When Jakarta was designated the nation's capital, a community emerged calling itself the Betawi people. Although known as the indigenous people of Jakarta, traces of their presence are believed to date back long before independence. Experts estimate that the Jakarta area has been inhabited since around 2,500 BC.
Source: The Jakarta Encyclopedia: Past, Present, and Future
Various artifacts discovered during the Dutch East Indies era provide strong evidence for this hypothesis. These findings include square axes, stone flake tools, stone bracelets, pottery shards, whetstones, and a pickaxe. One of the earliest finds was a stone hoe discovered by archaeologist Van Der Hoop in the area now known as Jatinegara. Artifacts have also been found in other areas such as Pasar Minggu, Pasar Rebo, and Tanjung Timur.
1) Stones used as cutting tools 2) Hoes at that time indicated that people were familiar with agriculture (Source from the Jakarta Encyclopedia)
Based on an analysis of these findings, experts concluded that the prehistoric people who once inhabited Jakarta had a fairly advanced lifestyle. They were familiar with settled settlements, farming, community life, trade systems, and possessed basic knowledge of social order. However, it is still impossible to accurately estimate the population size of the region during this period.
Written by: Noverdy R
Reference:
Setianti, Eni, et al. Jakarta Encyclopedia: Jakarta Past, Present, & Tomorrow. Jakarta: PT Lentera Abadi, 2009.
