The Ziyang Meixi River site found the remains of human activities more than 40,000 years ago
In the 50s of the last century, the discovery of the skull of the "Ziyang Man" about 30,000 years ago attracted attention, and now Paleolithic remains have been found again in Ziyang City, Sichuan Province. The reporter learned from the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology on the 14th that the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology found the remains of human activities more than 40,000 years ago when excavating the site of Ziyang Meixi River.
Some stone products were excavated from the site of Ziyang Meixi River
Zheng Zhexuan, director of the Paleolithic Research Institute of the Sichuan Academy of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, said that in September 2021, the site collapsed due to flooding, and some animal fossils, stone products and other relics were washed out, and a well-preserved stratigraphic profile was found after on-site investigation. In January 2022, the Sichuan Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and the cultural relics departments of Ziyang City and County jointly launched rescue excavations of the site, and phased results have been achieved.
Up to now, more than 1,000 stone tools and animal fossils of various types have been unearthed at the site of the Meixi River. Stone products include typical stone cores, stone chips, scrapers, pointed tools, etc., and animal fossils include cattle, rhinos, elephants, deer, etc. It is worth mentioning that bone tools, suspected wooden tools and a large number of plant remains have also been found at the site, which is very rare in Paleolithic sites.
Some animal fossils were unearthed at the site of Ziyang Meixi River
Through preliminary carbon dating measurements, the site of the Menixi River is more than 43,000 years old. Wang Youping, a professor at the School of Archaeology and Museum of Peking University, believes that the Meixi River site is one of the clearest, most systematic and all-element sites in terms of the relationship between man and the environment among Paleolithic sites in China, and provides a vivid scene for restoring the life of ancient humans in the late Pleistocene.
Gao Xing, a researcher at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, said: "To understand the past and present lives of the famous 'Ziyang people', the excavation and research of the Meixi River site is a beginning and a major breakthrough. ”
Source: Xinhua News Agency
Image source: Sichuan Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology
Responsible editor: Su Hao Intern editor: Shi Jianqin
Editor: Sharan Mei
Final judge: Zhou Jianjun