The long history of human inhabitance in Indonesia is perhaps best seen through the prominent archaeological remains that have been discovered on the island. Java Man, one of the first specimens of Homo erectus to be discovered, was found on the Java Island in 1891. Recently, a possible new species of the Homo genus, Homo floresiensis, has been discovered on the island of Flores just east of Java. Little is known about these humanoid ancestors, but the beginning of modern civilizations on Java is much better understood.

Tribes from Vietnam and southern China migrated to Indonesia about 3000 years ago, bringing their language, culture and technology with them. Their irrigation techniques allowed them to grow rice on the islands, which became a mainstay of island agriculture.

In the first centuries A.D., a powerful Indian empire took over the Indonesian islands, passing their Buddhist culture to people on the island and establishing trade outposts on Java. The Indians continued to rule over these islands until the early Middle Ages, when the Sunda kingdom declined and European and Arab merchants began to assert a much bigger influence.

By the 1500s, Islam had become the major religion on Java due to Arab contact, and several European countries were beginning to claim parts of Indonesia for trade purposes. European rule continued until World War II, at which point Japan took over. After the war, Japan ceded its territorial claims and Indonesia was granted independence.