河南灵井许昌人遗址古人类化石及相关研究进展

 2007年和2014年,河南灵井遗址出土的距今10万年左右的许昌人头骨化石引起古人类学界的广泛关注,研究显示晚更新世早期中国境内可能并存多种古人类成员,不同群体之间有杂交或者基因交流产生。许昌人为中国古人类演化的地区连续性以及与欧洲古人类之间的交流提供了一定程度的支持。本文回顾了许昌人化石的发现历史、复原和研究过程,介绍了许昌人伴生的哺乳动物化石、石制品、骨质工具的最新研究进展;讨论了灵井遗址未来工作前景。许昌人化石及伴生的文化遗物为探讨当时人类的体质特征、行为方式及中国古人类的演化模式提供了重要的参考资料。

Xuchang human fossils found in Lingjing site in Henan Province and related research progress

Xuchang human fossils dating around 100 ka years ago, found at Lingjing site in Henan Province in 2007 and 2014, have attracted wide attentions of international paleoanthropology communities. Studies show that around the early part of the Late Pleistocene, some archaic Homo sapiens exhibited a morphological mosaic of East Asian and western contemporaries. During this period, many types of ancient humans of genetic mixture might exist in China. Xuchang human fossils provide a certain degree of support for the regional continuity of the evolutionary pattern of Chinese human fossils as well as their dynamic exchanges of European contemporaries. In this paper, we review the discovery, the history, the cranial reconstruction, and the research significance of Xuchang human fossils, as well as the related research progress on mammalian fossils, artificial stones, and bone tools, which are associated with Xuchang human remains. The future research prospects of Lingjing site are discussed. The findings of the Xuchang human fossils and the associated cultural relics provide important reference materials for discussing the physical characteristics and the behavior of human beings at that time in Lingjing site.