Human Fossils of the Early Paleolithic Age

Location: Yuanmou County, Yunnan Province

Period: 1,700,000 BP

Excavated in 1965

Fossil teeth of the Yuanmou Man: (up-left: 11. 4 mm, up-right: 11.3 mm); Stone scraper: tool (bottom)

Significance: The find is of great significance to the study of geographical distribution of fossils of Ape-Man (Homo erectus), as well as that of their physical development.

 Introduction

On May 1, 1965, Chinese scientists found two teeth and some coarse stone tools in Yuanmou County, Yunnan Province. Scientists determined that these are leftovers from primeval humankind, about 1.7 million years ago. They are called "Yuanmou people". They were the ever-known earliest humankind that lived in China.

The Site of Yuanmou Man is located Naben Village, about seven kilometers southeast of Yuanmou County. The Yuanmou Man was about one million years earlier than Lantian Man and Peking Man.