Identification of traumatic lesions and artificial cut marks on the Zhoukoudian Homo erectus crania
Received date: 2021-12-23
Revised date: 2022-01-27
Online published: 2022-08-10
In the 1940s, Franz Weidenreich speculated that human activities were responsible for depressions, scars, cracks and grooves observed on exocranial surfaces of fossil skulls unearthed at the Zhoukoudian (ZKD) Locality 1. These findings prompted him to suggest that Sinanthropus pekinensis (ZKD Homo erectus) practiced cannibalism, sparking debates by scholars and science enthusiasts as to whether Sinanthropus pekinensis engaged in this activity. The human fossils found at the Zhoukoudian Locality 1 represent about 40 individual. Unfortunately, almost all of the specimens were lost during the World War II, with only written descriptions, pictures and casts of the skulls remaining. Here, five casts of ZKD H. erectus specimens (ZKD II, ZKD VI, ZKD X, ZKD XI, ZKD XII) were examined to determine whether exocranial surface marks described by Weidenreich might have been created through human agency. The results indicated: 1) Among the eight marks on ZKD X, XI and XII crania attributed to suspected cannibalistic activity, seven were confirmed to be localized wounds caused by non-fatal blows to victims’heads occurring prior to death; these marks exhibited signs of healing; 2) The depressed crack on the ZKD VI cranial fragment resulted from a severe blow to the head that lacked signs of healing; 3) Sulci and grooves reported by Weidenreich as suspected man-made cut marks on parietal bones of ZKD II and VI were actually caused by natural factors or animal gnawing activities. Ultimately, all exocranial trauma marks on ZKD H. erectus skull surfaces as reported by Weidenreich were examined, with parietal bone involvement predominating and frontal bone involvement observed to a lesser degree. Exocranial locations of these trauma marks are consistent with patterns of skull damage known to result from violent interpersonal combat. Taken together, the results of this study confirm that ZKD H. erectus crania exhibited signs of trauma that did not result from cannibalistic activities. As for the specimens used in this paper are casts, there are limitations compared with original fossils, and further verification by fossil evidence is needed in the future.
Key words： Trauma; cut mark; Zhoukoudian Homo erectus; crania
Xiujie WU . Identification of traumatic lesions and artificial cut marks on the Zhoukoudian Homo erectus crania[J]. Acta Anthropologica Sinica, 2022 , 41(04) : 608 -617 . DOI: 10.16359/j.1000-3193/AAS.2022.0021
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