Acta Anthropologica Sinica ›› 1997, Vol. 16 ›› Issue (02): 87-95.

    Next Articles

On the problems of seeking the earliest (about 2 Ma) human remains in china

Zhang Senshui   

  • Online:1997-06-15 Published:1997-06-15

Abstract: Most archeologists and paleoanth ropologists claim that the human originate in Africa, w e consider that Asia, specially China, could no t be neglected to be a possible region o f the human origin, because many fossils o f ancient apes from over 10 Ma to about 4 Ma, human fossils and cultural remains from 1. 7 Ma to upper paleolithic have been found in China. Because human fossils and cultural relics dated about 2 Ma had not yet been discovered a n empty gap of the human evolution clearly exists between the fossil ape and Homo erectus there.
On the basis of paleo sedimentary environment of early Pleistocene and the characters o f stone artifacts o f pre-early paleolithic, China could be able to make a greater contribution to the subject o n the human origin study. If the extensive survey and the multi-disciplinary study will be undertaken in the important regions of China, such as Nihewan basin, Yuanmou basin and Three Gorge region, it is w ell promising to encounter the earliest ( about 2 Ma bp) cultural remains and to fill in the empty gapmentioned above.