from the island of Flores in Indonesia yielded what was called "the most important find in human evolution for 100 years." Its discoverers...
Hobbit - Homo Floresiensis

Tracing ‘Hobbits’ DNA in modern humans

Homo Floresiensis or otherwise ‘Hobbit’ was a recently discovered dwarf-like human species of about 1 meter high that co-existed with other Homo sapiens about 12,000 years ago and then disappeared...
Ancient "Hobbit" Looked Like Humans

New Research Suggests Ancient "Hobbit" Looked More Like us than Apes

Recently, we reported on new research proving that the remains of the “hobbit” (technically known as Homo floresiensis) did not belong to that of a Homo sapien with pathology but to a distinct...
Hobbits - Ancient Human Species

New Evidence Confirms ‘Hobbit’ was Ancient Human Species

In 2003, the remains of an early human species, Homo floresiensis, were discovered on the island of Flores in Indonesia and were dated to have lived between 95,000 and 17,000 years ago. Nicknamed ‘...
Homo Floresiensis - Hobbit

'Hobbits' did exist and were a separate species

I am sure many of our readers are fans of The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien, which means that you would have heard of the Hobbits, a race of dwarf humanoids playing a major role in the events of...