Excavations of a limestone cave on the Indonesia island of Flores uncovered a three-foot-tall skeleton with a skull one third the size of a normal human—a hobbit. Researchers discovered the bones of nine such people, the youngest of which dates back about 12,000 years. They also found tools and other signs of civilization. There are skeptics who believe the hobbits are simply humans that suffered from a growth inhibiting condition such as microcephaly, but the popular opinion among scientists is that the hobbits are a separate species like Neanderthals that shared a common ancestor with humans. Also, Indonesia has active volcanoes, which you could, say, throw a ring inside if needs be . . .