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Table of Content

    15 June 2002, Volume 21 Issue 02
    Dental morphological distinctions between Homo erectus and early Homo sapiens in China
    ZHANG Yin-yun; LIU Wu
    2002, 21(02):  87-101. 
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    The comparisons of maxillary dental fossils of Homo erectus and early Homo sapiens found in China show that most of the dental measurements of early Homo sapiens are within the ranges of Homo erectus, except the central incisor breadth which is larger in early Homo sapiens. Almost all the dental nonmetric characters of Homo erectus can be found in early Homo sapiens. The results of the comparisons suggest that there may not be a clear species boundary between Homo erectus and early Homo sapiens, and the opinion that Homo erectus should be merged with early Homo sapiens is accept- able by the present study.
    The comparisons of present study also show that the dental remains from Tongzi, Yiyuan, Yunxian, Luonan and Xichuan may be reclassified as early Homo sapiens, although these fossils have been believed to be Homo erectus.
    Anthropological study of ancient human skulls from Wubao site, Hami, Xinjiang
    HE Hui-qin; XU Yong-qing
    2002, 21(02):  102-110. 
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    Skeleton of more than 100 individuals excavated from an ancient tomb area located in Wubao, Hami city, Xinjiang, have been measured and observed. Some indexes and angles were calculated. The statistics combined with other 22 groups located nearby and mid-Asia were compared directly and analyzed with Cluster Analysis and Principle Component Analysis. All results have been shown that the ancient Hami population could be divided into 2 sub-groups: C sub-group and M sub- group. The former belong to Caucasian race and M subgroup belong to Mongoloid race.
    The comprisons of three non-metrical traits on groups of human fossil skulls
    ZHOU Wen-lian; WU Xin-zhi
    2002, 21(02):  111-115. 
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    This study examined some of human fossil skulls and casts of the Pleistocene of China, Europe, Africa and Near East in the three non-metrical traits :the canine fossa, the marginal process and bulge superolateral to the pyriforme orifice. We got the following suggestions, (1) the canine fossa might have occurred with the human evolution in late Pleistocene Europe, (2) there is no geographical difference for the presence of the marginal process in the fossil skulls, and (3) the bulge superolateral to the pyriforme orifice of the Dali skull seems more comparable to that of European Neandertals rather than to that of the other Chinese fossil skulls studied in this paper.This might have reflected certain degree of gene exchange.
    The paleolithic site at Dachangliang in Nihewan Basin, North China
    PEI Shu-wen
    2002, 21(02):  116-125. 
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    The Dachangliang Paleolithic site is situated on the southwest slop of the Dachangliang near the Guanting Village in the Nihewan Basin, Yangyuan County, Hebei Province (40°13′07″N, 114°39′38″E). It was discovered on August 14, 2000, and excavated tentatively in September 2000, and again in July and August 2001.
    Stratigraphically, the deposits consist of 29 layers, more than 90 meters in thickness. The cultural remains were unearthed from the “Nihewan Bed”, the typical fluviolacustrine sedimentary sequence in North China. The culture layer, 0.58 m in thickness, 913.06 —913.64m above the sea-level, is 73.62m below the strata section surface.
    About seven square meters were unearthed during the two field seasons. The excavation went down at 10cm interval for each spit. The unearthed materials includes 33 stone artifacts and 27 bone and fragments of fresh water bivalva shells. Distribution of the stone artifacts, bone and shell fragments (fig.3) shows that stone artifacts almost symmetrily scattered in spit N102/E98 and N102/E99, as well as in the south part of spit N101/E100 and north part of spit N100/E100, while bone and shell fragments mainly scattered in the central part of the square.Vertical distribution indicates that stone artifacts were concentrated in the lower layer and bone and shell fragments in the upper layer respectively.
    The stone artifact assemblage include retouched tool (1), cores (4), flakes (16) and chunks (12). Comparison of abrasion and weathering degree indicates the stone artifacts had not been trans- ported for long distance, and were buried in the site without long time exposure in the air.
    The general features of these artifacts are summarized as follows:
    1) Six kinds of raw material were utilized in core reduction and tool manufacture at the site :chert, tectonic breccia, siliceous dolomite, lava, vein quartz and chalcedony, which are identical with the bedrock in the vicinity. Chert is the predominant raw material used for producing stone artifacts at the site.
    2) Most artifacts are small.
    3) Typologically, The cores consist of 1 II2 sample in type and 3 III sample in type, which shows high extent of raw material consumption. The flakes, consisting of 3 I1-3and II3 sample in types, 8 I2-3 sample in type, 1 II1-1 and II4 sample in type, irregular in shape, were produced by simple hammer percussion. Small and plain platform is the predominant flake platform. The flake angle ranges from 90°to 120°.
    4) The only retouched tool, a scraper was crudely modified by direct hammer percussion and was re- touched on the dorsal surface of a flake.
    Twenty-seven bone and shell fragments were unearthed from the site, including 22 mammalian specimens, and 5 fresh water bivalva shells. Most bone fragments are close to joint, possibly resulted from human consumption of meat and marrow.
    The unearthed materials indicate that hominids occupied the site were living in a lagoon shore environment.They exploited locally available raw materials to make stone tools, and used the site as a tool manufactory and consumption place.
    Based on stratigraphic data and comparison with Xiaochangliang Site, the age of the Dachangliang Site has been estimated to be the Early Pleistocene, i.e. the Lower Paleolithic.It should be earlier than the Donggutuo Site (107 Ma) and later than the Majuangou Site in the Nihewan Basin. Thus the Nihewan Basin has great potentials for studying early homonid origins and adaptation in North China and great East Asia.
    Age determination by the hisomorphometry of male ribs
    XI Huan-jiu; REN Pu
    2002, 21(02):  126-133. 
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    The purpose of this paper is to discuss the nature of compact bone age-associated changes, so as to provide the evidence of age estimation with bones for forensic medical and anthropological research.
    The middle one third of right sixth rib was collected from 86 Chinese males of north China, ranging from 20 to 70 years of age. Decalcified cross-section slides were histomorphometrically examined by using an image analyzer. Histological parameters used in this study included 10 items :total intact osteon area (X1), intact osteon number (X2), average intact osteon area (X3), total Haversian canal area (X4), average Haversian canal area (X5), total fragmentary osteon area (X6), fragmentary osteon number (X7), average fragmentary osteon area (X8), total visible osteocyte number (X9), and total visible osteon density (X10). The results showed that intact osteon number, total Haversian canal area, average Haversian canal area, fragmentary osteon number, total visible osteon density increased with age, the correlation coefficients were 0.896, 0.835, 0.491, 0.748 and 0.906 respectively; and average intact osteon area, average fragmentary osteon area, total visible osteocyte number decreased with age, the correlation coefficients were -0.750, -0.767 and -0.715 respectively; but total intact osteon area and total fragmentary osteon area didn' t change with age significantly (r=-0.005, 0.011). Then the 10 parameters were subjected to multiple stepwise regression analysis to produce an equation: Y =33.545 +0.938X2 +249.144X4 +0.676X7 -769.784X8 -0.004X9, its multiple correlation coefficient and standard error of estimate were 0.954 and 4.14, respectively. When the formula was tested on 30 specimens, 77% of the estimated ages fall within ±5 years of actual ages, and 100% of the estimated ages fall within ±8 years of actual ages. This paper provides a new method of age determination by bone for forensic medicine and anthropology.
    Longitudinal study on growth and development in 478 individuals of middle school student at Wuhu, East China
    HUA Zhao-he ; ZHAN Jie ; NIU Zhi-dian ; WANG Mei; ZHANG Sheng ; CHEN Chi
    2002, 21(02):  134-138. 
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    The result from tracing investigation on growth and development was reported. It was based upon 478 students of Han nationality in Wuhu No. 9 middle school, including 245 males and 233 females. The survey were carried out from September, 1997 to September, 1999. The measurements included stature, body weight, chest girth and menarche. Ververck Index about the development of physical morphology was analysed. Difference of growth and development between male and female students were compared. By comparing our data with that of the average of the Hans in the city proper of Anhui, and that of Wuhu in 1986 —1988. The probable causes of difference were analysed. We had a discussion about the tendency that the growth and development in juvenile are accelerating.
    Analyses of skin reflectance in the Han Chinese and Tibetan populations
    WANG Hong ; ; LI Hui ; WU Hong ; KE Yue-hai ; XU Hong-yan ; XIAO Jun-hua ; SHRIVER Mark ; XIONG Mo-miao ; LU Da-ru ; LIU Wei-da ; JIN Li;
    2002, 21(02):  139-146. 
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    Genetic and environmental factors are involved in the determination of skin pigmentation in humans. With the recent development of statistics and genetic tools in mapping complex traits in hu- mans, it becomes possible to utilize such methods in identifying genes involved in skin pigmentation. Furthermore, the use of new portable reflectance spectroscopy instruments such as the Photovolt ColorWalk colorimeter allows researchers to measure the skin reflectance from a large number of subjects with ease and accuracy for collecting phenotype data for genetic studies. In this report, we studied the skin reflectance of 372 Han Chinese and 274 Tibetan to establish background reflectance measurements of unexposed skin of the inner upper arm in these two populations using a new portable instrument (Photovolt ColorWalk). We investigated the effect of various factors such as age, gender, latitude, and ethnicity on skin reflectance. The normality of the distribution of skin reflectance was also investigated. Strategies for genetic studies of skin reflectance were suggested based on the results of this study.
    Study of fingerpringt patterns and toe-print patterns of leef-handed population in Han nationality
    ZHANG Lian-zhu ; LIU Cai-xian; NI Chun-juan; DONG XU-liang
    2002, 21(02):  147-154. 
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    The authors compared and analyzed the differences of fingerprints and toe-prints between some of left-handed and right-handed people of Han nationality in Changzhi area. Results showed : some of the frequencies of observed index in the left-handed population, including the A、At、Lr frequencies of fingerprints and A、As frequencies of toe-prints were all much lower than those of the con- trol group while the others observed frequencies in the left-handed population, including the W、Wd frequencies of fingerprints and toe-prints were all much higher than those of the control group. Conclusion: Fingerprints and toe-prints of the left-handed population have their own heredity.
    U-series dating of fossil teeth from Lianhua Cave in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province
    PAN Ya-juan ; SHEN Guan-jun ; FANG Ying-san
    2002, 21(02):  155-157. 
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    Lianhua Cave in the southern suburb of Zhengjiang City is one of the few hominid fossil- containing localities in Jiangsu Province. A human lower molar and numerous mammalian fossils of 16 species were recovered during an excavation season in 1981. Based on biostratigraphic studies, this site has been assigned to Late Pleistocene in time.
    230Th/234U and 227Th /230Th age determinations were carried out on two in situ collected mammalian teeth, obtaining broadly consistent dates ranging from 104 to 136 ka, which should be indicative to the age of the hominid tooth.
    Morphologically the human tooth has been classified to late Homo sapiens. If correct, the present dates imply an early presence of late Homo sapiens in the lower reaches of Yangtse River. Parallel studies on Ganqian (Tubo), Liujiang and Bailiandong hominid sites in Guangxi, southern China, yielded similar results. Taken together, much earlier than previously estimated appearance of modern humans might be a general phenomenon in extended areas of China.
    On cultral attributes in terms of alluvial taphonomic backgroud at the Dingcun sites--a controversial argument with Prof.Zhang Senshui
    WANG Yi-ren
    2002, 21(02):  158-169. 
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    Since the discovery of the Dingcun site in 1955, the cultural attributes of the Dingcun Culture have not been changed too much. The lithic assemblages unearthed from localities along the Fenhe River have been assigned to single culture. In 1990, Prof. Zhang Senshui took Loc.54∶100 out of the Dingcun Culture and assigned it into the Small Paleolithic Tradition in North China.
    The article argues that adopting industry instead of the terms such as culture and tradition is totally irrelevant. Prof. Zhang invented the term main industries to establish Chinese Paleolithic frameworks. However, his understanding of industry is different from that used in western literatures. Such subjective or personally defined terminology will cause worse than better for scientific study, and produce tremendous confusion among colleagues.
    Prof. Zhang' s framework for Chinese Paleolithic contains some substantial mistakes.
    1. It is totally misleading to establish different industries or cultures merely based on dimensional measurements of lithic artifacts.
    2. Dimensional attributes of a lithic assemblage might have been attributed to many elements such as raw material variation, lithic technology, utilization of tools, etc.The size of stone artifacts is determined more by their raw materials and functions rather than cultural traditions.
    3. Dimensional variations between different localities at the Dingcun sites might have been caused by post-depositional dynamics rather than human behavior. Thus, lacking taphonomic analysis and relevant evidence, Prof. Zhang' s explanation is totally unacceptable.
    4. Prof. Zhang regards his“separate studies paradigms” of the Dingcun sites as a big achievement for Paleolithic archaeology. He has treated various Dingcun sites individually, searching for their differences, assigning them into different traditions. Based on the perspective of settlement pattern, Prof. Zhang' s paradimgs is absolutely obsolete.
    5. According to the concept of catchment analysis, ancient groups at the Dingcun site might have occupied a territory more than the space where the sites are presently located. It can not be imagined that during the Middle Pleistocene, there were different ethnic groups who adopted different lithic industries coexisting only 800 m apart without any cultural exchange along the Fenhe River !