Name: Peking Man Skull

Latin name: Homo erectus pekinensis

Overview

In the 1920s, archeology Scientists began excavations in Zhoukoudian and discovered some complete ape-man skulls dating from about 600,000 years ago. They named them Peking Man. The official name is "Chinese ape man Peking species". Now it is often called "Peking Homo erectus" in science. Belongs to the Paleolithic Age.

Discovery process

In December 1929, Chinese archaeologists discovered the first skull fossil of Peking Man at the Peking Man site on Longgu Mountain in Zhoukoudian Village, Fangshan District, Beijing. Five relatively complete skulls and more than 200 bone fossils were discovered, as well as a large number of stone tools, animal fossils and ashes. The large scale and long duration of the fossil excavation work in Zhoukoudian was a pioneering work, which was unparalleled in China at the time. Follow.

Later, some stone tools and fire relics used by ape-men were gradually discovered on Longgu Mountain. Through the study of these archaeological data, it is proved that Peking Man is about 690,000 years old and belongs to the species of Homo erectus. They lived a cave life based on hunting, were able to use and make rough stone tools, and had learned to use fire for warmth and to eat cooked food.

As early as the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a rumor that "dragon bones" were produced in the Zhoukoudian area of ??Beijing. People regard "dragon bone" as a god-given medicine. It is said that grinding it into powder and applying it on wounds can relieve pain and facilitate healing. Because it is rich in dragon bones, people call a mountain here Dragon Bone Mountain. In modern times, after research by paleontologists, it was believed that the so-called "dragon bones" were just fossilized bones of ancient organisms. This has attracted many paleontologists and archaeologists to the Zhoukoudian area for excavation and investigation.

In 1926, scientists discovered two teeth belonging to early humans in Zhoukoudian. In October of the same year, when the Beijing scientific community reported this important discovery, it immediately caused a sensation at home and abroad. Later, scientists decided to name the owner of these two teeth "Peking Man" and later "Peking Man". In this way, the mystery of the so-called "dragon bone" was solved. These are not the bones of a god-given creature, but the fossils of human ancestors and their contemporaries.

In 1927, large-scale excavation of the Zhoukoudian Peking Man site began. The excavation units are the China Geological Survey and Union Medical College. The next year, two capable young paleontologists in my country, Yang Zhongjian and Pei Wenzhong, participated in the excavation of Zhoukoudian. They were energetic and brought life to the entire scene. In 1929, a miracle that shocked the world's academic community finally happened: the first complete Pekingese skull was discovered in Zhoukoudian. It was early winter this year. During the excavation process, the staff suddenly saw a small hole. The crack at the entrance was so narrow that only one person could enter and exit. In order to find out the truth, Pei Wenzhong came to the cave and took a closer look. He was very happy. It turned out that many animal fossils were unexpectedly found here. He ignored the cold and decided to continue the excavation work. By four o'clock in the afternoon on December 2, the sun had already set, and the sky outside the cave was getting darker. The howling cold wind was blowing in the mountains, and the cave felt even colder, but people were still working attentively under the dim candlelight. Suddenly, Pei Wenzhong shouted happily: "It's an ape-man!" Everyone gathered around and found an ape-man's skull, half of which was exposed from the ground, and the other half was still buried in the hard soil. People were so excited that they stared intently. It was getting darker and darker at this time, but everyone was already in a hurry. Pei Wenzhong resolutely decided to continue digging until the first Pekingese skull was completely unearthed. No one slept well that night. Early the next morning, Pei Wenzhong sent a special person to report the great news to the Geological Survey Institute in Beijing. A few days later, on December 6, Pei Wenzhong personally took a car and wrapped the rare treasure in his two quilts, mattresses and felts and escorted it to the city.

In 1936, Jia Lanpo discovered three skull fossils of "Peking Man" in Yuanman Cave. During World War II, all five complete and relatively complete skulls unearthed from Zhoukoudian Ape Man Cave mysteriously disappeared, shocking the world again.

6 skulls, 12 skull fragments, 15 mandibles, 157 teeth and broken femurs, fishy bones, etc. were unearthed from the Peking Man fossil***, belonging to more than 40 individuals of both sexes, old and young. . Archaeologists also discovered 100,000 stone tools, as well as the remains of fire smoke, burned stones, and burned bones. Peking Man created a distinctive Paleolithic culture and had a profound impact on the development of Paleolithic culture in North China.

Lost

The fossils of "Peking Man" have been kept in Peking Union Medical College Hospital. On December 26, 1940, the Japanese army occupied Peiping, and the war between the United States and Japan was imminent. It would be very unsafe for the "skull" to remain in Peiping. Yin Zanxun, deputy director of the Central Geological Survey, who was in Chongqing at the time, wrote to a technical researcher of the Central Geological Survey. Pei Wenzhong, deputy director of the Cenozoic Research Laboratory in Peking at the time, stated the danger situation and concerns about the preservation of the skull fossils of Peking Man, and proposed to ask American friends to transport them to American academic institutions for temporary storage.