Acta Anthropologica Sinica ›› 1982, Vol. 1 ›› Issue (02): 109-117.

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A human fossil tooth and fossil mammals from Nanzhao, Henan

Qiu Zhonglang, Xu Chunhua, Zhang Weihua, Wang Rulin, Wang Jianzhong, Zhao Chengfu   

  • Online:1982-06-15 Published:1982-06-15

Abstract: One fossil human tooth and some mammalian fossils described here were collected and unearthed by the authors in the autumn of 1978 from the Xinghua hill foot (112°41z E, 33°28, N) located at 3.5 kilometers North-west of Yunyang city, Nanzhao county, Nanyang Prefecture, Henan Province.
All fossils were buried in the brown yellow sandy clay situated in the second terrace, the surface of which is about 7 meters above the Jibe River water-level.
The deposits of this site may be divided into 5 layers ( vide Fig. 3)
1. Disturbed deposit. 0—Im thick.
2. Brown black sandy clay. 0— .8 m thick.
3. Brown sandy clay. 0.5 m thick.
4. Sandy gravel. 0.1—Im thick.
5. Brown yellow sandy clay (The fossils were found in this layer). 1.8m thick.
The human tooth is a right lower second premolar, bigger than that of modern man, but similar to Sinanthropus, we attributed the Nanzhao specimen to Homo erectus in the stage of human evolution according to the faunal evidence.
Fossil species from the site can be summarized as follows (vide Chinese list 1)
Among the mammalian remains of the site, there is the element of Tertiary period Machairodontinae, which survived into Middle Pleistocene, and there are also the characteristic forms of Middle Pleistocene, such as Hyaena sinensis and Megaloceros pachyo- steus. Judging from the mammalian fossils of the locality, the age of the fossiliferous bed is considered as Middle Pleistocene and corresponds to that of Sinanthropus.
In the site, some of North China Middle Pleistocene mammals, such as Equus san- menierms and Megaloceros pachyosteusf lived together with a few elements of South China, Stegodon and Tapirus augustus. The faunal knowledge of the transitional province between North China and South China provinces of the Quaternary mammals of China in Middle Pleistocene is enriched further.
According to the ecology of the fauna, it seems that when Nanzhao man lived, the natural environment of Nanzhao district was similar to the natural landscape of Nan- zhao region of today.

Key words: Nanzhao, Homo erectus, Mammalian fossils, Middle Pleistocene