2 October 1969

Human skull excavated from China's Jinniushan

On October 2, 1984, a human skull was unearthed from the Jinniushan site (金牛山遺址).

The Jinniushan site is located in Xitian Village, Yong'an Town, Dashiqiao City, Yingkou, Liaoning Province. It is a cave site on a limestone hill.

The discovery of the site can be traced back to the early 1940s, while formal excavation and research work began in the 1970s.

In September 1984, Professor Lu Zun-e (呂遵諤) of the Department of Archaeology at Peking University (now School of Archaeology and Museology) led a group of graduate students studying Palaeolithic archaeology to carry out field training at the Jinniushan site.

Starting from September 27, they gradually discovered a batch of human fossils.

On October 2, the team found a group of human fossils in the cave deposits at site A. Among them was a relatively complete skull missing its lower jaw, which belonged to a young male individual.

The skull is 20.4 centimetres long and 14.9 centimetres wide, with a relatively low forehead, similar to Homo erectus, but the brain capacity has reached over 130 millilitres.

In addition, the skull wall is thinner; the brow ridges are not obvious, and the width of the frontal lobes of the brain has significantly increased.

The skull of the Jinniushan Man retains some primitive characteristics of Homo erectus, but also has some advanced characteristics, representing an intermediate type from Homo erectus to early Homo sapiens.

Based on the stratigraphy of the lower deposit and the co-existing animal fossils, the geological age of the site is the late Middle Pleistocene, which is the early Palaeolithic era. Uranium-series dating indicates that the site is about 28,000 years old.

The Jinniushan Man fossil is, so far, the only hominid fossil in the Middle Pleistocene of East Asia that preserves both the skull and torso and limb fossils simultaneously.

It is the most complete hominid skeleton fossil of this stage in East Asia and is therefore extremely valuable.

Related Tags
Chinese men's volleyball team

4 October 1986

Chinese men's volleyball team won their first Asian Games gold

2024-10-03
Mao Zedong accepts the credentials from the Soviet Ambassador

3 October 1949

China established diplomatic relations with Soviet Union

2024-10-02
The first phase of the Beijing Subway

1 October 1969

First phase of Beijing Subway completed

2024-09-30
Martyrs' Day

30 September 2014

China's first Martyrs' Day

2024-09-29
Contemporary China - Today in History - Central Government Approves the Establishment of Kashgar Economic Development Zone in Xinjiang

19 May 2010

Xinjiang's Kashgar Economic Development Zone approved for establishment

2025-05-18
Kunqu Opera

18 May 2001

China's Kunqu Opera selected as "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity"

2025-05-17
Contemporary China - Today in History - Jidihao

17 May 1987

China's first polar research vessel successfully completed its mission

2025-05-16
Contemporary China - On This Day - Dongfeng Sedan

12 May 1958

The first "Dongfeng" brand domestically produced sedan rolled off the production line

2025-05-11
Practice is the Sole Criterion for Testing Truth

11 May 1978

The article "Practice is the Sole Criterion for Testing Truth" was published

2025-05-10
Contemporary China - On This Day in History - High-Tech Industry

10 May 1988

China's first high-tech industry development experimental zone officially established

2025-05-09
Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant

3 May 2004

China's first large-scale commercial nuclear power plant put into operation

2025-05-02
Contemporary China - On This Day - Hua Luogeng Awarded Membership

30 April 1984

Chinese mathematician Hua Luogeng awarded foreign membership of NAS

2025-04-29
WeChat
We use cookies to deliver our services and to provide you with a personalised experience. By using our services, you need to agree to our Privacy Policy.
Agree and close