Flores is a southern island of Indonesia, with an estimated population of around 1.5 million. Its human inhabitation was largely destroyed by the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake (aka the Asian Tsunami), but its stunning landscape still make it a popular tourist destination. Yet Flores, and Liang Bua Cave in particular, are most notably known in the anthropological and archaeological worlds for the 2003 discovery of Homo floresiensis, which is commonly given the sobriquet 'Hobbit', a testament to its small height and stature. The discovery, made by an Australian-Indonesian archaeological team, is thought to throw the process of human evolution apart, by dating the species as late as 12,000 years ago - the same time as our own species, Homo sapiens, was living on the planet. And a recent paper from an Australian National University PhD student suggests that Hobbits and humans may well have coexisted in the area.
Borobudur is a Mahayan Buddhist temple complex located near the modern city of Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The huge monument, a popular place of pilgrimage for Buddhists, comprises six square platforms, topped by three circular platforms, decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. It is estimated to have been erected over a 75-year period, ending somewhere around 800 AD during the time of the Sailendra Dynasty of Java, under the leader Samaratungga. Its architect, Gundaharma, is a largely mythical character, thus his efficacy remains uncertain. The monument remained a popular place of worship for the island's Buddhist population - even under Hindu rule. Yet a number of volcanic eruptions around 1000 AD, and the shifting of power to East Java, meant Borobudur's prominence waned. And many historians believe the island's change of religion to Islam around the fifteenth century meant that the site became derelict.
