On the morning of December 8, at the Hualongdong Site Academic Symposium, Researcher Wu Xiujie from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, announced the findings from the 2024 symposium— the Hualongdong humans were the earliest ancient humans in East Asia evolving towards Homo sapiens. In 2024, a total of 11 ancient human fossils were excavated at the Hualongdong site, including one complete foot metatarsal bone, over 40 stone tools, a large number of mammal fossils, and fossils of three reptile species.

The Hualongdong Site Academic Symposium was held from December 6 to 8 in Dongzhi County, Chizhou City, Anhui Province. Nearly a hundred research experts and scholars from relevant fields, both domestic and international, gathered to share and discuss the latest research findings in East Asian paleoanthropology.

The Hualongdong site was discovered at the end of 1988. Since 2013, a joint archaeological excavation team comprising the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, the Anhui Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, and the Dongzhi County Bureau of Culture and Tourism has conducted multiple systematic excavations. Approximately 20 individuals of ancient humans (including one relatively complete skull), over 400 stone tools made and used by ancient humans, a large number of bones with signs of artificial cutting and smashing, and more than 80 species of vertebrate fossils have been found. Through comprehensive studies using various methods such as isotope dating, faunal analysis, and stratigraphic comparison, the existence of ancient humans at Hualongdong has been dated to about 300,000 years ago. The Hualongdong humans were the earliest ancient humans in East Asia who exhibited the most characteristics of Homo sapiens, and were at a turning point in the evolution from ancient humans towards modern humans. Their facial structure and mandible show early signs of evolution towards Homo sapiens: flat faces, higher eye sockets, slender skulls, and a jawbone that displays the early development of a chin -- a defining feature of modern humans.

The Hualongdong site, after the Beijing Zhoukoudian site, is an important paleoanthropological site in China that contains a rich array of human fossils, numerous stone tools, and mammal fossils, making it an ideal location for exploring the origins and behaviors of modern humans.

Source: Anhuinews.com