01-26-2008, 05:27 AM
Fossil skull offers clue to origins of Chinese people
Jonathan Watts
Archaeologists hail the biggest discovery in 80 years
Beijing: Chinese archaeologists are hailing their biggest discovery in almost 80 years after unearthing a skull that could provide a clue to the origins of a fifth of the worldâs population. The fossilised skull, named Xuchang Man after the city where it was found, is thought to date back 80,000 to 100,000 years, to a period that has long been a mystery to scientists.
It contains a rare fossilised membrane that archaeologists hope will reveal important details about the nervous system of the ancients and settle a contentious academic debate about whether most of Chinaâs 1.3 billion people are mainly indigenous, descended from African migrants or intermixed.
The almost complete skull, which comprises 16 fragments, was found in the central province of Henan last month. It has protruding eyebrows and a small forehead.
Government officials said the importance of the find was second only to that of Peking Man in 1929, when archaeologists discovered five almost complete skulls and other bones believed to date back 250,000 to 500,000 years. âIt is the greatest discovery in China after the Peking Man and Upper Cave Man skull fossils that were found in Beijing early last century and will shed light on a critical period of human evolution,â Shan Jixiang, director of Chinaâs cultural heritage administration, was quoted as saying by the China Daily.
The site had been of interest since the mid-1960s, when villagers found ancient tools while they were digging a well. But it was only two years ago, after the spring dried up, that the Henan cultural relics and archaeology research institute began excavating the area. The 17-member team has also found thousands of animal fossils and other artefacts.
The skull was unearthed at a depth of five metres just as the last two archaeologists on the site were preparing to head home for the lunar new year holiday.
The skull could fill a huge gap in the knowledge of human evolution, he said. Most palaeoanthropologists believe all modern humans are descended from people who came out of Africa about 60,000 years ago. Another view is that there was significant interbreeding in Europe and elsewhere with Neanderthals. â © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008
Jonathan Watts
Archaeologists hail the biggest discovery in 80 years
Beijing: Chinese archaeologists are hailing their biggest discovery in almost 80 years after unearthing a skull that could provide a clue to the origins of a fifth of the worldâs population. The fossilised skull, named Xuchang Man after the city where it was found, is thought to date back 80,000 to 100,000 years, to a period that has long been a mystery to scientists.
It contains a rare fossilised membrane that archaeologists hope will reveal important details about the nervous system of the ancients and settle a contentious academic debate about whether most of Chinaâs 1.3 billion people are mainly indigenous, descended from African migrants or intermixed.
The almost complete skull, which comprises 16 fragments, was found in the central province of Henan last month. It has protruding eyebrows and a small forehead.
Government officials said the importance of the find was second only to that of Peking Man in 1929, when archaeologists discovered five almost complete skulls and other bones believed to date back 250,000 to 500,000 years. âIt is the greatest discovery in China after the Peking Man and Upper Cave Man skull fossils that were found in Beijing early last century and will shed light on a critical period of human evolution,â Shan Jixiang, director of Chinaâs cultural heritage administration, was quoted as saying by the China Daily.
The site had been of interest since the mid-1960s, when villagers found ancient tools while they were digging a well. But it was only two years ago, after the spring dried up, that the Henan cultural relics and archaeology research institute began excavating the area. The 17-member team has also found thousands of animal fossils and other artefacts.
The skull was unearthed at a depth of five metres just as the last two archaeologists on the site were preparing to head home for the lunar new year holiday.
The skull could fill a huge gap in the knowledge of human evolution, he said. Most palaeoanthropologists believe all modern humans are descended from people who came out of Africa about 60,000 years ago. Another view is that there was significant interbreeding in Europe and elsewhere with Neanderthals. â © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008