Table of Content

15 September 2007, Volume 26 Issue 03

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The 2006 excavation of Huanglong cave in Yunxi County, Hubei

WU Xianzhu, WU Xiujie, CHEN Minghui QU Sheng2ming , PEI Shuwen , LIU Wu

2007, 26(03):  193-205. 

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The Huanglong Cave site, which is located in the Lishiguan village, Xiangkou town, Yunxi County, Hubei Province, is an important late Pleistocene human fossil site of China. After the discovery of the site in 2004, two excavations were carried out in Huanglong Cave in 2004 and 2005, respectively. From October 21 to November 20, 2006, it was excavated again by a joint archaeological team including scientists from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (Chinese Academy of Sciences), Institute of Archeology and Cultural Relics of Hubei Province and the Cultural Bureau of Yunxi County. The new excavation unearthed two human teeth, a large number of cultural remains (11 stone artifacts and 6 bone artifacts), and more than 1500 mammalian faunal remains. During the excavation, we also surveyed the cave deposits and accessed the geomorphologic character around the cave. The cave developmental process, evidence for human occupation behaviors and other related issues are discussed in the paper.

A preliminary report on the excavations of Shuidonggou localities 3, 4, 5 in Ningxia

WANG Huimin, PEI Shuwen , MA Xiaoling, FENG Xingwu

2007, 26(03):  206-221. 

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Localities 3, 4 and 5, which are distributed along the southwest margin of the Shuidonggou basin, are the important localities of the Shuidonggou site. These three localities originally discovered in 1923 were excavated from August to October 2004, as part of a salvage archaeological operation due to the construction of a diversion channel for the Ningdong Heavy Chemical Base. These excavations exposed an area of about 110 m2, with more than 1000 stone artifacts and ostrich egg fragments.
The upper cultural layer and surface lithic assemblage includes a total of 928 pieces (479 from surface and 347 from Layer 1of Locality 4; 102 from the upper layer and surface of Localities 3, 5). More than 30 % of the artifacts are blades and there is a high percentage of chert. Preliminary technological analysis of retouched tools plus analysis of the stage of fossilization of ostrich egg fragments (including age of extinction for the ostrich in this region) indicate that the lithic assemblages from localities3, 4 and 5 is dated from the end Upper Paleolithic to the early Lower Neolithic.
The lower cultural layer lithic assemblage includes about 85 pieces that were excavated from Layer 6 at the three localities. Analysis of the type, morphology and technique of stone artifacts indicates that this layer seems to be more primitive in its cultural features than the upper cultural layer. Approximately 6115 % of the raw materials were dolomite, an observation that shows similarities to the Shuidonggou cultural layer of the Upper Paleolithic in North China. Cores, flakes, blade and bifacally retouched tools are the main classes. There are no typical microliths or Levallois2style cores. The principal manufacturing technique is direct hammer percussion with common core preparation. Bipolar and soft2hammer percussion are used here.
Stratigraphic comparison of the three localities with localities 1 and 7 at Shuidonggou have yielded an age earlier than found at cultural layer 8 as well as similarities to the cultural layer of Locality 7, therefore placing the lower cultural layers of the three localities to the late Upper Pleistocene.
Therefore, it can be concluded that the stone tool assemblages of the lower cultural layer shows a close affinity with Shuidonggou 1 Upper Paleolithic cultural characters, whereas the lithic industry from the upper layer and collectors ( include many microliths) indicates a close relationship with Shuidonggou 6 localities. Bifacial artifacts were a new discovery at the Shuidonggou site. The newly discovered cultural remains enrich the research context of the Shuidonggou site, but are also of great significance in the study of the cultural relationship between the Shuidonggou site and adjacent areas in North China.

A report on the 1993 excavation of Xianrendong paleolithic site in Huadian, Jilin Site in Huadian , Jilin

CHEN Quanjia, ZHAO Hailong, WANG Fagang

2007, 26(03):  222-236. 

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The Xianrendong cave site (43°09′N , 126°37′E) is situated on Shoushan Hill 2. 3 km northeast to Yumuqiaozi town, in Huadian County, Jilin Province, and was excavated during May2June 1993.
The cave deposit is divided into five layers, with artifacts found in layers 224. A total of 197 stone artifacts, 19 bone artifacts including 1 polished bone tool and many animal fossils were found in the deposits.
The upper cultural layer produced an uncalibrated AMS14C date of 34, 290 ±510 BP on fossil bone (93HX. AT21 ②: 4). Based on the evidence of the polished bone artifact, finely retouched obsidian end scraper with convex edge and an adze2like tool found in the upper cultural layer, we suggest that this layer belongs to the Upper Paleolithic.
Layer 4 of the lower cultural layer produced a U2series date of 16. 21 ±1. 80 (1. 58) ka BP. On fossil bone (93HX. AT21 ④:61、65) . The precise date of Layer 3 is unclear, but because the Layer 3 and Layer 4 strata is continuous and the deposits are similar, we suggest that Layer 3 and Layer 4 are attributed to the same period. It is believed that the lower cultural layer is probably dated to the Late Lower Paleolithic to the Middle Paleolithic.
The stone artifact assemblage of the Xianrendong cave site is very similar to that of Jinniushan and thus, the cultural relationship between these two sites is very close. Xianrendong artifacts can be attributed to the main industry of Paleolithic tradition in North China , as represented by small stone artifacts.

A morphological comparison of two homo erectus crania: Nanjing 1 and KNM2ER 3733 Nanjing 1 and KNM2ER 3733

ZHANG Yinyun, LIU Wu

2007, 26(03):  237-248. 

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KNM2ER 3733, a remarkably complete cranium found in 1975, bears a striking resemblance to the Homo erectus specimens from Zhoukoudian that are very much younger in age, and on this basis Walker and Leakey hold the view that Homo erectus was a morphologically stable human species over a span of at least a million years. This view needs to be tested.
A morphological comparison shows that the calvaria of Nanjing 1 resembles KNM2ER 3733 in the following features: cranial length; porion height; supramastoid breadth; cranial capacity; low cranial profile in lateral view; position of the maximum cranial breadth; frontal , parietal and occipital having a share in the sagittal cranial arc; a gracile supraorbital torus; smaller size and sagittal flatness of the parietal; higher position of temporal lines; form of upper margin of temporal squama; low, wide and strongly flexed occipit; ratio of lower to upper scale lengths of occiput; and expression of occipital torus and supratorus sulcus. In contrast, the calvariae differ in the development of supratoral sulcus of the frontal; postorbital constriction; flatness of frontal squama in the transverse plane; expression of angular torus and retromastoid process; shape of the parietal; and expression of cranial vault thickness.
The facial skeleton of Nanjing 1 differs from that of KNM2ER 3733 in upper2facial shape; upper-facial flatness; orbital shape and index; facing of lateral surface of frontal process of maxilla; roundness of nasals in transverse plane; nasal roof projection; nasal index; eversion of the lower border of malar bones; cheek height; form of inferior zygomatic-maxillary margin; position of the base of zygomatic process of maxilla; and position of malar tubercle. Nanjing 1 resembles KNM2ER 3733 in other facial features, which cover facial angle, internasal keeling, and nasal bone proportions.
In conclusion, the Nanjing 1 is similar to KNM2ER 3733 in most features of the calvaria, but very different in most features of the facial skeleton. The morphological similarity in the calvariae is diagnostic and supports the claim that KNM2ER 3733 belongs to Homo erectus. In addition, this similarity suggests an anatomical stability of some members of Homo erectus in calvaria morphology over a span of at least a million years. Unfortunately, the significance of the differences in facial skeleton of these crania is uncertain.

A study on the physical characteristics of Wa nationality

ZHENG Lianbin, LU Shunhua, YU Huixin, LIU Haiping

2007, 26(03):  249-258. 

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In this study, the physical characteristics of 442 adults (258 males and 184 females) of Wa nationality were investigated. Thirty-one physical indices were calculated and the their distributions determined. The results of this work are as follows. The percentage of a Mongoloid fold is low (16.1 %), whereas the percentage of the eye fold of the upper eyelid is high (96.8 %). The nasal root height, the alae nasi height and upper lip height are medium in size. Ear lobe types are mostly rounded (58.1 %). The color of hair, eye and skin was most frequently black, brown and yellow. The average stature was 16014 cm for males and 15017cm for females, which indicates classification to the sub2middle type. The average weight was 5419 kg for males and 4911 kg. According to the anthropometric standards for males and females, types of physical characteristics of Wa nationality are frequently identified as brachycephaly, hypsicephalic type, tapeinocephalic type, leptorosopy, leptorrhiny, long length of trunk type, mesatiskelic type, and medium chest circumference. The wide breadth of shoulder and medium distance between iliac crests were highest in males, while females had more characteristically a medium breadth of shoulder and a narrow distance between the iliac crests. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) results of 32 Chinese nationalities (16 each from northern and southern China) including the Wa nationality shows that the stature of this group is small and slim, with small maximum head length, and facial height and the five sensory organs relatively large. Thus, the physical characteristics of the Wa nationality belongs to South Asian type of Mongoloid race.

A study of the serotonin transporter-linked promoter region polymorphism in Xinjiang Uygur, Kazak, and Mongol Ethnic Group

QIAO Yanhui, Mahmut
Halik, ZUO Hongli, Tuerhong
Kewer, Dolkun
Mamatyusupu

2007, 26(03):  259-263. 

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The insertion/deletion polymorphism of the serotonin transporter-linked promoter region ( 5-HTTLPR) was studied using the polymerase chain reaction ( PCR) method in Xinjiang Uygur, Kazak, and Mongol ethnic groups. The results showed that there were no significant differencies in the distributions of the 5-HTTLPR genotype and allele frequencies among the three ehhnic groups. It should be noted that the short allele S had a higher frequency. X2 tests indicated that their distribution of genotypes was consistent with theHardy-Weinberg equillibrium( P > 0.05) . Statistical analysis gave the results: Observed heterozygosity (Hobs) , expected heterozygosity ( Hexp ) and polymorphism information of 5-HTTLPR from the Uygur ethnic group were 0.4167, 0.4845 and 0.3759; and those from Kazak ethnic group were 0.4141, 0.4338 and 0.3396; and those from Mongol ethnic group were 0.4639, 0.4386 and 0.3425. These results provide important group genetics information for forensic identification, anthropological and disease association studies.

A study of polymorphisms of 9 STR Loci in the Maonan ethnic group of Huanjian, Guangxi Province

ZHOU Lining, LI Songfeng, XU Lin, GONG Jichun, DENG Qiongying

2007, 26(03):  264-269. 

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To investigate the distribution of nine short tandem repeat (STR) loci in the Maonan ethnic group from Guangxi Huanjiang. We collected the sodium citratedblood specimens from 200 healthy unrelated Maonan individuals in Guangxi Huanjiang, and used the Chelex100 method to extracte DNA by using AmpF
STR IdentifilerTM PCR amplification kit and 3100 genetic analyzer. In the study, a total of 37 alleles and 170 genotypes of the nine shorttandem repeat loci were found in 200 specimens. The allele frequency and genotype frequency were 0.0025-0.4600 and 0.0050-0.2300, respectively. The expected distribution of this genotype accords with HardyWeinberg equilibrium(P > 0.05) . The total discrimination power (TDP), total polymorphism information (TPI), cumulative paternity exclusion power(ECP) and average heterozygosity were 0.99999999996, 0.9999985, 0.999996 and 0.8028, respectively. These results demonstrate that these nine STR loci are of high polymorphic value and hereditary stability, and are in accord with Mendel# s law. The data obtained are valuable for rearch in population genetics research, forensic application, and individual identifications.

A dermatoglyphic study of the Minnan people of Taiwan

CHEN Yaofeng, ZHANG Haiguo

2007, 26(03):  270-276. 

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In this study, we collected and analyzed the dermatoglyphic evidence for of 200 individuals of the Minnan people in Taiwan, and we report here a wide range of dermatoglyphic variables including total finger ridge count, a2b total ridge count, atd angle, axial triradius percentage distance, and frequencies of various fingerprint patterns (palmar thenar, palmar interdigital, palmar hypothenar), and the simian line. This study is the first comprehensive dermatoglyphic research of Han Chinese in Taiwan, and its dermatoglyphic data will be useful for future research in anthropology, genetics and medicine.

Environmental changes and human movements in the Hake area during Holocene Hake Area During Holocene

GUO Dianyong , LIU Jingzhi

2007, 26(03):  277-283. 

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The Hake site located in the Hulunbeier area is a typical microlithic site and therefore is of great importance in discussing microlithic cultures and their origin in North China. The site is situated on a half-enclosed island, surrounded by the Hailaer River to the east, north and south. The deposits of this site are divided into four cultural layers, with the microlithic layer being the thickest. A comprehensive analysis of the archaeological deposit indicates that the process of deposition corresponds with modern climatic changes, and thus the development of this culture is in consistent with climatic change, which provides an example of the human survival strategy of adaptation.

An analysis of the amount of lead in human bones from the Heying Bronze Age Site, Anhui

QIN Ya, QIN Ying, LIU Wenqi, GONG Xicheng, WU Weihong, WANG Changsui

2007, 26(03):  284-288. 

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The three dynasties Xia, Shang, and Zhou represent the BronzeAge civilizations in China. It is thought that the use of large amounts of leaded bronze containers and tools during these dynasties must have caused serious lead pollution, even lead poisoning. This paper reports on the content of lead in human skeletal remains from the Heying burial site as measured by an Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometer and other instruments. The results of this study involve a comparison of lead content in the human bones with animal bones, native soil, bronze remnants from the same site and human bones dating to different time periods. The change in the content of lead in the human bones is also discussed in terms of relevant social problems.