Palaeoanthropological study on Homo erectus in Java

爪哇岛出产了许多保存完好的更新世原始人类化石，其中包括东亚迄今为止已知的最古老的化石。为了回答有关亚洲人类进化的各种问题，我们对现有的原始人类化石材料进行了形态学研究，并对新发现的保存完好的头骨进行了地层调查。本研究期间的主要活动和成果如下： 1．实验室工作 原始人类化石的形态学研究已在印度尼西亚万隆的地质研究与发展中心进行。对一些下颌骨和牙齿遗骸以及 1996 年发现的枕骨碎片进行了检查、测量和拍照。在这些研究过程中，我们发现一些先前被鉴定为直立人的孤立牙齿遗骸实际上是猩猩的牙齿遗骸。这一发现为解释爪哇岛中更新世时期的古环境提供了重要信息，目前这是一个有争议的问题。除了这些活动之外，我们还在印度尼西亚日惹加查马达大学生物和古人类学实验室对新发现的直立人头骨（见下文）进行了初步形态学调查。2． 1999年，在中爪哇梭罗河沿岸的波洛霍地区发现了一个保存完好的直立人头骨。我们进行了实地研究，目的是调查该头骨的原始地层水平和年代。这个头骨显然来自该地区周围的中更新世沉积物。这项工作很重要，因为这个时期的现有爪哇原始人类标本都没有被准确地估计出年龄。对发现这个头骨的一群当地人进行了采访，并在所谓的发现点区域挖了一条沟渠。我们对发现地点周围地层的检查表明，头骨最近是从上游地区的某个地方被运走的。在发现点区域的上游区域进行了进一步调查，以确定头骨被冲走的可能的原始露头。今年之后我们将继续进行这项研究。较少的

The island Java has yielded a number of well-preserved Pleistocene hominid fossils, including the oldest ones so far as known from East Asia. In order to answer various questions concerning human evolution in Asia, we have conducted morphological studies of existing hominid fossil materials, and stratigraphic investigation of a newly discovered well-preserved skull. Major activities and results during this research period are as follows :1. Laboratory worksMorphological studies of hominid fossils have been done at the Geological Research and Development Centre, Bandung, Indonesia. A number of mandubular and dental remains, as well as the occipital bone fragment found in 1996 were examined, measured, and photographed. In the course of these studies, we found that some of the isolated dental remains previously identified as those of H.erectus were actually those of orang-utans. This finding presents important information in the interpretation of the paleoenvironment of Java during the Lo … More wer/Middle Pleistocene, which is currently a matter of debate. In addition to these activities, we have conducted a preliminary morphological investigation of the newly found skull of Homo erectus (see below) at the Laboratory of Bio- and Paleoanthropology, Gajah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.2. Firld researchesA well-preserved skull of Homo erectus was found in 1999 in the Polojo area along the Solo River, Central Java. We conducted a field research with the aim of investigating the original stratigraphic level and chronological age of this skull. This skull was apparently derived from Middle Pleistocene deposits around this area. This work is important because none of the existing Javanese hominid specimens from this time period have been assigned with good estimates of age.An interview was given to a group of local people who found this skull, and a trench was dug at the alleged findspot area. Our examination of the stratigraphy around the findspot area indicated that the skull had recently been carried away somewhere from the upstream regions. Further investigation was made in the upstream regions from the findspot area in order to specify possible original outcrops from which the skull had been washed away. We will continue this research after this year. Less