As usual, the morning at the UGM Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing (FK-KMK UGM) campus is bustling with students moving about.
Some of them have just arrived for their lectures. In the southern corner of this campus is a three-story building dominated by bright white paint.
A bit unique, a statue of a prehistoric human stands on the front terrace of the building, which is named the T Jacob Building, home to the Bio-Paleoanthropology Museum.
Upon entering the museum area, visitors are greeted by the warm atmosphere of display lights, highlighting an illustration of the Earth’s transformation from its formation to the present day. The images displayed stand tall as if telling visitors how, billions of years ago, the Earth was formed by a massive explosion.
This explosion resulted in a cloud of dust and other materials floating in the void, colliding with each other, forming bonds, and eventually creating the cluster we now know as Earth.
Scientists believe that the Earth initially took the form of a hot, unstable sphere with a high surface temperature. About 2.5 billion years ago, the Earth was devoid of life, with volcanoes spewing various materials.
However, these conditions eventually gave rise to the hydrosphere and atmosphere that supported the first life on Earth. The earliest organisms were single-celled and then evolved into multicellular forms. From there, animals and plants with more complex systems emerged.
The Earth’s life cycle began with the appearance of ancient creatures like dinosaurs, which later became extinct around 65 million years ago.
Life returned to normal slowly after the dinosaurs’ extinction. During this period, the first prehistoric humans appeared. This raises a question next to the Earth’s story: Who are humans? Who are we?
Another wall in the Bio-Paleoanthropology Museum narrates the story of how, long ago, a scientist observed that birds had different types of beaks. From this, the understanding emerged that different beak shapes were adapted to the bird’s diet.
This did not only apply to birds but also to other animals, such as ancient elephants and tigers. This scientist, Charles Darwin, later proposed the theory of evolution.
The same process is believed to have occurred with prehistoric humans before they evolved into modern humans, now labeled as Homo sapiens or wise humans. A skull model is neatly displayed in one corner of the Bio-Paleoanthropology Museum.
It is named Lucy, a fossil of Australopithecus afarensis found in Ethiopia in 1974. Researchers believe Lucy is an ancestor of Homo or the ancestor of modern humans. Other prehistoric human fossils are exhibited in the same display, such as the Nutcracker Man, known for his large teeth and sturdy jaw.
The museum also exhibits a reconstructed skeleton of the Java Man, a female prehistoric human who is believed to have lived in Java tens of thousands of years ago. Her bones are almost complete, with the skull, ribs, and bones of the hands and feet, along with strands of hair still attached.
This collection is preserved in a transparent box, making it more special than the others.
The revitalization of the Bio-Paleoanthropology Museum at UGM offers visitors glimpses of the past and features interactive technology. One of them is a high-tech screen that illustrates a prehistoric human skeleton.
Visitors can stand in front of the screen, and its sensors detect their movements. Instantly, the screen mirrors the visitor’s movements onto the prehistoric human body.
The text on the screen explains how physical differences between prehistoric and modern humans allow modern humans to move more gracefully and agilely than their ancestors.
Another interactive feature is a touchscreen that maps archaeological sites around the world. Visitors can simply select a continent, and discovery points will appear. Further details of each site will appear based on the visitor’s selection.
For example, in Indonesia, one can select the Sangiran Site, one of the most important sites for uncovering the mystery of prehistoric humans. Sangiran was a center of civilization in ancient times and holds invaluable treasures for science.
The Von Koenigswald fossil is the right jawbone of Homo erectus. Through Sangiran, the figure of T. Jacob introduced us to the ancient inhabitants of Java Island.
The Figure Behind the Prehistoric Human Collection
The name T. Jacob may be unfamiliar to most UGM students today. However, he was a key figure in UGM’s development. Professor Teuku Jacob served as the Rector of UGM from 1981 to 1986.
According to the book Rectors of Universitas Gadjah Mada: An Educational Biography, he graduated from the UGM Faculty of Medicine (FK UGM) in 1956. The following year, he pursued further studies at the University of Arizona, followed by Howard University.
His dedication to UGM began with his role as a lecturer. It did not take long for him to rise to the position of Secretary of FK UGM from 1973 to 1975 before becoming Dean in 1975. Professor Jacob was appointed as Rector of UGM in December 1981.
In his biography, Aprinus Salam describes the Aceh-born man as a scholar with vast knowledge. This is evident from the various titles he held, the works he produced, and the diverse professional relationships he maintained.
Professor Jacob is recognized as an expert in fields such as cultural anthropology, environment, archaeology, biology, paleoanthropology, biopolitics, polemology, and more.
Professor Jacob devoted much of his life to science, but his asthma prevented him from tolerating the smell of corpses. As a result, he chose to specialize in physical anthropology.
His dedication to this field led to groundbreaking discoveries, such as the Homo erectus fossil in Sangiran in 1962 and Homo floresiensis in Liang Bua, Flores Island. Professor Jacob’s discoveries disproved the hypothesis that Java Man engaged in headhunting as part of cannibalism practices.
Establishing the Bio-Paleoanthropology Museum at UGM is a way to continue preserving knowledge about who we are and introducing it to the public.
More than that, this museum is a tribute to Professor Jacob’s invaluable contributions to UGM and the world of science. He embarked on a journey in search of answers to the question of who we are.
The Rector of Universitas Gadjah Mada, Professor Ova Emilia, stated that the existence of the Bio-Paleoanthropology Museum is expected to advance knowledge in medicine, biology, paleoanthropology, and anatomy.
According to Professor Emilia, this museum, the only Bio-Paleoanthropology Museum in Indonesia, serves as a center of excellence with a collection of fossils that will be preserved and utilized for scientific development. Visitors can gain visual references and a unique learning experience from this museum.
“It will certainly spark curiosity, which is beneficial in the process of honing scientific knowledge,” she explained.
The Dean of FK-KMK UGM, Professor Yodi Mahendradhata, explained that the museum’s recent revitalization pays tribute to Professor Teuku Jacob, a prominent figure in paleoanthropology at UGM whose name is enshrined in the museum building.
The former UGM Rector was known for his humility, down-to-earth nature, and significant contributions, which aligned with the concept of simplicity and became the foundation of the museum’s revitalization.
Professor Mahendradhata then described three sets of statues in front of the museum. The first is a statue of Homo erectus, and the second is a statue of Homo sapiens, symbolizing the end of discrimination based on race or ethnicity.
“The third statue is our main icon, the end encounter of primates, a symbolic meeting of two primate children from different eras, representing the journey of human evolution,” he said.
Professor Mahendradhata also explained that the Bio-Paleoanthropology Museum is integrated with the Anatomy Museum, which aims to make the faculty a leading center in human anatomy studies.
The museum is expected to become a place where history, science, and education unite, providing a comprehensive learning experience for students, researchers, and the public.
“These two museums are not merely spaces for storing artifacts and collections, but they serve as a bridge between the past and the future, continuously connecting us in our efforts to understand evolution, history, and the human body,” Professor Mahendradhata concluded.
Author: Lazuardi
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Photographer: Firsto
Post-editor: Afif