Musiyum Manungsa Purwa Sangiran, Archaeological museum in Sragen, Indonesia
Museum Manusia Purba Sangiran is an archaeological museum with five clusters, four in Sragen Regency and one in Karanganyar Regency, Central Java. Its main Krikilan cluster in Kalijambe is entered through a gateway of two pale, curving tusks resting on striped cylindrical columns, with a sign reading "MUSEUM MANUSIA PURBA SANGIRAN". Inside, the halls hold fossil finds, replicas and displays on human evolution.
The museum began with the Plestosen Museum, built in 1974 on a 100 m² plot to hold fossils found across Sangiran. In 1977 the site was designated a cultural heritage area, and a larger Museum Situs Sangiran opened in 1983 at Ngampon, Krikilan, replacing it. Five clusters now form the museum, managed by the Ministry of Culture.
The name refers to the Sangiran site, where villagers have found fossilized bones for generations and once regarded them as magical objects. Today, school groups from across Java visit the exhibition halls to learn about the earliest traces of human life on the island.
The museum sits about 15 kilometers northwest of Surakarta and opens daily from 8 AM to 4 PM. Guided tours are available in several languages, and the paths between buildings are mostly paved.
Many of the displayed skulls and bones were not found during organized excavations but came to light by chance when farmers worked their fields. The surrounding area ranks among the richest sites for early hominids outside Africa.
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