Palaeoanthropological study of Homo erectus in Indonesia

爪哇岛发现了许多保存完好的更新世原始人化石，其中包括迄今为止在快速亚洲发现的最古老的化石。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化石材料进行了形态研究，为发现新的原始人化石而进行了发掘，并对现有的和新发现的化石进行了地层层面的调查等。本研究期间的主要工作和成果如下：1.实验室工作(1)通过对爪哇中下层保存最完好的Sangiran 17进行新的重建研究，获得了爪哇直立人面部形态的新信息。更新世人类头骨化石。例如，爪哇直立人的颧骨被发现相当大，这表明他们的咬肌发达。此外，该分类群的突起能力并不像人们所认为的那样强。(2)对新发现的原始人化石进行了形态观察。田野调查(3)新发现3个古人类化石。其中一颗(下中切牙)是从系统的挖掘中发现的，其地层水平是可靠的。这一发现具有重要的意义，因为爪哇几乎所有的原始人化石都是由非专业的当地居民发现和收集的，因此它们的确切地层位置仍然不明确。(4)通过地层、古地磁和岩石磁学研究，确定了一些现存的和新发现的原始人化石的地层水平，并讨论了它们的绝对年龄。

The island Java has yielded a number of well-preserved Pleistocene hominid fossils, including the oldest ones so far as known from Fast Asia. In order to answer various questions concerning human evolution in Asia, we have conducted morphological study on existing hominid fossil materials, excavation with the aim of finding new hominid fossils, investigation on the stratigraphic level of existing and newly discovered fossils, and so on. Major activities and results during this research period are as follows :1. Laboratory works(1)New information on the facial morphology of Javanese Homo erectus have been obtained from the study based on the new reconstruction of Sangiran 17, the most well-preserved material among the Javanese Lower/Middile. pleistocene hominid fossil skulls. For example, the zygomatic of the Javanese Homo erectus was revealed to be considerably large, indicating that their masseter muscles were well-developed. In addition, prognathism of this taxon was revealed to be not so strong as has been believed.(2)Morphology of the newly discovered hominid fossils was examined.2. Field researches(3)Three hominid fossils were newly discovered. One of them (lower central incisor) has been found from a systematic excavation and its stratigraphic level is securely known. This find is important in a context that almost all the hominid fossils from Java have been found and collected by nonprofessional local inhabitants and accordingly their exact stratigraphic position remains equivocal.(4)Stratigraphic levels of some of existing and newly discovered hominid fossils were confirmed through stratigraphic, palaeomagnetic, and rock magnetic studies, and their absolute ages were discussed.