南京汤山直立人头骨的复原和更新世中期直立人的地理变异

现代中国人体质特征可分为南北两大地区类型。这两大类群的形成可追溯到全新世的新石器时代 ,甚至更新世晚期。 1993年在南京汤山发现一具更新世中期的带有面骨的直立人头骨。为追索中国人群南北两大类型的形成历史 ,对汤山头骨作了重新复原 ,对汤山头骨与周口店头骨作了形态比较。结果表明 ,汤山头骨与周口店头骨相同的特征几乎全是直立人共有的形态特征。汤山头骨不同于周口店头骨的诸特征 ,如浅的眶上圆枕上沟、不呈发髻状的枕骨水平轮廓、较短宽的面部、特宽的鼻型和接近低眶的眶型等 ,提示中国人群南北两大类型的形态差别可能早在更新世中期汤山直立人生存时已显出端倪

THE RECONSTRUCTION OF Homo erectus CRANIUM FROM TANGSHAN,NANJING,AND THE GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION OF Homo erectus IN MIDDLE PLEISTOCENE

Modern populations in China can be divided into northern and southern groups by physical features. The history of these groups has been traced back to Neolithic age in Holocene and even to late Pleistocene. In order to examine the geographic variation of Homo erectus in China and the morphological differences between northern and southern Homo erectus in middle Pleistocene, we have made another reconstruction of Homo erectus cranium from Tangshan recently and compared with the Homo erectus crania from Zhoukoudian, north China. The comparison shows that the Tangshan cranium resembles Zhoukoudian crania in some features which are virtually characteristics of Homo erectus . However, the Tangshan cranium is different from the Zhoukoudian crania in other features, including shallower sulcus behind the browridges, non\|chignon form of occipital bone seen from above, lower and broader face, wider nasal aperture and lower orbital index. The morphological differences between Tangshan and Zhoukoudian crania suggest the geographic variation in middle Pleistocene, a possible inkling of the physical differences between northern and southern groups of modern populations in China.