Michael John Morwood (1950-2013): rock-art archaeologist and driving force behind the 'Hobbit' discovery

Authors

Richard G. Roberts, University of WollongongFollow
Thomas Sutikna, University of WollongongFollow

RIS ID

81617

Publication Details

Roberts, R. G. & Sutikna, T. (2013). Michael John Morwood (1950-2013): rock-art archaeologist and driving force behind the 'Hobbit' discovery. Nature, 500 (August), 401-401.

Abstract

Michael John Morwood — Mike to his mates — was at heart what Australians would call a larrikin. Shaded by his battered bushman's hat on his frequent trips in the field, he wasted no time with small talk, and his quizzical stare gave him a slightly zealous demeanour. But his vision, intuition and leadership resulted in the 2003 discovery of Homo floresiensis, a species of archaic human identified from fossils found in eastern Indonesia. Given the type specimen's short stature, Morwood dubbed it 'Hobbit' after the fictional inhabitants of Middle-earth in J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.