Jinniushan human

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Jinniushan human
Jinniushan face illustration.png
Catalog no.JNS 1
Common nameJinniushan human
SpeciesArchaic Homo sapiens
Age260±20 ka
Place discovered Jinniushan, Yingkou, Liaoning Province, China
Date discovered1984
Discovered byLü Zuné

Jinniushan human is a fossil of archaic human that lived around 260,000 years ago during the late Chibanian (Middle Pleistocene) in northeastern China. [1] [2] It was discovered in 1984 from a collapsed cave at Jinniushan near Yingkou in Liaoning Province, and consisted of fragments of the skull cap (cranium), rib, hand and leg bones, allbeloning to a single individual of about 30 years of age. [3] Originally named "Jinniushan Man" because of its robust features, [4] reanalysis in 2006 identified the individual as a woman. With an estimated height of 168 centimetres (5.51 ft), it is the largest known female among human fossils. Although the brain case appeared similar to those of modern humans, the other skeletal features are more primitive, with several common structures to those of Homo erectus . [5]

Contents

Discovery

Jinniushan is a mountain (variously known in English as "Golden Ox Mountain", [3] "Gold Bull Mountain" [6] or "Gold Ox Mount" [7] ) was first explored in the early 1940s as potential gold mine. [6] It became a fossil site since the discoveries of mammalian fossils by the Jinniushan Joint Excavation Team in 1976. [8] [9] In September 1984, Lü Zuné (呂遵諤) organised an excavation project with his students at the Department of Archaeology of the Peking University. From 27 September, the team started to collect pieces of human bones [10] from a collapsed limestone cave at the foot of the mountain. [7] On 2 October, they found a skull with almost all the upper part intact. [10]

In 1985, Lü reported the findings in a Chinese journal Beijing da xue xue bao: Zhe xue she hui ke xue ban (Journal of Peking University: Philosophy and Social Sciences). [11] [12] He gave the identification as H. erectus. [13] Based on the available geological evidence at the time, Lü estimated the age as about 280,000 years old (formally published in 1989 [14] ). [15] The fossil site and the human remains were examined by other palaeontologists, but no agreement on the identification. [16] In 1987, taking the thick bones to be a general feature of men, Lü described the fossil as "Jinniushan Man", [17] which became its formal name. [18] Wu Rukang (also known as Woo Ting-Lian before 1967), an anthropologist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, [19] was the first to cast doubt on the analysis. He was tasked with reconstruction of the bones and gave the results in 1988, describing the closer resemblance to modern humans:

The skull belongs to a male individual over 30 years of age. lts cranial capacity is about 1390 ml. The thickness of the vault is 4.5 mm in average. Together with many other features, the total morphological pattern is much more closer to that of the early or archaic Homo sapiens such as the Dali skull than to that of the latest Homo erectus such as the Peking Man skull found in the upper part of the Zhoukoudian Lower cave. The tentative date of the Jinniushan skull of 280,000 years old as given by Lü is doubtful. [3]

Wu's identification of the species as archaic H. sapiens is generally supported by other scientists [20] and computerised analysis of the facial structure, [2] although the classification with other related specimens can be controversial. [15] [21]

Features

The human fossil elements at Jinniushan all belong to one female individual. The fossil remains consist of one cranium, six vertebrae (one cervical, five thoracic), one complete left os coxae, one complete left ulna, one complete left patella, two left ribs, and several hand and feet bones. [22] Analysis of the left-half of the pelvis (hip bone) in 2006 indicated that the individual was a woman. [23]

Skull and brain

The skull of Jinniushan human measures 20.4 centimetres (8.0 in) in length and 14.9 centimetres (5.9 in) in width, [10] the size of which falls within the average of those of H. erectus. [5] [24] The brain size (cranial capacity) is 1,330 cm3 (81 cu in), which is within the range of that of modern humans. H. erectus have smaller brain size, averaging at 950 cm3 (58 cu in); [25] the largest recorded being from Asian specimen, H. e. soloensis , having 1,251 cm3 (76.3 cu in) brain size. [26] The skull is thick-walled unlike modern humans, [23] but not as thick as those of H. erectus. [27] Like in modern humans, the brow ridges are reduced; [10] while pronounced brow ridges are characteristics of H. erectus and older hominins. [28] The encephalization quotient (EQ) is estimated to be around 4.150. Both are typical of the rapidly increasing brain capacity and EQ found in other specimens from the Middle Pleistocene. [29]

Body size

The Jinniushan human's body mass is estimated to be around 78.6 kg (173 lb), making it the largest female specimen ever discovered in the fossil record. The other largest female specimen ever discovered, found at Grotte du Prince at the France-Italy border of early Late Pleistocene, from around 100,000 BP, has an estimated body mass of 74 kg (163 lb). [23]

Body size in Homo reached its maximum during the Middle Pleistocene, so the size of the Jinniushan human is not surprising, especially since the specimen was found at a high latitude, cold climate location. [22] In accordance with Allen's rule and Bergmann's rule, the large body, wide trunk, and short limbs of the Jinniushan human is to be expected, as the hominins from that time relied more on their physical body as a cold adaptation, as their technological culture was not yet as advanced as later hominins. [29]

Relationship with other human fossils

Recent human family tree
According to Ni et al. 2021 [30] (note, Xiahe and Denisovans are most closely related to Neanderthals according to nDNA and ancient protein analyses by Chen et al. 2019. [31] )

Jinniushan human belongs to an archaic human with mixed H. erectus and H. sapiens features. [29] The fossil resembles that of the Dali Man, discovered in 1978 in Dali County, Shaanxi Province, that also showed a mixture of H. erectus and H. sapiens. [32] Its skull is the same size as Dali Man's. Its main difference is that it is more gracile, which can be explained by sexual dimorphism. [22] In addition, the cranial vault and supraorbitals are thinner, and the overall brain capacity larger than those of the Dali specimen. [29] Both specimens have flat and broad faces, a feature shared with the specimen from Hulu Cave, Nanjing; both also share some features with the Zhoukoudian and Yunxian Man. [32]

Evolutionary importance

A distinguishing feature of the Jinniushan human is its large brain. According to Karen Rosenberg of the University of Delaware, the species marks the period in which H. sapiens acquired larger brain that differentiated them from other human species. The Jinniushan human's brain indicate adaptation to cold as the climate at the time would have been milder in northeast China. [33] Traces of burnt animal bones and hearth found at the same site indicate the food habits and management in the cold environment. [15]

References

  1. ↑ Lee, Sang-Hee; Hudock, Autumn (2021-10-21). "Human Evolution in Asia: Taking Stock and Looking Forward" . Annual Review of Anthropology. 50 (1): 145–166. doi:10.1146/annurev-anthro-101819-110230. ISSN   0084-6570.
  2. 1 2 Shui, Wuyang; Zhang, Yameng; Wu, Xiujie; Zhou, Mingquan (2021-10-13). "A computerized facial approximation method for archaic humans based on dense facial soft tissue thickness depths". Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. 13 (11): 186. Bibcode:2021ArAnS..13..186S. doi: 10.1007/s12520-021-01450-w . ISSN   1866-9565.
  3. 1 2 3 Wu, Rukang (2023-04-04) [1988]. "The reconstruction of the fossil human skull from Jinniushan, Yinkou, Liaoning Province and its maintures". Acta Anthropologica Sinica. 7 (2): 97–101. ISSN   1000-3193.
  4. ↑ Gongwang, Zheng; Yongzhu, Kang (2023-04-04). "Thermoluminescence dating of Jinniushan Archaeological Site". Acta Anthropologica Sinica. 13 (3): 257. ISSN   1000-3193.
  5. 1 2 Etler, Dennis A. (1996). "The Fossil Evidence for Human Evolution in Asia" . Annual Review of Anthropology. 25 (1): 275–301. doi:10.1146/annurev.anthro.25.1.275. ISSN   0084-6570. JSTOR   2155828.
  6. 1 2 "Minco Capital Corporation - Gold Bull". mincocapitalcorp.com. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
  7. 1 2 Bae, Christopher J. (2010). "The late Middle Pleistocene hominin fossil record of eastern Asia: Synthesis and review" . American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 143 (S51): 75–93. doi:10.1002/ajpa.21442. ISSN   1096-8644.
  8. ↑ Archeaological United Team (1976). "New Material of Pleistocene Mammalian Fossils in Jinniushan from Yingkou, Liaoning Province and Their Significance" (PDF). Vertebrata PalAsiatica. 14: 120–127.
  9. ↑ Shen, Hui; Zhao, Keliang; Ge, Junyi; Zhou, Xinying; Song, Yayun; Liu, Sizhao; Wang, Yuan; Jin, Changzhu; Gao, Chunling; Huang, Wenjuan; Li, Xiaoqiang (2021-07-30). "Early and Middle Pleistocene vegetation and its impact on faunal succession on the Liaodong Peninsula, Northeast China" . Quaternary International. 591: 15–23. Bibcode:2021QuInt.591...15S. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2020.11.034. ISSN   1040-6182 – via Elsevier Science Direct.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Human skull excavated from China's Jinniushan | Today in History | Fun Fact". Our China Story. The Academy of Chinese Studies. 2024-10-02. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
  11. ↑ Guoqin, Qi (2023-04-04) [1990]. "The pleistocene human environment of North China". Acta Anthropologica Sinica. 9 (4): 340. ISSN   1000-3193.
  12. ↑ Tattersall, Ian; Schwartz, Jeffrey H. (2009-05-30). "Evolution of the Genus Homo". Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences. 37 (1): 67–92. Bibcode:2009AREPS..37...67T. doi:10.1146/annurev.earth.031208.100202. ISSN   0084-6597.
  13. ↑ Schwartz, Jeffrey H.; Tattersall, Ian (2005-03-11). The Human Fossil Record, Craniodental Morphology of Genus Homo (Africa and Asia). John Wiley & Sons. p. 416. ISBN   978-0-471-32644-1.
  14. ↑ Holmes, Kathryn; Brown, Katherine Robson; Collins, Matthew (2011), Predicting the Location of Hominin Sites in Africa and Asia, Arts And Humanities Research Board (AHRB), Katherine Robson Brown, Archaeology Data Service, doi:10.5284/1000342 , retrieved 2025-06-23
  15. 1 2 3 Ruff, Christopher (2002-10-01). "Variation in Human Body Size and Shape". Annual Review of Anthropology. 31: 211–232. doi:10.1146/annurev.anthro.31.040402.085407. ISSN   0084-6570.
  16. ↑ Huang, Wanpo; Yuzhu, You; Shanghua, Gao; Haopo, Wei (1987). "Les problèmes de la grotte karstique et les dépôts du site de l'homme de Jinniushan" [On the problems of the karst cave and the deposits of the site of Jinniushan Man]. Carsologica Sinica (in French). 6 (1): 60–67.
  17. ↑ Delson, Eric; Tattersall, Ian; Couvering, John Van; Brooks, Alison S. (2004-11-23). Encyclopedia of Human Evolution and Prehistory: Second Edition. Routledge. p. 355. ISBN   978-1-135-58228-9.
  18. ↑ Wu, Xinzhi (1996-01-25). "The mosaic evolution of humankind in China". Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association. 15. doi:10.7152/bippa.v15i0.11553. ISSN   1835-1794.
  19. ↑ Wu, Xinzhi (2014), "Wu, Rukang", Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology, Springer, New York, NY, pp. 7920–7921, doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2_745, ISBN   978-1-4419-0465-2 , retrieved 2025-06-23
  20. ↑ Kaifu, Yousuke (2017). "Archaic Hominin Populations in Asia before the Arrival of Modern Humans: Their Phylogeny and Implications for the "Southern Denisovans"". Current Anthropology. 58 (S17): S418 –S433. doi:10.1086/694318. ISSN   0011-3204.
  21. ↑ Wu, Liu (2024-12-15). "Discovery, cognition and theoretical exploration of the human evolution studies in China since the beginning of 21st century". Acta Anthropologica Sinica. 43 (6): 881–899. doi:10.16359/j.1000-3193/aas.2024.0085. ISSN   1000-3193. Archived from the original on 2025-04-23.
  22. 1 2 3 Rosenberg, Karen R.; Zuné, Lü; Ruff, Christopher B. (2006-03-07). "Body size, body proportions, and encephalization in a Middle Pleistocene archaic human from northern China". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 103 (10): 3552–3556. Bibcode:2006PNAS..103.3552R. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0508681103 . PMC   1450121 . PMID   16505378.
  23. 1 2 3 Bower, Bruce (2006-02-22). "Big Woman with a Distant Past: Stone Age gal embodies humanity's cold shifts". Science News. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
  24. ↑ Kaifu, Yousuke; Kurniawan, Iwan; Kubo, Daisuke; Sudiyabudi, Erick; Putro, Gunawan Pontjo; Prasanti, Endang; Aziz, Fachroel; Baba, Hisao (2015). "Homo erectus calvaria from Ngawi (Java) and its evolutionary implications". Anthropological Science. 123 (3): 161–176. doi:10.1537/ase.150702. ISSN   0918-7960.
  25. ↑ Rightmire, G. Philip (2013). "Homo erectus and Middle Pleistocene hominins: Brain size, skull form, and species recognition". Journal of Human Evolution. 65 (3): 223–252. Bibcode:2013JHumE..65..223R. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2013.04.008. PMID   23850294.
  26. ↑ Leigh, Steven R. (2006-01-01). "Brain ontogeny and life history in Homo erectus". Journal of Human Evolution. 50 (1): 104–108. Bibcode:2006JHumE..50..104L. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2005.02.008. ISSN   0047-2484. PMID   16226296.
  27. ↑ Copes, Lynn E.; Kimbel, William H. (2016). "Cranial vault thickness in primates: Homo erectus does not have uniquely thick vault bones". Journal of Human Evolution. 90: 120–134. Bibcode:2016JHumE..90..120C. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.08.008. PMID   26767964.
  28. ↑ Kane, Julian; Rachmiel, Henya; Solinsky, Arnold (2004-05-01). "Browbeaten ancestors". Natural History. 113 (4): 9–11.
  29. 1 2 3 4 Rosenberg, Karen R.; Wu, Xinzhi (2013). "A River Runs through It: Modern Human Origins in East Asia". In Smith, Fred H.; Ahern, James C. M. (eds.). The Origins of Modern Humans: Biology Reconsidered. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley. pp. 89–121. doi:10.1002/9781118659991.ch3. ISBN   978-1-118-65999-1.
  30. ↑ Ni, X.; Ji, Q.; Wu, W.; et al. (2021). "Massive cranium from Harbin in northeastern China establishes a new Middle Pleistocene human lineage". Innovation. 2 (3): 100130. Bibcode:2021Innov...200130N. doi:10.1016/j.xinn.2021.100130. PMC   8454562 . PMID   34557770. S2CID   236784246.
  31. ↑ Chen, F.; Welker, F.; Shen, C.-C.; et al. (2019). "A late Middle Pleistocene Denisovan mandible from the Tibetan Plateau" (PDF). Nature. 569 (7756): 409–412. Bibcode:2019Natur.569..409C. doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1139-x. PMID   31043746. S2CID   141503768.
  32. 1 2 Xiao, J.L.; Jin, C.; Zhu, Y. (2002). "Age of the Fossil Dali Man in North-Central China deduced from Chronostratigraphy of the Loess-paleosol Sequence". Quaternary Science Reviews. 21 (20): 2191–2198. Bibcode:2002QSRv...21.2191X. doi:10.1016/s0277-3791(02)00011-2.
  33. ↑ Biello, David (2006-02-01). "New Analysis of Chinese Fossil Provides Clearer Picture of Pleistocene Humans". Scientific American. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
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