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Table of Content

    15 September 2003, Volume 22 Issue 03
    A study on Yandunbao site, Fengdu, three gorges region
    FENG Xing-wu; PEI Shu-wen; CHEN Fu-you
    2003, 22(03):  177-191. 
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    The Yandunbao Paleolithic site, situated at the fourth terrace of the Yangtze River, was discovered in 1994 and later excavated for four times. More than 1300 pieces of stone artifacts and some pieces of pottery were collected from the site. Some lithic artifacts were unearthed from primary context in a layer of Laterite-like clay at the bottom of the deposits, estimated to be the late Lower Pleistocene, while some stone artifacts and ceramics were found in secondary context in a layer of fine sands and a layer of sandy clays on top of the primary cultural level. Analyses on sediments and artifacts indicate that stone artifacts encountered from these three levels belong to the same cultural horizon. The general characteristics of the stone assemblage are summarized as follows:
    1) The stone assemblage is mainly composed of medium and large ones in size.
    2) The main raw materials used for stone tool manufactory are quartzite and sandstone cobbles locally available on the river bed.
    3) Artifact types include hammers, cores, flakes, retouched tools and chunks. More than half of them are flakes.
    4) Most cores are single-platform ones with cortical surfaces. Flaking is accomplished by hammer percussion. Cores were flaked simply and casually, indicating low extent of consumption.
    5) More than seven percent of the stone artifacts are retouched tools, mainly scrapers and chopper-chopping-tools. Some notches, end scrapers, points and burins are also present. Retouches on these tools are overwhelmingly unidirectional.
    The paper points out that local paleoecological system played an important role in shaping the characteristics of the stone assemblages at the Yandunbao site. The site lies on the bank of the Yangtze River and its surroundings are rich in animal and plant food resources, and the abundant rounded large cobbles on the river bed provide handy raw materials for stone tool making. This stone assemblage exhibits the main characteristics of the Pebble-tool industry in South China. Therefore, the Yandunbao industry provides new data for the study of hominid adaptation patterns and the development of the Lower Paleolithic pebble-tool tradition in China.
    The uplift of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and its effect on paleolithic technological development in East-Asia
    WANG You-ping
    2003, 22(03):  192-200. 
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    Recent research on the process of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau uplift and its effect on environmental changes in surrounding areas have provided sufficient information for understanding human bio- logical and cultural evolution in East Asia and greater Old World. This paper will discuss the relation- ship between the uplift of the plateau and the development of lithic technology in East Asia, and its significance on human biological and cultural evolution in the Old World.
    Comparative study of Paleolithic industries between East Asia and the western part of the Old World indicates that connections between East Asia and the West existed probably earlier than 1 myr, evidenced by the appearance of the same simple lithic techniques and same components of lithic assemblages in these two regions, which can be defined as “Mode 1 technology”. However, bottlenecks in cultural and gene flow between the two parts of the Old World developed during the period from the late Lower Pleistocene to early Upper Pleistocene, because the Mode 1 technology was replaced by the Acheulean industries, i. e. the Mode 2 technology soon in the West, while the core-chopper and flake- tool industries continued in the East for a long time. The principal lithic technology and components of the assemblages are distinctive between these two regions. Although there have been some recent reports of the discovery of handaxesfrom a few sites in East Asia, the Acheulean or Mode 2 technology in this vast region is still a controversial phenomenon. It seems that there were two evolutionary paths after the earliest Mode 1 technology: the Acheulean dominated the West, and cobble and flake tools controlled the East.
    Such different technological development in these two regions continued. Mousterian and Blade industries dominated many parts of the West for the Late Pleistocene, in the meantime, cobble and flake tool traditions were well preserved in East Asia. The so-called East Asian Middle Paleolithic was a continuation of the previous core-chopper and flake-tool tradition, different from the Mousterian in- dustries in the West. Similar to the debates on handaxes, the Levallois technique in East Asia requires more evidence before a convincing conclusion can be reached. Cultural segregation between East Asia and the West seems to be broken through in the late Upper Pleistocene, evidenced by the emergence of blade industries in North China, which might indicate new cultural exchange happened between these two sides.
    Recent geological investigations indicate that during the early Lower Pleistocene, the height of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was only about 1 500 to 2 000 m, not yet high enough as a physical barrier to prohibit the migration of early hominids. However, after the much stronger uplift during the late Lower Pleistocene and early Middle Pleistocene, the plateau became a significant physical barrier and brought about global climatic changes. It affected the surrounding areas greatly, created a huge dry desert in Central Asia, which might become a major factor interrupting human migration and cultural exchange between East Asia and the West for a long time.
    Cranial capacity estimation for Homo erectus from Tangshan, Nanjing
    ZHANG Yin-yun; LIU Wu
    2003, 22(03):  201-205. 
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    In this paper, 18 formaulae of cranial capacity estimation cited from literature are examined using Homo erectus crania from Zhoukoudian(ZKD). The results show that Ding' s formulae based on auricular height can provide an accurate estimation of cranial capacity for Homo erectus as well as modern Chinese. This formulae predicts a capacity of 871 cc for Homo erectus skull 1 from Tangshan, Nanjing.
    The cranial capacity of 871 cc suggests that an older date, 400 kyr or more, is acceptable for Tangshan according to the comparison of cranial capacity to the date in Homo erectus from ZKD made by Wolpoff.
    The observation and investigation of the skulls of Jiangjialiang Neolithic Age site in Yangyuan, Hebei with special reference to nonmetric cranial traits
    LI Fa-jun; ZHU Hong
    2003, 22(03):  206-217. 
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    The skulls of Jiangjialiang Neolithic site in Yangyuan, Hebei were studied. Twelve popula- tion (Weidun, Lijiashan, Taiyuan, Northern Chinese, Hokkaido Ainu, Japanese Jomon, Asian Eskimo, Ekven, Amur, Mongolian, Buryat and Neolithic Baikalian) were compared with Jiangjialiang material. The results of comparisons were shown in Table 3, Figwes 3 —5. MMDs of them were calculated on the basis of 11 nonmetric cranial traits. Cluster and principal coordinate analysis based on MMDs showed that Jiangjialiang group has closer relation with some groups especially such as Baikal group and Northern Chinese. However, we still have no evidence to explain the further relation between them and the cause of the relation. Jiangjialiang group perhaps has some own characters which make it out of the other groups. So, we hope to find the more ancient bony materials to make a more refined conclusion.
    Minor skeletal variants of Neolithic human skulls from Guangrao, Shandong
    SHANG Hong; HAN Kang-xin; LI Zhen-guang
    2003, 22(03):  218-224. 
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    The human skeletons studied in this article were buried ca.5000Bp and unearthed at Guangrao Neolithic Site of Shandong. We observed 61 human skulls of them in eight minor skeletal variants and calculated the frequency of their occurrence. The results from the cluster analysis and the principle component analysis based on the mean measure of divergence (MMD) of eight groups of Mongoloids show that the Guangrao skeletons belong to the East Asian Mongoloid group and we also find that mylohyoid bridge, double hypoglossal canal and supraorbital foramen contribute more to differenti- ate the geographical types of Mongoloids.
    Comparative study on physical growth between Jiangxi and Shanghai youth
    HU Pei-jin; JI Cheng-ye
    2003, 22(03):  225-230. 
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    Objective To compare the level of growth and development of children and adolescents of Jiangxi Province and Shanghai Municipality, and to figure out the influencing factors. Methods Using the Chinese national survey on students' physical fitness and health in 2000 to analyze and test the difference on students' stature (cm), body weight (kg ), Body Mass Index (kg/ m2 ) and vital capacity body weight (ml/ kg) between Jiangxi and Shanghai. Results The physical growth level of students in Shanghai is significantly higher than that of Jiangxi students. The maximum differences on stature are 7. 6cm and 10. 7cm for urban and rural boys respectively, and 5. 7cm and 8.0cm for urban and rural girls respectively. Analysis on BMI showed that the body of students in Shanghai was much stronger than that of Jiangxi students (except for the females aged above 18) ; while the level of vital capacity/ body weight among students in Shanghai is much lower than that of Jiangxi students. Conclusion Growth spurt appeared earlier in students in Shanghai with greater extent and longer duration than those in Jiangxi, while the former should enhance physical practice to improve their vital capacity.
    Analysis of the physical development of students aged 7-18 in rural area of Chang'an district during ten years
    HOU Ru-lan; WANG Wei-qing; ZHAO Zhen-ping; MA Yue; ZHU Yi; GAO Xiao-yan; GAO Hong-mei
    2003, 22(03):  231-234. 
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    Objective This paper analyzed the changes of the physical development of students in ru- ral area of Chang' an District during the ten years from 1990 through 1999. Methods Stratified and cluster sampling method were applied to collect two parameters (body height and weight) of students of every primary school and high school in Chang' an District. Results The physical development of ru- ral students in Chang' an District improved significantly during the ten years. In the decade, the mean height of male and female of rural students aged 7 —18 years old increased 2. 23cm and 1. 93cm re- spectively while the average of their weight increased 1. 74kg and 1. 21kg respectively. But these values increased were lower than that of rural students in the national investigation of China. The maximum annual increment and the maximum annual incremental rate in 1999 were lower than those in 1990. The peak height velocity and the peak weight velocity of female students in 1999 appeared 0. 77 and 0. 32 year earlier than in 1990 while that of the male student were 0. 52 and 0. 6 year later respectively. Couclusions The physical cevelopment of rural students in the area was still progresing as that shown in secular growth trend, but the velocity became slower. The growth potential of the students remained to be brought into full play.
    Study on the somatatype of infants aged 3-6 with heath-carter method
    LI Ling; HUA Zhao-he; LIU Zai-qun; ZHU Qin
    2003, 22(03):  235-240. 
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    According to the Heath-Carter somatotyping method, this study analysed the somatotype of 441 Han infants (222 boys and 219 girls) aged from 3 to 6 in Wuhu urban districts, The results are as follows: The values of endomorph and mesomorph decreased slightly but that of ectomorph increased rapidly with growth. In each age group of both sexes, the somatotype ratings were high in the mesomorphic, and low in the ectomorphic, and medium in the endomorphic. The somatotype distribution was concentrated in lower age group, and then diffused with the increase of age. Majority of individuals were of endomorphic mesomorph in 3 —5 year groups of both sexes. The distributions of somatotype in groups aged 6 of both sexes were more diffuse as shown in Table 2. Compared with Prague infants, there was very significant difference in the characteristic of somatotype.
    Study on tongue moving types of six groups in Inner Mongolia
    ZHENG Lian-bin; LU Shun-hua; LI Shu-yuan
    2003, 22(03):  241-245. 
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    A sample of 2760 cases including six groups in central and western parts of Inner Mongolia was investigated on rolling, folding, twisting, pointed and clover-leaf tongues. The results are as fol- lows: (1) The frequencies of rolling, twisting and clover-leaf tongues are mostly lower in the western part than those in the eastern part. (2) Significant difference was found on frequencies of folding, pointed and clover-tongues between Urad Mongols and three other Mongolia groups. (3) No significant sexual difference was found in the frequencies of five types. (4) Correlation occurred between rolling and twisting, rolling and clover-leaf, folding and twisting, twisting and pointed tongues, but didn' t occur between folding and pointed, folding and clover-leaf, pointed and clover leaf tongues.
    Analysis of 3 microsatellite loci in Uygur and Kazak samples from Xinjiang
    YUAN-Li; CHEN Xue-ling; WANG Xian; WU Wan-gui; XING Jian-xin; ZHANG Hui; YUAN Yu-kang; LI Sheng-bin
    2003, 22(03):  246-248. 
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    This paper was designed to study the distribution of allele genes and genotypes of microsat- ellite loci D16S539 、D13S317 、D7S820 in Xinjiang Uygur and Kazak populations with genescan tech- nique. The genetic data were obtained. The results show that the genetic polymorphism of the 3 microsatellite loci observed in Xinjiang Uygur and Kazak populations is similar.
    The study of fossil Hominid brains
    WU Xiu-jie
    2003, 22(03):  249-255. 
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    The direct evidence of the fossil hominid brains evolution comes from the study of skulls and endocranial casts (endocasts). Endocasts of fossil hominids have been a focus of attention and controversy in paleoanthropology for as long as there has been a record of fossil hominids. There have several foci of this attention. The first concerns the evolution of cranial capacity and their relationship to body size. A second area of fossil hominid brains involves the sulcal patterns on endoasts. A third fo- cus of attention concerns right-left asymmetries in the fossil hominid brains. A forth focus concerns the pattern of blood flow to and from the brain. Endocast preserves numernous details of both the meningeal and venous sinus system. Finally, much of the literature has been devoted to speculation the factors that account for the expension of the primitive hominid brain. With the review of fossil hominid brains, the main aim is to get some information in light of the study of the Chinese fossil hominids.