French-Indonesian archaeological research
Rapports annuels à la commission des fouilles du Ministère français des affaires étrangères et européennes (seules les introductions sont rendues disponibles ici ; pour un accès aux rapports complets veuillez contacter : francois-xavier.ricaut@univ-tlse3.fr).
Annual Reports to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (only introduction are available here, for a full access to the reports, please contact: francois-xavier.ricaut@univ-tlse3.fr)
François-Xavier Ricaut is a CNRS researcher in the laboratory 
of Molecular Anthropology and Image Synthesis (UMR 5288 AMIS), which is affiliated to the University Toulouse 3 (Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France). As an anthropobiologist his research aims to investigate aspects of the history and evolution of human populations, and in particular the modalities of human settlement. The Indo-Pacific region is one of the main areas for his research. His research is based on the analysis of spatial and temporal distribution patterns of the biological diversity of individuals and populations. Both contemporary and ancient populations are studied through the analysis of genetic markers and skeletal morphological variation, which allow different layers of population biological history to be explored.
François-Xavier Ricaut is director of the French Archaeological Mission in Borneo MAFBO (French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs), entitled « Human occupation of karstic area, rock art, and settlement history of East Kalimantan (Indonesia).
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François-Xavier Ricaut est chargé de recherche au CNRS, à l’UMR 5288 AMIS (Anthropobiologie Moléculaire et Imagerie de Synthèse), Université Paul Sabatier (Toulouse, France). Chercheur spécialiste en anthropobiologie, il s’intéresse particulièrement à l’histoire et l’évolution des populations humaines (homme moderne), et en particulier aux modalités de dispersion et de peuplement, en s’appuyant sur l’étude de la distribution géographique et temporelle de la variabilité biologique des individus et des populations. Son cadre de recherche s’inscrit notamment dans la région Indo-Pacifique.
François-Xavier Ricaut est responsable de la mission archéologique « Étude diachronique de l’utilisation des grottes et abris sous roche de Bornéo, de l’Art pariétal de Kalimantan Est, et de l’Histoire du peuplement » du MAEE (Ministère des Affaires Étrangères et Européennes)
[http://www.anthropobiologie.fr]
Is researcher at the Pusat Arkeologi Nasional (Arkenas), Jakarta.
Astolfo Araujo is lecturer at the Museum of Archaeology and 
Ethnology, University of São Paulo, Brazil (MAE/USP). Originally trained in Geology, he got his MA and PhD in Archaology, and presently his main interests are linked to tropical geoarchaeology on the one hand, and the application of evolutionary epistemology to archaeological problems on the other. He is head of the Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Studies on Evolution, Culture, and Environment (LEVOC) at the MAE/USP.
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Astolfo Araujo est maître de conférence au Musée d’archéologie et d’ethnologie de l’université de São Paulo au Brésil (MAE/USP). Après une formation en géologie, il a obtenu un master et un doctorat en archéologie. Ses principaux thèmes de recherche concernent, d’une part, la géoarchéologie des milieux tropicaux et, d’autre part, l’application d’une perspective épistémologique évolutionniste sur les problèmes archéologiques. Il dirige le laboratoire d’études interdisciplinaire de l’évolution, de la culture et de l’environnement (LEVOC) au MAE/USP.
First trained as Engineer, has become ethno-archaeologist (Master 
& DEA from Paris 1 University) and worked during over 20 years in the Indo-Pacific area, from Eastern Polynesia to Borneo and Philippines. After having created the Archaeology Department of French Polynesia and studied the diachronic settlement of atolls, has discovered in Borneo, since 1992, thanks to cavers, a cluster of caves, whose some are ornate. Has then created and managed since 2003 until 2009, the pioneering Franco-Indonesian project of research and excavations in close relation with the Puslit Arkenas from Jakarta and Banjarmasin (MOU). Has been especially interested by the different diachronic and technical aspects of human settlement and use of the countless Kaltim’s caves and shelters and more precisely studied its unknown Rock Art, which they contain. Although actually retired, is still actively involved in Prehistoric settlement of the Indo-Pacific area questions.
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Ingénieur de formation, est devenu ethno-archéologue (Master et DEA de l’Univ. de Paris 1) et a travaillé pendant plus de 20 ans dans l’aire Indo-Pacifique, de la Polynésie Orientale à Bornéo et les Philippines. Après avoir créé et dirigé le Département Archéologie de Polynésie Française et étudié l’occupation diachronique des atolls, il découvre, à Borneo, à partir de 1992, grâce à des spéléologues, un ensemble de grottes dont certaines sont ornées. A créé et dirigé depuis 2003 jusqu’à 2009, le programme pionnier de recherche et de fouilles franco-indonésien en étroite association avec le Puslit Arkenas de Jakarta et Banjarmasin (MOU). S’est intéressé aux différents aspects diachroniques et techniques de l’occupation et de l’utilisation des innombrables grottes et abris du Kaltim et particulièrement étudié l’art rupestre inédit qu’elles contiennent. Bien qu’à la retraite, continue de s’intéresser activement à la Préhistoire du peuplement de l’aire Indo-Pacifique.
He got his Master degree from the HOPSEA Erasmus Mundus 
Programm. He is specialised in Paleolithic lithic industry and is now researcher at the Pusat Arkeologi Nasional (Arkenas), Jakarta.
Archéozoologue.
Michel GRENET, 
archéologue lithicien. Membre associé du laboratoire TRACES – UMR 5608-CNRS, Université de Toulouse II, Le Mirail. Spécialiste de l’analyse et de la documentation des industries lithiques. Travaux et études en cours :
Dr. Antonio J. Guerreiro, a social and cultural anthropologist and linguist is a member of the Institut deRecherches Asiatiques (IrAsia, CNRS/Aix-Marseille Université, UMR 6603), Maison Asie-Pacifique, Marseille, France. Specialised on Borneo and the Western Austronesian area (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines), Dr. Guerreiro has joined the MABFO research programme in East Kalimantan in 2010. In the frame of the research, he has investigated from an ethnolinguistic perspective the oral traditions of the Lebbo’/Basap people in East Kutai and Berau regions. The following questions have been adressed during his fieldwork (2010-2013):
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Antonio Guerreiro, anthropologue et linguiste : membre de l’Institut de Recherches asiatiques (IrAsia, CNRS Aix-Marseille Université UMR 6603), Maison Asie Pacifique. Spécialiste de Bornéo et du monde austronésien occidental (Indonésie, Malaisie, Philippines). Depuis 2010 dans le cadre de sa participation à la MAFBO à Kaltim, il étudie d’un point de vue ethnolinguistique les traditions orales des populations Lebbo’/Basap, à Kutai Est et Berau. Particulièrement les thèmes suivants :
Sébastien Plutniak has been trained as a field archaeologist 
and a ceramologist at the TRACES laboratory (Toulouse, France) and got a master at the EHESS (School for Advanced Studies in Social Sciences). He is in charge of the pottery analysis and takes part to the excavations and managed the project webpage.
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Sébastien Plutniak a été formé comme archéologue de terrain et céramologue au laboratoire d’archéologie TRACES (Toulouse, France), où il a obtenu un master de l’EHESS. Au sein du projet MAFBO, il assure l’étude des matériaux céramiques, participe aux opérations de fouille et administre la page web du projet.
Is researcher at the Balai Arkeologi Banjarmasin, 
Banja Baru, South Kalimantan.
MAFBO bibliography is available in:
Remise des posters à Merabu (2014)
Talks and presentations related to the MAFBO project.
For some years, our colleagues from Balai Arkeologi of Banjar Baru (Regional Office for the Archaeology of all Kalimantan provinces) conducted surveys and testpits in the region of the Meratus mountains, in South Kalimantan. Their work contributed to a better knowledge of the distribution of archeological sites in Kalimantan, which unfortunately are under documented.
Depuis quelques années, nos collègues du Balai Arkeologi de Banjar Baru (le service régional d’archéologie pour l’ensemble des provinces de Kalimantan) effectuent des prospections et des sondages archéologiques dans la région des monts Meratus, à Kalimantan sud. Leur travail contribue utilement à préciser notre connaissance de la répartition des sites archéologiques à Kalimantan, qui comporte encore malheureusement de nombreuses zones non documentées.
Bambang Sugiyanto [see his ResearchGate page]and Restu Budi Sulistiyo two researchers from Balai Arkeologi, Banjar Baru, have recently presented some of their results at the 15th EurASEAA conference, that took place at the University of Nanterre (France, 6-10 of July 2015, see our report). They kindly accepted that we publish a copy of their poster and of its abstract on the MAFBO blog.
Bambang Sugiyanto [page ResearchGate] et Restu Budi Sulistiyo, deux chercheurs du Balai Arkeologi de Banjar Baru, ont récemment pu présenter quelques résultats de ces travaux à la 15e conférence de l’Association européenne des archéologues du sud-est asiatique (EurASEAA), qui s’est tenu à l’université de Nanterre, en France du 6 au 10 juillet 2015 (voir notre compte-rendu). Ils ont aimablement accepté que nous publions une copie de leur poster et du résumé sur le blog du projet MAFBO.
Archaeological surveys and Human occupation in the Meratus mountains (South Kalimantan, Indonesia)
Since 1995 and the excavations at Gua Babi and Gua Tangkorak (1995-1999), the Archaeological Institute of Banjarmasin (Indonesia) have undertook extensive archaeological survey in the Meratus mountains range of South Borneo (south Kalimantan province, Indonesia). Human prehistory in this region is poorly documented and understood, mainly due to exploration difficulties in this karstic region. Twenty years of survey have led to the discoveries of dozens of caves and shelters, some with rock art paintings and burials dating back to at least the early Holocene. Archaeological data are sufficient to start a preliminary comparison of the archaeological findings between the different region of the Meratus mountains. This poster aims to display the preliminary results of the Archaeological surveys of the karstic region of the Meratus mountains of South Borneo.
Prospections archéologique et occupations humaines dans les monts Meratus (Kalimantan sud, Indonésie)
Depuis les fouilles de Gua Babi et de Gua Tangkorak, de 1995 à 1999, le service archéologie de Banjarmasin a entrepris des prospections extensive dans les monts Meratus a sud de Bornéo (Province de Kalimantan sud, Indonésie). La préhistoire humaine est faiblement documentée et comprise dans cette région, principalement du fait des difficultés de l’exploration dans cette zone karstique. Vingt années de prospection ont conduit à la découverte de dizaines de grottes et d’abris, certaines renfermant des peintures rupestres ou des sépultures datables du début de l’Holocène. Les données archéologiques sont suffisantes pour entamée une comparaison préliminaire entre les résultats obtenus dans les différents secteurs des monts Meratus. Ce poster rend compte des premiers résultats de ces prospections.
(French translation by S. Plutniak)
From the 6th – 10th July 2015 six MAFBO project members (including J.-M. Chazine, A. Guerreiro, J.-G. Ferrié, M. Grenet, S. Plutniak, F.-X. Ricaut) attended the 15th EurASEAA conference (European Association of Southeastasian Archaeologists) held in Nanterre University, France. More than 200 archaeologists –but also curators, anthropologists and economists, from Europe, Asia and America participated in this event. It was a good opportunity to meet our colleagues and discuss current and future research projects.
We participated in five oral presentations and one poster.
Our Indonesian colleagues or collaborators also gave presentations.
Bambang Sugiyanto and Restu Budi Sulistiyo, from the Kalimantan Provincial office for Archaeology (Balai Arkeologi, Banjar Baru) displayed a poster entitled “Prehistoric man occupancy in the Meratus Mountains, South Kalimantan” (see this page).
Mahirta, from the Archaeology Department of the University Gadjah Madah, Yogyakarta, co-authored a paper with Sue O’Connor (ANU, Canberra) about the “Stone artefact technology of Tronbon Lei Rockshelter, Alor Island, Nusa tenggara Timur, Indonesia” in the lithic technologies in Southeast Asia panel.
Jean-Georges Ferrié, Francois-Xavier Ricaut (Université de Toulouse (Paul Sabatier) – CNRS UMR 5288), Bambang Sugiyanto (Balai Arkeologi Banjarmasin), Jean-Michel Chazine (CNRS)
The Mission archéologique franco-indonésienne à Bornéo has conducted several test-pits in caves and rock-shelters located in karst areas of East Kalimantan (Indonesia), a region where prehistoric human occupations are poorly documented. During the survey of the site of Liang Jon (Marang river area), an individual human burial and a secondary deposit of human bones have been discovered. The individual burial is a primary inhumation of a young adult in an extended position, from which some bones have been removed after the decay of the body. The secondary deposit was mainly composed of human skull fragments, some of them showing evidence of anthropic modifications. Due to the absence of collagen, radiocarbon dating was performed on bioapatite, giving a minimum age of c. 2500 BP for the primary inhumation and c. 5500 BP for the secondary deposit. Few prehistoric burials being known in the eastern part of Borneo, these discoveries are an important contribution to the knowledge of ancient mortuary practices in this geographic area.i
Pradiptajati Kusuma (University of Toulouse – Paul Sabatier), Francois-Xavier Ricaut (Université de Toulouse (Paul Sabatier) – CNRS UMR 5288), Murray Cox, Thierry Letellier
Genetic, cultural, and linguistic characteristics of the Malagasy suggest that people from both Africa and Island Southeast Asia were involved in the colonization of Madagascar. Populations from the Indonesian archipelago played an important role; linguistic evidence suggests that the Malagasy language branches from the Southeast Barito language family of southern Borneo, Indonesia, and is closest to the Ma’anyan language that is spoken in the present-day. There is also evidence of word borrowings from a small number of Austronesian languages spoken on other Indonesian islands, including Proto South Sulawesi, Buginese, Macassarese and Old Javanese.
To test for a genetic link between the Malagasy and these linguistically related Indonesian populations, we studied these populations, well-defined from their historical/linguistic contexts, together with new samples from the Ma’anyan and the sea nomad Bajo from Southeast Sulawesi. The sample size of ~2900 individuals represents the largest known Indonesian dataset investigated to date. Analysis was made using uniparental markers: the mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome.
Phylogeography analysis of maternal and paternal DNA lineages suggested that the Malagasy was derived from multiple regional sources in Indonesia, with a focus on eastern Borneo, southern Sulawesi and the Lesser Sunda islands. Settlement may have been mediated by ancient sea nomad movements because the linguistically closest population, Ma’anyan, has only subtle genetic connections to the Malagasy, whereas genetic links with other sea nomads are more strongly supported. Our data hint at a more complex scenario for the Indonesian settlement of Madagascar than has previously been recognized.
Sébastien Plutniak (1), Adhi Agus Oktaviana (2), Bambang Sugiyanto (3), Jean-Michel Chazine (4), François-Xavier Ricaut (5)
Since 2003, a French-Indonesian archaeological research project, coordinated by the National Research Center for Archaeology (Indonesia) and the University of Toulouse (France), has been developed in the karstic region of East Kalimantan (Indonesia) to investigate human occupation processes during prehistory. Within the context of debates about the population history of Island South-East Asia (ISEA) authors dealing with Neolithic or Metal Age periods usually mention this region as part of models of the diffusion of cultural complex from Taiwan and the Philippines and the Malay Peninsula. Actually, these assertions mostly rely on data from sites located in the Malaysian part of Borneo Island. More than half of its territory, the Kalimantan region, remains poorly documented and understood. Maps published in archaeological papers usually show nothing than a void for Kalimantan.
Such discussions lead us to expect that archaeological investigation of Kalimantan will provide new data that may lead to the reappraisal of the role of this region during Holocene prehistory and the associated cultural and population diffusion processes. Archaeological research in the Liang Abu rock shelter led to the discovery and analysis of a pottery assemblage including red-slipped, cord-marked and incised pottery sherds, radiocarbon dated to 1672±21 BP and 1524±22 BP.
The environmental settings in tropical karstic caves raise difficult taphonomical issues: we discuss the Liang Abu stratigraphy from insights given by the pottery materials. We also undertake a reappraisal of available data regarding on Borneo Island in order to integrate our findings in the ISEA Metal Age framework.
Antonio J. Guerreiro (IrAsia, CNRS-Aix-Marseille-University, UMR 7306, Marseille)
The paper considers current issues (environmental, socio-economic and cultural) in connection to the conservation of archaeological sites located in the Sankulirang-Mangkalihat Karstic range. The local administrations of East Kutai and Berau Regencies and that of the Province of East Kalimantan in charge of conservation, have been directly involved in the management of few sites. They are preparing for the listing of the Karst area in Unesco’s World Heritage Tentative List. Until now archaeological and anthropological research in the area has been supervised by the National Center of Archaeological Research (Pusat Arkeologi Nasional) based in Jakarta and its branch office in Banjarmasin (Balai Arkeologi). While the French-Indonesian Collaborative Research Programme has been active since 2011, but only a small percentage of the sites surveyed has been studied. The Lebbo’/Basap indigenous people who have been living for centuries (or more ?) in contact to the archaeological sites and the nearby caves, have not been involved officially in conservation or trained for these activities. However, the practice of ‘indigenous conservation’ which can be developed with benefits, remains to be implemented. Presently the local governements of the Regencies of East Kutai and Berau are increasingly concerned with the protection of the sites and of their touristic potential. On the other hand the infrastructures (roads, accommodations, museums…) are not ready yet to cater for an increase of visitors. The protection of the sites, mostly rock art in caves and rock shelters, should be evaluated accordingly.
Grenet Michel (1), Fauzi Ruly (2,3), Sarel Josette (4), Oktaviana Adhi Agus (2), Ricaut François-X (5)
Lack of data and studies on lithic remains from Kalimantan (Borneo) result in a limited understanding of human prehistory in this region. Current collaborative research by a French-Indonesian team is trying to reduce this lack of data by conducting field research and a multidisciplinary scientific project in the karstic region of Mangkalihat (East Kalimantan, Indonesia). A series of analyses related to typo-technological studies on the lithic materials from this project have brought new data and consecutive developments for a better understanding of the prehistory of Kalimantan in the regional context.
This paper will present and discuss some data from Liang Jon (2007-2008); Liang Abu (2009-2012); and Liang Pemalawan (2013). Our observations on the type of raw materials and knapping technics used, show some distinctive characteristics among these sites. However, homogeneityfrom a typo-technological point of view tend to appear in long chronological periods within this region. Hence, the lithic industry in Kalimantan seems to have some similar features (ie. homogeneity in long chronology) with several Indonesian prehistoric sites from the Late Pleistocene and Holocene periods.
Jean-Michel Chazine
As more and more research programs on Rock Art and its corresponding prehistoric anthropology are conducted throughout I SEA, the author has had the opportunity to observe and thus compare some Rock Art sites from Kalimantan/Borneo and those of Misool’s island (Rajah Ampat District/West Papua) area. Their common rough karstic environment being similar, they are nevertheless totally opposed, the first located far inside the inland rain forest, while the second is embedded in a marine/lacustre space. It is nevertheless interesting to try to compare on a structuralist approach on what their supposed differences would be built and if actually, they would not display the same answer to the same problems or universal questions, from Pleistocene to mid-holocene periods. The common, if not almost universal presence of stencilled hands on cliffs or caves panels besides representations of local fauna being thus possibly one of the linking bind.
