This discovery could rewrite all of human history. Ancient stone tools were found on an island in Indonesia. They’re over 1 million years old. But no human could have reached the island without advanced seafaring technology. This just left Joe Rogan speechless. Ancient history researcher Michael Button broke down this bombshell paper from August 2025: “Seafaring was always thought to be an exclusively … modern human trait.” “It’s a really hard thing to do.” “But a paper came out in August last year.” “These stone tools were found … on Sulawesi.” “Sulawesi is an island that crucially sits east of something called the Wallace Line.” “Which means that it has been … separated from the mainland for tens of millions of years.” “Separated by deep ocean channels that are between … 50 and 100 kilometers across.” “Yet in August 2025, archeologists at a site called Calio found stone tools on Sulawesi.” “That means that some type of human … managed to cross that ocean boundary and reach Sulawesi.” “It’s not the only piece of evidence in the region.” “A decade or so ago, we found stone tools on Flores.” “Just below Sulawesi.” “It’s another island, and crucially, again, east of the Wallace Line.” “You have to cross an ocean boundary to get to Flores.” “And they found stone tools there that are 1.02 million years old.” “The Sulawesi tools are 1.04 to 1.4 million years old.” “There’s also Luzon.” “Just above Sulawesi, same region.” “And they found stone tools there which are 700,000 years old.” “The theory was that it was accidental drift.” “A couple of humans were swept out to sea … and somehow survived and colonized the island.” “But now that we’ve got Flores, Luzon, and Sulawesi, three islands all in the same region, all separated by this ocean boundary, I think it’s starting to point … towards a deliberate sea crossing.” “The simplest explanation is that these humans were intelligent enough to build boats.” @joerogan @MichaelButtonX

Aug 26, 2026 · 8:06 PM UTC

41
141
1,313
224,602
Sort replies: Relevant Recent Liked
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
I apparently missed this when it came out last year. I don't remember Michael talking about it when he was on Rogan the first time. This is incredible. Humans were seafaring a million years ago and not just a few miles. Sulawesi is more than 100 miles from the mainland.
3
9
5,229
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
During the ice age ocean level was 450 feet lower than the current level and Sulawesi (Indonesia) was a connected part of the rest of the island chains that exist today and practically part of a land bridge to the Asian mainland and the Indian subcontinent
2
9
989
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
Couldn’t it also mean that there was a land bridge present during the last ice age? You know… when LARGE SECTIONS OF THE OCEANS WERE FROZEN?
1
13
1,632
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
Wouldn’t sea level change account for this? At some point they would be able to walk
1
6
523
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
There is every reason to believe that those islands were linked to continental Asia by land in the past.
2
7
798
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
Manly p Hall says Humans have been walk the earth In current form for Millions of years…
4
1,370
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
I love how these "experts, scientists and archaeologists" just pull numbers out of their ass and claim it as truth. 700,000 years here, between 1.04 and 1.4 million years there. What a bunch of fantastical BS...
4
842
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
Watercraft are a discovery not an invention. Playing on a log and being blown across a lake does not require high intelligence. Using a stone tool to improve the hydrodynamics requires slightly more. Standing and noticing you go faster and we have the invention of sailing.
3
1,163
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
"Evidence of open-water crossings (seafaring) 1 million years ago does exist, but it is attributed to earlier archaic humans or hominins—such as Homo erectus or the ancestors of Homo floresiensis"
2
150
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
At that age you’re talking H erectus. The thing about them is they were around for a million years. Yet their stone tools barely change over that time. Back then rivers were roads. So boats were useful. You can then work them into sea voyages. Erectus did have fire and one way to make a dugout is with fire.
2
1,027
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
So our first thought is it was inaccessible by land, talking about an island 1 million years ago, I’m not sure how certain we can be about that.
1,359
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
So, there's a good chance homo erectus reached Australia one million years ago well before modern aboriginals arrived. What happened to these homo erectus?
1
1
772
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
Pls take a look at rise n fall of ocean. England wasn't an island until relatively recently. Stonehenge, built in stone age, was coated in blue rock from a quarry in middle of Turkey, thousands of miles away with Channel in between. Ppl got around.
197
Fishermen on all varieties of primitive rafts canoes and boats have been being washed out to sea for all time. Sometimes they wash up on land. This still happens to this very day.
481
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
Homo Erectus is known to have been in Java 1.6 million years ago. These tools are dated 1.04 to 1.48 Mya. Awesome find, not a huge surprise.
1
1
200
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
With the oceans and planets filled with clear proof of craftsmanship there should be no doubt we’re much older than previously assumed. I think Enoch might be the fairytale told before bed by those who’ve erased our memories through dumbing down, cataclysms and natural disasters separating our civilizations. There’s nano tech in Russia around 200,000 years old. Those who’ve forgotten their history cannot control their future - me if no one else said it lol
492
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
How do we know that the tools were not made on the islands? Couldn't find any evidence regarding that question?
1
187
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
Just a curious thought, but the simplest explanation is that other human species were capable of tooling, long distance travel, building basic infrastructure and language - the stretch is maybe homo sapiens inherited this from them!
1
1
376
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
We got world leaders that lie blatantly in our faces every day I wouldn’t be surprised if most of our history is made up or rewritten lol
65
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
The mainstream explanation is called 'accidental rafting' in other words they were swept away and ended there
1
340
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
This is assuming the seas were the same size as today.
15
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
The background that instantly tells you you’re about to hear dumb bullshit for retards
1
15
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
I would want to see what these 700,000 year old stone tools look like.
1
53
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
I prefer the Hall of Records....
1
313
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
What if there was no ocean there?
28
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
What was the sea level 1m years ago?
455
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
Simple, homo erectus put there
381
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
Migrated holding onto coconuts
8
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
yes it's intentional
231
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
Ice age? That had a massive lower sea level?
93
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
Shit floats from Japan to usa
297
Replying to @Holden_Culotta
Our dating systems are deeply flawed. 6000 years.
118