China News Agency, Wuhan, February 14th: How does the No. 3 skull fossil of "Yunxian Man" prove the history of human evolution over millions of years?
——Interview with Lu Chengqiu, associate researcher of Hubei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, and head of the archaeological project of Xuetang Liangzi site
China News Agency reporter Liang Ting Ma Furong
The "Yunxian Man" No. 3 skull fossil located at the Liangzi site of Yunyang Xuetang in Shiyan, Hubei was extracted and unearthed in December 2022. This is the most complete ancient human skull fossil of the same age found in inland Eurasia so far.
This discovery is one of the new discoveries of the major project "Archaeological China" of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage in 2022, and was selected as one of the top ten international archaeological news released by China Central Radio and Television in 2022.
How was the No. 3 skull fossil of "Yunxian Man" discovered?
What are the characteristics?
Why does it provide an important basis for demonstrating the millions of years of human evolution history in China?
China News Agency's "East and West Question" recently interviewed Lu Chengqiu, an associate researcher at the Hubei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology and the person in charge of the archaeological project at the Xuetang Liangzi site.
Video: [Dongxi asked] How does the No. 3 skull fossil of "Yunxian Man" prove the history of human evolution over millions of years?
Source: China News Network
The interview transcript is summarized as follows:
China News Agency reporter: What was the process of excavating the No. 3 skull fossil of "Yunxian Man"? What protection work has been done so far?
Lu Chengqiu:
On the morning of May 18, 2022, when the archaeological team of Xuetang Liangzi site excavated in the site, they found a fossil that was very similar to a human skull fossil. Through the video connection, I had a preliminary judgment at that time.
In the afternoon, I rushed to the scene from Wuhan. At that time, only half of the fossil was exposed, and the other half was still in the original stratum. The skull has obvious eyebrow arches, combined with the characteristics of the size, curvature and outline of the skull.
I basically judge that this is an ancient human skull fossil.
Later, through a video connection with paleoanthropologists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, it was further confirmed that this fossil was an ancient human skull fossil.
My team members and I are very excited. We are very lucky to have this discovery. We should have made history.
Skull excavation extraction.
Photo courtesy of Hubei Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology
The "Yunxian Man" No. 3 skull fossil is located 62 centimeters below the surface, buried in a sandy soil layer with certain calcareous cement.
After preliminary cleaning, the frontal bone (including brow ridge), orbital bone, parietal bone, left zygomatic bone, temporal bone and left occipital bone were exposed.
The exposed parts of the fossils are well preserved, with clear shapes and definite human attributes.
What's more valuable is that the shape of the skull is basically normal, without obvious deformation.
This skull fossil was released on May 18, 2022, and was extracted and unearthed on December 3 of the same year, which took more than half a year.
In order to protect the fossils, an archaeological shelter with constant temperature and humidity was subsequently built.
The extracted and unearthed skulls are properly stored in special safes.
Archaeological shelter.
Photo by Liu Yi
During the excavation process, the archaeological team used scientific and technological means to record the relics at the site. In the skull excavation area of 4 square meters, the exploration area of 1 square meter was divided into four sub-squares, and each 2 cm was used as an operation layer for fine excavation.
At the same time, multidisciplinary sampling was carried out, and around human fossils and other remains, a large number of sedimentary samples were systematically collected for multidisciplinary research such as age, environment, burial, residue and molecular biology analysis. High-definition real-scene 3D modeling has been achieved, and massive excavation pictures, videos and data have been retained.
In addition, for the purpose of protecting cultural relics and preserving samples for subsequent multidisciplinary research such as geology, residues, and molecular biology analysis, stratum deposits about 2 cm thick were reserved on the upper right side of the unearthed skull, and about 10 cm below were reserved Thick base of stratigraphic deposits.
Sample collection.
Photo courtesy of Hubei Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology
China News Agency reporter: So far, this is the third time that a well-preserved human skull fossil has been discovered at the Xuetang Liangzi site. What are the characteristics of each? What historical mysteries about human evolution have been solved?
Lu Chengqiu:
In 1989 and 1990, two ancient human skull fossils were discovered at the Xuetang Liangzi site in Yunxian County, Hubei Province. According to the characteristics of the skull, they belonged to the type of Homo erectus and were named "Homo erectus in Yunxian County".
These two human skull fossils are considered by experts to be ancient human fossils about 1 million years ago, which proves the history of human evolution in China for millions of years.
The No. 3 skull fossil of "Yunxian Man" is located in the same stratum as the No. 1 and No. 2 skull fossils.
Among them, No. 1 is 3.3 meters away from No. 2 and 33 meters away from No. 3.
If the discovery of No. 1 and No. 2 skull fossils is accidental, then the appearance of No. 3 skull fossils may indicate that this place is a place where ancient humans often moved rather than a temporary camp.
The distant view of Liangzi Site of Xuetang.
Photo by Liu Yi
Compared with the No. 1 and No. 2 skull fossils of "Yunxian Man", no obvious deformation was found when the No. 3 skull fossil was unearthed. It is the most complete ancient human skull fossil found in the Eurasian inland so far. Its Homo erectus morphological characteristics It is more clear and can provide more information on traits, which will largely make up for the lack of deformation of the first two skull fossils.
The No. 3 skull fossil of "Yunxian Man" retains important and rare anatomical features of humans at this stage, which can not only provide reliable research data, but also help the restoration of No. 1 and No. 2.
The data of the three skull fossils corroborate each other.
Archaeologists repair fossils.
Photo by Liu Yi
China News Agency reporter: What is the significance of the "Yunxian Man" No. 3 skull fossil for the study of the evolution history of ancient humans in Asia? What kind of story of the evolution of the ancestors of the hometown of oriental humans does it tell later generations?
Lu Chengqiu:
At present, the ancient human fossils in East Asia that are more than 1 million years old include 7 teeth of Homo erectus Jianshi more than 2 million years ago, 2 teeth of Homo Yuanmou about 1.7 million years ago, and 1.63 million to 1.15 million years ago. The Wannian Lantian Man was severely deformed and damaged one cranium and part of the jaw. These materials can provide very limited physical, morphological, structural and genetic information of early humans, and there are still many limitations in the study and understanding of them.
The Yunxian people, about 1 million years ago, are in the middle of the research on the development of ancient humans, filling the gap in the evolution and development of ancient humans in Asia.
The "Yunxian Man" No. 3 skull fossil is in the middle and key link of the evolution of ancient humans for nearly 2 million years. It can be used for exploring the evolution model of ancient humans in East Asia, the origin of Homo erectus in East Asia, and the relationship between Homo erectus and Homo sapiens in East Asia. Provide detailed and critical fossil and cultural evidence, in order to demonstrate the millions of years of human evolution history in the land of China, tell the story of the evolution and cultural development of the ancestors of the oriental human hometown, and provide important basis and information for key nodes.
Archaeologists repair fossils.
Photo by Liu Yi
The site where the "Yunxian Man" No. 3 skull fossil was discovered - the Qinling Mountains and the upper reaches of the Hanshui River where the Xuetang Liangzi site is located, is a very important sacred place for human evolution in China and the world.
About 2.12 million years ago, the earliest stone artifacts outside of Africa were discovered near Shangchen Village, Lantian, Shaanxi. The Lantian ape-man skull of Gongwangling, which was found between 1.63 million and 1.15 million years ago, was found in Hubei for about 1 million years. The former Yunxian Homo erectus, the Meipu Homo erectus about the same period, the Bailongdong Homo erectus about 500,000 years ago, the Huanglongdong early modern man about 100,000 years ago, and more than 150 archaeological sites from various periods of the Paleolithic Age Distributed in this area, it constitutes the corridor of human migration and evolution for 2 million years.
These remains indicate that the region experienced frequent migration and hunting-gathering activities by different groups of people in different periods in ancient times.
Our ancestors adapted to survive, work and multiply in this mountainous region, leaving archaeologists with rich and precious cultural heritage and important scientific resources for reconstructing the history of Paleolithic humans.
Unearthed animal fossils.
Photo by Liu Yi
China News Agency reporter: In the next stage, what research and exploration will be carried out on the No. 3 skull fossil of "Yunxian Man", and what is its significance?
Lu Chengqiu:
At present, the No. 3 skull fossil of "Yunxian Man" has been successfully extracted and unearthed, and has entered the stage of restoration and research.
After necessary repairs and removal of excess surrounding rock and cement, the "Yunxian Man" No. 3 skull fossil will be sent to the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences for tomographic scanning, Data extraction and morphological reconstruction, and then transported back to the site for further observation and research.
Researchers observe and study archaeological sampling materials.
Photo by Liu Yi
We used a variety of methods and multi-disciplinary joint research to conduct detailed research on the "Yunxian Man" No. 3 skull fossil in terms of shape, structure, age, sex, and burial conditions.
Near the skull fossils, some associated stone artifacts and animal fossils were unearthed. Systematic observation and research will be conducted in the future to explore the relationship between humans, animals, and stone artifacts, and then analyze the physical characteristics, evolutionary status and culture of "Yunxian people" With technical features and adapted to the way of life.
Unearthed tiger and other fossils.
Photo courtesy of Hubei Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology
Because a lot of precious scientific information is preserved in the soil, fossils and other substances around the skull fossils, archaeologists collected more than 1,400 samples around a 4 square meter area around the skull fossils.
In addition to satisfying the current scientific research, it also reserves enough space and samples for possible later scientific research activities.
In the future, archaeology, paleoanthropology, geology, paleoenvironmental and multi-method chronological analysis will be comprehensively carried out, as well as phylogenetic and possible genetic research based on the big data matrix of ancient human morphological characteristics, so as to comprehensively obtain "Yun The shape, structure, genetics of the "Xianren" No. 3 skull and the precious scientific information contained in the symbiotic cultural relics and relics reveal its scientific value in the stage of human evolution and cultural development status, and provide a basis for the later restoration of ancient human behavior, Provide materials and basis for interpreting their living adaptation methods and cultural abilities.
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Respondent profile:
Lu Chengqiu, Zhuang nationality, associate researcher of Hubei Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology.
Mainly engaged in Paleolithic archaeological research, has presided over more than 20 archaeological excavation projects and more than 50 field archaeological investigations, including Yunxian Xuetang Liangzi Site, Nanzhangchuan Miaoshan Cemetery, Shayang Yejiawan Site, Zhongxiang Zhaizishan Site, etc. He conducted archaeological excavations of Yunxi Bailong Cave, Tianmen Longzui, Tianmen Shijiahe, and the French Arago ruins. He was responsible for and personally dissected and excavated the Tanjialing city site, which is another important archaeological discovery of the Shijiahe ruins. , 2017 Top Ten Major Field Archaeological Discoveries in the World and the Second Prize of 2018 Field Archaeological Excavations of the Chinese Archaeological Society.
One of the main editors of "Planning Plan for the Protection of Cultural Relics in Danjiangkou Reservoir Area, Hubei Province, the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project" (first edition); one of the deputy editors of "Tianmen Longzui", successively published in "Jianghan Archeology", "PNPNAS", "Quaternary International" and other journals Published more than 20 articles.