关键词: 早期人类;第一次大迁徙;早更新世;中更新世;非洲;亚洲;欧洲

Abstract: A series of important archaeological sites discovered on the Eurasian continent are enumerated here including conclusive evidence and recent research results, that establish a strong “ Out-of-Africa” background of human o rig in as imagined so fa r. How ever, a discussio n o f the East-Asia origin hypothesis is also examined here.
The first mig ration tide of early man is undoubtedly the most splendid event of the Quaternary period. Thus it naturally becomes a focal point o f Quaternary research. In accordance with current archaeological evidence some relevant knowledge can be confirmed as following:
1. In the Old World a grand migration o f early man occurred in the early Quaternary. Human traces were not only vastly distributed in many parts o f Africa , the assumed place o f human o rig in, but also expanded to most parts of Eurasia continent, including the East Asian portion of the Arctic Circle, southeast to Java, and the Japanese Archipelago. In Europe early ma n reached northwest England in the erly stag es o f the expansion. The above-mentioned areas do not only comprise tropical and sub-tropical zones, but also a wide temperate zone.
2. This migration started during the early Early Pleistocene, soon after the appearance o f the earliest hominids, and lasted throughout the entire Middle Pleistocene. The earliest date o f“ Out of Africa” was determined at about 1. 5 mya according to the Jordan Valley site, Ubeidya which is located at the joint of Africa and Eurasia. It is calculated that early man reached East Asia less than 1 mya and Europe much later during the Middle Pleistocene. The aforementioned knowledge is difficult to maintain when w e look at recent re- search and discoveries. Accepting 2 mya as the latest date is not a simple hypo thesis any more.
3. Although it is argued that Homo ergaster may be the same species as Homo erectus, its age precedes Homo habilis and therefore might be the earliest actor of“ Out-of-Africa” . Even if some earlier Homo sapiens participated in this mig ratio n in the late Middle Pleistocene, the fact is that it w as Homo erectus who played the leading role in this migration. At this time little is know n of the first mig ration and many key points are still in question. For example, to date there is no defined fountainhead of the earliest migration and no definite time outline. Because Palaeoanth ropologists do not have fossil evidence showing the earliest level of human origin, “ It remains a mystery to this day” ( Wu, 1994). Al- though we are inclined to believe humans originated in Africa and appeared 3-2. 5 mya, our discussions are based o n mere hypothesis.
1. Artifacts and human fossils found in Africa ( Hadar and Omo in Ethopia) can be back to about 2. 5 mya. They are 500 kya earlier than those know n in Asia a nd Europe.
2. The mo re important is there comes out a numbers o f Australopithecus fossils dated as 4—1 mya in Africa. These hominids did not have too l technology but walked upright and possessed other substantial hominid characteristics, thus they are deemed “ pre-human” . Australopithecus fossils a re found only in Africa. To date, there has been no such evidence discovered in East Asia o r Euro pe. Despite this evidence, “ Out o f Africa” is only one hypo thesis for the origin o f man. The Asia origin theory also has a history of one hundred years and is held by many schola rs today. There exists evidence favorable to this theory:
1. Asian hominoid fossils( 5 mya) of Miocene are no t only rich but existed longer than those of Africa ( 13 mya ) and Europe( 10 mya) . In other words, they are closer to “ pre-human” o r true human;
2. Homo erectus o f Asia a re as old as that in Africa and richer than the latter.
3. Paleolithic sites recently discovered in the Nihewan Basin of North China, are older than 1 mya. The too l technology a t these sites is quite advanced and difficult to classify as primary product of early man. JiaLanpo says that these technologies must have had a developing period before these know n dates. In accordance with this view , he supposes that there exists earlier hominid traces in China. Regarding human origin, he supports the possibility o f 4 mya as the earliest beginnings for hominids. He especially stresses the plentiful hominoid fossils found in Zhupeng-Xiaohedi o f the Yuanmou Basin including one skull, sev enteen maxillia and mandibles, and thousands of teeth. There are opposing opinions o n the determination of“ w ho they a re” and“ how old they a re” . Some accept them as human, others as “ ape” . Some place them in the Early Pleistocene, others in Pliocene o r later Miocene. No matter what conclusion it is, these materials lay in the key period for the ex- ploration o f human origin. One author of the present paper have examined the fragmentary bones and antlers in association with these fossils. They w ere mentioned as artificial products, but that is disputable. We believe deeper and more meticulous taphonamical work will clear-up the above-mentioned disputes and perhaps gain exceptional achievements.
The driving force o f the first migration is a critical topic that requires further re- search. The global changes of climate and environment a re the mo st decisive factor of human emergence and dispersal. Mo reover, some researchers pay much attention on the “ coo ling event” o f late Pliocene and think that it not only triggered the early emergence of H. habilis and H. ergaster from Australopithecus but also spurred them to leave their Africa n home in search of new lands.

Key words: Early man, The first migration, Early Pleistocene, Middle Pleistocene, Africa, Asia, Europe