Peking Man

Peking Man (Homo erectus pekinensis, originally "Sinanthropus pekinensis") is a <a href="/facts/Subspecies/4L9jFacF">subspecies</a> of <a href="/facts/H._erectus/5Xqv3CdP">H. erectus</a> which inhabited what is now northern China during the <a href="/facts/Middle_Pleistocene/UIH3W1Uk">Middle Pleistocene</a>. Its <a href="/facts/Fossil/by7NzIA1">fossils</a> have been found in a cave some 50 km (31 mi) southwest of <a href="/facts/Beijing/Bg4puFBv">Beijing</a> (referred to in the West as <a href="/facts/Names_of_Beijing/CddCC1KP">Peking</a> upon its first discovery), known as the <a href="/facts/Zhoukoudian_Peking_Man_Site/2Yz61ycU">Zhoukoudian Peking Man Site</a>. The first fossil, a tooth, was discovered in 1921, and Zhoukoudian has since become the most productive H. erectus site in the world. Peking Man was instrumental in the foundation of Chinese anthropology, and fostered an important dialogue between Western and Eastern science. Peking Man became the centre of anthropological discussion, and was classified as a direct human ancestor, propping up the Out of Asia theory that humans evolved in Asia.
Peking Man also played a vital role in the restructuring of Chinese identity following the <a href="/facts/Chinese_Communist_Revolution/beGJXD3H">Chinese Communist Revolution</a>, and it was used to introduce the general populace to <a href="/facts/Marxism/sgnnLfax">Marxism</a> and science. Early models of Peking Man society were compared to <a href="/facts/Communist/PkUwa9xK">communist</a> or <a href="/facts/Chinese_nationalism/BUdz8MEL">nationalist</a> ideals, leading to discussions on <a href="/facts/Primitive_communism/U3GNqjxD">primitive communism</a> and <a href="/facts/Polygenism/YWcnS8Lz">polygenism</a> (that Peking Man was the direct ancestor of <a href="/facts/Chinese_people/Ft6TzPzd">Chinese people</a>). This produced a strong schism between Western and Eastern interpretations of the origin of modern humans, especially as the West adopted the <a href="/facts/Out_of_Africa_theory/SJXAFKMA">Out of Africa theory</a> in the late 20th century, which described Peking Man as an offshoot in human evolution. Though Out of Africa is now the consensus, Peking Man <a href="/facts/Interbreeding_between_archaic_and_modern_humans/AtMLD75q">interbreeding with human ancestors</a> is still discussed.
Peking Man characterises the classic H. erectus anatomy. The skull is long and heavily fortified, featuring an inflated bar of bone circumscribing the crown, crossing along the <a href="/facts/Brow_ridge/nGfxlcvq">brow ridge</a>, over the ears, and connecting at the back of the skull; as well as a <a href="/facts/Sagittal_keel/u5RhdAve">sagittal keel</a> running across the midline. The bone of the skull and the <a href="/facts/Long_bone/hKScebY6">long bones</a> is extremely thickened. The face is protrusive (midfacial <a href="/facts/Prognathism/mjdJDFys">prognathism</a>), the eye sockets are wide, the jaws are robust and chinless, the teeth are large, and the <a href="/facts/Incisor/GSvkE9Tg">incisors</a> are <a href="/facts/Shovel-shaped_incisors/3E5p7ln0">shovel-shaped</a>. Brain volume ranged from 850 to 1,225 cc (52 to 75 cu in), for an average of just over 1,000 cc (61 cu in)—within the range of variation for modern humans. The limbs are broadly anatomically comparable to those of modern humans. H. erectus in such northerly latitudes may have averaged roughly 150 cm (4 ft 11 in) in height, compared to 160 cm (5 ft 3 in) for more tropical populations.
Peking Man lived in a cool, predominantly steppe, partially forested environment, alongside deer, rhinos, elephants, bison, buffalo, bears, wolves, big cats, and other animals. Peking Man intermittently inhabited the Zhoukoudian cave site from as far back as 800,000 years ago to as recently as 230,000 years ago, but the precise chronology is unclear. This spans several cold <a href="/facts/Glacial_period/alIAm38r">glacial</a> and warm <a href="/facts/Interglacial/gKf9Br27">interglacial</a> periods. The cultural complexity of Peking Man is fiercely debated. If Peking Man was capable of hunting (as opposed to predominantly scavenging), <a href="/facts/Prehistory_of_nakedness_and_clothing/1q3UetSg">making clothes</a>, and <a href="/facts/Control_of_fire_by_early_humans/fkuAeEAV">controlling fire</a>, the population would have been well-equipped to survive frigid glacial periods. If not, the population would have had to retreat southward and return later. It is further disputed if Peking Man inhabited the cave, or was killed by giant hyenas (<a href="/facts/Pachycrocuta/7eKXJcBl">Pachycrocuta</a>) and dumped there. Over 100,000 pieces of <a href="/facts/Stone_tool/JQxItKEm">stone tools</a> have been recovered from Zhoukoudian. Those pieces have been mainly <a href="/facts/Debitage/Wmv1I1kc">debitage</a> (wastage), but also include many simple <a href="/facts/Chopper_(archaeology)/Tckdt3VT">choppers</a> and <a href="/facts/Lithic_flake/4RLPRpX2">flakes</a>, and a few <a href="/facts/Retouch_(lithics)/jYr52zU3">retouched</a> tools such as <a href="/facts/Scraper_(archaeology)/dhGsBYK2">scrapers</a> and possibly <a href="/facts/Burin_(lithic_flake)/aFscWNoj">burins</a>.

Peking Man open-in-new

Peking Man