Honggou Site

Honggou Site

The Honggou Site is a cultural relic protection unit of Henan Province.

The “Honggou Site” is situated in the inner angle where the Yellow River and the Luo River meet, buried deep beneath Pleistocene loess about 60 to 70 meters high. It lies approximately seven to eight kilometers east of the ancient Luorui area. The discovery of this Paleolithic human site caused an undeniable sensation at the time. The Henan Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau invited numerous well-known domestic experts to visit the excavation site for inspection and guidance, and organized an on-site expert meeting. Some stone tools were carefully appraised, and certain animal fossils were identified and classified. Later, scientific research departments including Peking University, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, and the Ministry of Nuclear Industry used the “fission track dating method” to determine that the Honggou Paleolithic site was an ancient human activity site dating back 110,000 to 130,000 years. Although the Honggou Site does not provide a comprehensive reflection of the lives of the people in the Heluo region over 100,000 years ago, it has offered valuable information for archaeological researchers. For example, what were the living conditions of the Heluo people at that time? Did they live in groups in caves, in trees, or had they already developed the ability to dig dwellings in loess cliffs?

The Honggou Paleolithic site represents cultural remains from the early to middle stages of the transition from Homo erectus to Homo sapiens. People at that time not only knew how to use wooden tools, flaked stone tools, and bone tools, but more importantly, they could cooperate and live together, as well as use and preserve fire. With their intelligence, they were able to create a new living environment in the Heluo region, displaying distinct regional characteristics. Therefore, the “Honggou people” can be regarded as the pioneers of the land of elephants in Henan and the earliest founders of “Heluo Culture.”

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units