Excavations here from 1936 to 1941 led to the discovery of the first hominid fossil at this site. Later, 50 fossils of
Meganthropus palaeo and
Pithecanthropus erectus/Homo erectus
were found – half of all the world's known hominid fossils. Inhabited
for the past one and a half million years, Sangiran is one of the key
sites for the understanding of human evolution.