Site of Hexian Man

Site of Hexian Man

The Site of Hexian Man is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Site of Hexian Man is located on the northern slope of Jiangjia Mountain in Taodian Town, Hexian County, Anhui Province.

The Site of Hexian Man is composed of Pleistocene limestone cave deposits. Two archaeological excavations were carried out at the site in October 1980 and June 1981, yielding one human fossilized skullcap, a section of the lower jaw, a parietal bone, a part of the frontal bone supraorbital region, 11 molars (both upper and lower), and one upper medial incisor. These fossil materials represent at least three individuals, with the skullcap belonging to a young male. Except for significant loss at the base of the skull, most of the cranial vault is preserved. Morphologically, it displays many typical characteristics of Homo erectus, such as a low and flat cranial vault, a distinctly backward-sloping frontal bone, relatively thick cranial walls, a small brain capacity (about 1025 ml), the maximum width of the skull located relatively low, well-developed brow ridges and occipital tori, and a distinct angular transition between the occipital plane and the nuchal plane. Overall, the Hexian Man skull is quite similar in morphology to that of Peking Man, but it also shows some more progressive features. It is currently believed to be contemporaneous with the later phase of Peking Man.

In the same stratum where the Hexian Man fossils were discovered, a large number of vertebrate fossils were also found, preliminarily identified as belonging to over 50 species. These include reptiles such as turtles, soft-shelled turtles, and the Yangtze alligator; birds such as the Sichuan pheasant; and mammals such as voles, rats, macaques, wolves, jackals, foxes, hog badgers, otters, Chinese dogs, saber-toothed tigers, Chinese cats, leopards, giant pandas, brown bears, Stegodon orientalis, horses, Chinese tapirs, rhinoceroses with nasal horns, wild boars, sika deer, Père David's deer, large deer, buffalo, and others. These animal fossils date back to the Middle Pleistocene.

The discovery of Hexian Man provides important physical evidence for the study of human origins and development, as well as for exploring the similarities and differences between ancient humans in the south and north of China. (National Cultural Heritage Administration)

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units