Longtan Cave Site

Longtan Cave Site

The Longtan Cave Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Longtan Cave Site, also known as the Hexian Ape Man Site or the Hexian Ape Man Site at Longtan Cave, is located in Hexian County, Chaohu City, Anhui Province. It lies on the northern slope of Wangjiashan in Taodian Township, about 45 kilometers northwest of the county seat. Situated in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, it is geographically midway between the sites of Peking Man and Java Man. The cave is formed within Cambrian dolomite strata and is situated 23 meters above sea level. In the winter of 1973, while constructing water conservancy facilities, local farmers from Taodian Township discovered abundant vertebrate fossils buried inside Longtan Cave. Researchers from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with archaeologists from the provincial and county authorities, jointly investigated the site. On November 4, 1980, they unearthed a complete ape man skullcap, a fragment of the left lower jaw, and three scattered teeth. This skullcap is of medium size, with a thick cranial bone, a low and flat forehead, and prominent brow ridges. Based on the unfused coronal, sagittal, and lambdoid sutures, experts estimate that the Hexian Ape Man was around 20 years old. Crude stone tools, bone implements, charred bone fragments, and ash remains were also discovered. Within the same cave deposit layer, fossils of 25 mammalian species were found, bringing the total to over 50 species when including birds and reptiles. Among them were northern species such as the giant deer, saber-toothed tiger, and giant beaver, as well as southern species like the stegodon, Chinese gibbon, and hyena.

The animal fossils found at the Longtan Cave Site are diverse and densely distributed, representing a transitional fauna between northern and southern regions. This provides important new clues for the study of ancient climates and paleo-fauna, as well as physical evidence for disciplines such as geology and hydrology. Experts have preliminarily determined that the Hexian Ape Man skullcap dates back 300,000 years to the Middle Pleistocene epoch of the Paleolithic Age. Its discovery offers significant physical evidence for studying human origins and development, comparing similarities and differences between ancient humans from the north and south, and exploring the roots of Chinese culture and the geological evolution of the Yangtze River terraces. On September 8, 1981, with approval from the People’s Government of Anhui Province, the Hexian Ape Man Site at Longtan Cave was designated as a Provincial Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. In January 1988, with approval from the State Council, it was recognized as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Address: Northern slope of Wangjiashan, Taodian Township, 45 kilometers northwest of Hexian County seat