中更新世晚期中国古人类化石的形态多样性及其演化意义

近年对许家窑、许昌、华龙洞、澎湖、夏河、哈尔滨等人类化石开展的系统研究,引发了学界对中更新世晚期人类演化及分类的不同认识。基于对相关中国人类化石形态特征的分析,作者提出这一时期中国人类化石形态特征表现为四种类型：1）以中更新世晚期人类共有特征为主;2）以原始特征为主;3）以现代特征为主;4）独特形态组合。多数化石形态特征表现为前三种类型,而许昌和许家窑这种以硕大的头骨和巨大颅容量构成的独特形态组合在其他同时期化石还没有发现。化石形态的多样性提示,不同类型的中更新世晚期中国古人类对现代人的形成贡献不同。作者认为在该时期的人类化石形态多样性规律还未阐明的情况下,将具有混合或镶嵌特征的相关人类化石归入分类地位不确定的人群较为合适。     

水洞沟遗址第2地点古人类“行为现代性”及演化意义

解剖学意义上的现代人及其行为的演化与扩散是古人类学和旧石器考古学关注的重大科学问题。本文对水洞沟第2地点生态、技术、经济社会组织和象征行为方面的行为特征进行分析,于不同的文化层揭示出了不同的创新行为,它们分别预示了不同的演化意义。距今4~2万年间中国北方连续发展的石片石器技术系统从人类行为角度支持中国古人类连续演化的假说,在此理论背景下,探求中国古人类的行为创新需要关注人类行为的演化历程,进而总结创新表现,而非将总结自欧非等地区的现代行为清单与中国的考古学材料简单比对,进而讨论行为的现代与否。现代人出现后中国古人类行为的特殊性和多样性,促使研究者更多地关注行为变异性及不同适应策略产生的原因,而非将一系列的特征总称为现代行为;同时提醒学者们不应以总结自旧大陆西部的现代行为清单衡量和定性中国乃至东亚旧石器时代晚期人群的生物学属性和社会行为能力。     

柳江人头骨形态特征及柳江人演化的一些问题

为深入探讨柳江人化石形态特征的表现特点、进化程度及其与其年代数据的吻合性,本文对柳江、山顶洞、资阳、丽江等主要中国更新世晚期人类头骨化石及1 114例全新世以来不同地区现代中国人头骨进行了对比分析,结果发现:柳江人头骨绝大多数特征的出现情况位于现代中国人的变异范围,只有极个别特征与现代人不同;柳江人头骨具有的低眶等特征也可见于其他中国更新世晚期人类化石,说明柳江人化石上保留有少量常见于更新世晚期人类的原始特征,但与其他中国更新世晚期人类,尤其是山顶洞人头骨相比,柳江人显得要现代的多;柳江人与山顶洞人之间头骨形态特征的差异以体现头骨原始性及粗硕强壮程度上的差别居多,而个别特征差异或许与气候环境适应有关。我们认为:柳江人在形态进化上与现代中国人已经非常接近,他们之间的差别非常小;柳江人与山顶洞人头骨特征表现上的差异主要反映了他们之间在演化程度上的差异,同时也在一定程度上体现了各自的生存环境;现有的形态学证据不大可能为柳江人较早的时代提供支持。     

河北阳原姜家梁新石器时代遗址头骨非测量性状的观察与研究

本文对河北阳原姜家梁新石器时代遗址头骨进行了非测量性状的观察。选择了在时间和空间上与之相关的12个人群作为研究对比组,求出各对比组之间的平均差异度（MMD）值,以MMD值为基础进行了聚类分析和主坐标分析。结果表明,姜家梁新石器时代居民在非测量性状上有着比较明显的特点：既与其它某些人群（特别是与贝加尔人群、华北组）有着某种联系,但现在还没有证据说明这种联系的密切程度以及是何种方式的联系;同时,姜家梁组可能是因为还存在着某些独立的特征（比如其较高的或者较低的非测量性状特征）,使之不能完全地归入到某种人群中去。我们期待从这一地区及其周邻地区发现更多的古人骨材料,以期从研究中得出更细致的结论。     

河南许昌灵井旧石器遗址哺乳动物群的性质及时代探讨

系统记述了在近两年从河南省许昌市灵井旧石器遗址出土的食肉目、长鼻目和奇蹄目化石:宽吻灵猫相似种(Viverra cf. zibetha)、熊未定种(Ursus sp.)、中国硕鬣狗相似种(Pachycrocuta cf. sinensis)、古菱齿象未定种(Palaeoloxodon sp.)、披毛犀(Coelodonta antiquitatis)、梅氏犀(Dicerorhinus mercki)、普通马(Equusca ballus)和蒙古野驴(Equus hemionus),并对灵井哺乳动物群的性质和年代进行了探讨,指出灵井动物群含有的北方种类较多,与北方区的很多动物群可以比较,属于北方区动物群,其生态环境为以平原草地为主,镶嵌有零散的森林,属北温带半湿润-半干旱大陆性季风气候,年平均温度似低于现在。灵井动物群中绝灭种类占44.4%,其时代应为晚更新世早期,其绝对年龄与许家窑接近,约在100kaBP。     

广西柳江土博出土的人牙化石及共生的哺乳动物群

在广西柳江县土博公社发现一洞穴,地层中含有人类化石和哺乳动物化石。其时代初步定为更新世晚期。人类化石仅是牙齿九枚,根据其形态特征,这些材料的系统地位似应与柳江人相当,分类上可归属晚期智人。     

早期新石器时代贾湖遗址人类的体质特征及与其他地区新石器时代人和现代人的比较

河南省舞阳县贾湖村遗址是新石器时代早期文化遗存。根据非测量性特征,贾湖人具有一般蒙古人种的特点,其人种属性应归属于蒙古人种。根据测量性特征,贾湖人的体质特征主要表现在颅指数属于园颅型;颅长高指数Ⅰ和Ⅱ都属于高颅型;颅宽高指数属于中颅型;全面指数（M395）属于狭面型;上面指数（pr）属于中上面型;眶指数Ⅰ（mf-ek）和眶指数Ⅰ（d-ek）都属于中眶型;鼻指数属于中鼻形;腭指数属于阔腭型;枕大孔指数属于阔型;总面角属于平颌型（下限）。把贾湖人与其他新石器时代人组和现代人组（共15组,11个体质特征项目）,运用多元统计分析方法的系统聚类、BIPLOT法及判别分析法加以统计并作比较分析,可把所比较群体划分为3大类群：①新石器时代组的北方类群;②新石器时代组的南方类群;③我国现代人类群。贾湖新石器时代人属于新石器时代组的北方类群。在新石器时代组的北方类群这个小范围内,贾湖新石器时代人的体质特征与本省内的下王岗新石器时代人的体质特征又较接近些。通过比较,可看到现代人类与新石器时代人类之间的区别大于现代南方人和现代北方人之间的区别;在从新石器时代人类向现代人类进化发展的几千年过程中,处于南方、北方地理位置上的人类在体质上的差异有趋于缩小的趋势; 此外 , 在此进化发展过程中 , 各地不同的新 石器时代人类基因的扩散速度、 范围和方向也都不尽相同。     

湖北郧西黄龙洞古人类遗址2006年发掘报告

2004—2005年,在湖北省郧西县境内的黄龙洞的两次发掘中,发现了5枚人类牙齿化石、20余件石制品及大量的动物化石。初步分析显示这是一处重要的更新世晚期的人类遗址。我们在2006年对该遗址进行了第三次发掘,又发现了2枚人类牙齿化石、11件古人类打制的石制品与6件骨制工具、1500余件动物化石以及其它古人类活动证据。野外工作期间我们还对黄龙洞洞穴堆积及山体地貌的考察,在此基础上对该洞穴发育及古人类在洞穴内的生活状况进行了初步推测。本文介绍了2006年的野外工作情况。     

贵州兴义猫猫洞更新世晚期人类牙齿釉质崩裂痕迹

作为一种特殊形式的牙齿磨耗与使用痕迹,牙齿崩裂与古人类及古代人群食物质地、获取与制作食物方式、某些行为活动、生活习俗密切相关。然而,迄今对人类牙齿崩裂的关注程度及开展的研究还不多,尤其缺乏更新世晚期人类牙齿崩裂出现率和表现特点方面的数据。本文对发现于贵州兴义猫猫洞的更新世晚期人类牙齿釉质崩裂痕迹大小、出现率、表现特点进行了观测分析。研究发现,附连在3件猫猫洞人类下颌骨上的牙齿具有明显的釉质崩裂现象,出现率与生活环境恶劣的狩猎-采集人群接近。值得注意的是猫猫洞人类牙齿釉质崩裂出现在几乎所有臼齿的咬合面边缘。作者认为出现在猫猫洞人类臼齿的釉质崩裂是由于强力咀嚼和研磨坚硬食物所致,推测当时人类的食物粗糙,坚硬,富含颗粒(如坚果、种子等)。在猫猫洞下颌骨上观察到的波及几乎全部牙齿的牙周病也为猫猫洞人类严酷生活环境和粗糙食物的推测提供了一定程度的支持。此外,几乎所有具有釉质崩裂的臼齿都呈现大小不等的多发性的釉质崩裂痕迹的表现特点提示猫猫洞人类长时间大量食用这种粗糙、坚硬食物。     

Relationships between non-metric skeletal traits and cranial size and shape.

A long-standing controversy exists about the comparative utility of metric and non-metric traits as biological indicators in population studies. We hypothesize that the underlying scale which determines the presence or absence of a cranial non-metric trait is an expression of general and/or local size variation in the cranium. Therefore metric and non-metric traits will share a common developmental determination. The hypothesis implies that the underlying scale of a non-metric trait will be correlated with measures of cranial size and shape. Forty-eight cranial metric and twenty-five cranial non-metric traits were scored on the left side of adult male crania from four North American Indian populations. New threshold traits were generated for each non-metric trait by dichotomizing discriminant scores produced by discriminant function analysis. The discriminant analysis was performed using metric traits to discriminate between groups formed by non-metric trait presence or absence. Every non-metric trait tested was significantly correlated with its threshold trait in at least one population. The correlations were of moderate to high levels depending on the trait and population sample studied. This implies that metric and non-metric traits share a moderate to high degree of developmental determination. The cause of these correlations may lie in the common effects that growth and development of the soft tissue and functional spaces of the cranium exert on both metric and non-metric traits.     

Natural selection and non-metric traits in skeletal populations

The hypothesis of this article is that the frequency of non-metric traits varies at different reproductive periods because of differential mortality associated with non-metric traits. 450 male and 203 female crania were examined. Mortality in the reproduction period is connected with the elimination of individuals with certain variants of non-metric traits. It seems that key genes which perform the stimulating function in the appearance of traits in a given category of formation are under selective pressure. It is assumed that natural selection acts both on the morphology of organisms and on developmental process through environmental conditions. Selection not only optimises the fitness of morphological features but also the processes leading to the formation of features during ontogeny. Both these mechanisms influence the interpopulational variability of non-metric traits.     

现代中国人群形成与分化的形态证据——中国与非洲和欧洲人群头骨非测量特征分析

现代人群形成与分化导致生活在世界不同地区的人类形成了具有明显体质特征差别的人群(或种族)。对更新世末期及全新世以来不同地理区域近代和现代人群体质特征差别、相互亲缘关系的分析是现代人群形成与分化研究的重要组成部分。本文通过对21项头骨非测量特征在近代和现代中国人群, 以及现代非洲和欧洲人群共330例标本的出现率和表现特点的观察和数据分析, 发现绝大多数特征的出现率或表现特点在三个人群间都具有不同程度的差异, 有些特征在人群间的差异甚至非常明显。与非洲及欧洲人群相比, 现代中国人头骨总体显得纤细, 眉弓、角圆枕、颧三角、颧结节等反映头骨粗壮程度的特征在现代中国人群的发育明显弱于非洲和欧洲人群。此外, 现代中国人群还具有一些明显不同于非洲和欧洲人群的头骨非测量特征, 包括锐利的眶外下缘、相对平坦的眉间鼻根点、较圆隆的颅侧壁、平坦的顶孔人字区、深弧形的上颌颧突下缘, 梯形和左右不一的鼻额-额颌缝走向等。采用判别分析可以将67.0%—79.5%的标本正确地判别归入其原来所属的组群。其中对中国人群的正确判别率分别达到70.4%和82.9%。个体标本分布显示非洲人群表现较大的分散性, 而中国和欧洲人群样本的分布明显密集集中, 提示中国和欧洲人群似乎具有更多的衍生性特征。本研究还发现多数在人群间差别显著的头骨非测量特征与头骨粗壮程度有关, 作者对相关的问题进行了分析探讨。     

L’homme de Tautavel. Un Homo erectus européen évolué. Homo erectus tautavelensis

One hundred and forty-eight human remains have been discovered during excavations carried out between 1964 and 2014 in la Caune de l’Arago, in Tautavel, in the Eastern Pyrenees. They come from a detailed stratigraphic context comprising 15 archaeostratigraphic units with human presence, with ages ranging from 550 ka for unit Q at the base, to 400 ka for unit C at the top (OIS 14 to 10). During this long period of time, Man experienced two cold and dry climatic periods (stratigraphic complexes I and III), separated by a humid-temperate period (stratigraphic complex II). Most of the human remains come from units F and G, in stratigraphic complex III, associated with a cold and windy steppic environment. The human remains were mixed with the archaeological material and waste from hunted and consumed fauna. The inventory of human remains comprises a majority of cranial elements, and in particular, the anterior portion of a skull, Arago XXI, discovered on 22 July 1971, which revealed the physical aspect of the first Europeans for the first time. The remains are made up of 5 mandibles, 123 teeth (isolated or still on the alveolar arch), several post-cranial skeletal fragments: 9 upper limb elements, 19 lower limb elements, representing 30 deceased individuals, comprising 18 adults and 12 children. The study of these fossils relates them to Asian and African forms of Homo erectus, as they display common characteristics. This observation raises questions as to the existence of this group in Europe. The contribution of the collection of human fossils from Arago thus presents a threefold interest; paleontological, population-based and behavioural. The multiple remains allow us to assess the biodiversity and the composition of this small population. These remains present original features in comparison to Mauer, the classical Homo heidelbergensis European ancestor. The Arago fossils display archaic characteristics not observed on the Mauer mandible; in particular, the great anteroposterior extension of the convex arch toward the fore, the large proportions of the premolars and of the M2, the high robusticity index of the mandible body, the sub-horizontal alveolar planum and the slightly inclined prominent mylohyoidian line. The face of the skull is not yet reduced to allow for the expansion of the brain, a process which develops at a later stage. The skull is low, with an extended frontal, very marked facial prognathism and a powerful masticatory apparatus with temporal crests and a prominent torus angularis, conveying a pantagonal coronal cross-section, contrasting with the regular convexity observed on the skulls from La Sima de los Huesos and Neanderthals. A comparative analysis with the well-documented population discovered in La Sima de los Huesos shows that the latter fossils are more evolved and are more similar to the Neanderthal shape, and at the same time, not very different from the Mauer mandible. The currently known European human fossils point to the following scenario: Homo georgicus, a similar form to the habilis-rudolfensis group, bearing pre-Oldowan and Oldowan technology, was present at the gateways of Europe approximately 1.8 Ma ago. From 1.2–0.8 Ma onwards, the somewhat fragmentary records from Atapuerca, Elefante, Gran Dolina-TD6, could be related to this first lineage. The first Homo erectus with biface cultures to leave Africa arrived at the gateways of Europe some 1.2 Ma ago, as shown by the discovery of the Kocabaş skull cap in Anatolia, similar to the fossils from Buia in Eritrea and Daka in Ethiopia, dated to about 1 Ma. From 0.55 Ma, the set of 148 human remains, and in particular the skull Arago XXI, point to the presence of a new, well-documented form (distinct from Mauer). We propose to relate these remains to Homo erectus tautavelensis, thereby giving this subspecies a geographic connotation. The morphofunctional and cultural characteristics of Homo erectus tautavelensis represent the stock of a long European lineage, leading to the emergence of Neanderthals.