Statens museer för världskultur - Östasiatiska museet
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1.3.0 2026-07-29 brev Rådata 520374 arkivdokument Statens museer för världskultur - Östasiatiska museet SMVK-OM Dokument http://kulturarvsdata.se/SMVK-OM/arkivdokument/520374 E1A-8_0138-0139, E1A-8_0139, E1A-8_0138 ojåk 2 5 hå PF 50 DISCOVERY OF SKULL OF ADULT SINANTHROPUS AT CHOU KOU TIEN On December 2nd last Mr, W,C, Pei of the staff of the Cenozoioe Laboratory of the Geological Survey of China, while excavating a sheltered recess of the main deposit at Chou Kou Tien discovered the greater part of an unerushed adult skull of Sinanthropus pekinensis, Mr, Pei at once recognized the importance of the specimen and personally carried out the diffioult work of exeavation endå subsequent field preparation of the block of matrix in which it lay, It is entirely due to his skill and devotion that this bulky mass with its unique and fragile contents reached the Cenozoie Laboratory quite undamaged, Mr, Pei has been in charge of the Geological Survey's field excavations at & Chou Kou Tien during the past season, He was also associated with Drs, Bohlin and C.C, Young in the work of excavation carried on at that site during the season of 1928 which resulted in the recovery of the major parts of two lower jaws and numerous teeth and skull fragments referable to the genus Sinanthropus, Within the main cave deposit at Chou Kou Tien up to the present time Flnanthro remains 5 have been recovered from five different loci, three of which, Tao Tudlng the last major find, have been discovered by Mr, Pei during the last season's work, Contrary to any reports which have been circulated, no skeletal parts other than the skull and numerous isolated teeth have been recovered during this year's excavations, It should be noted that the different Sinanthropus loci discovered within the main Chou Kou Tien deposit are all clearly contemporaneous with one another, being Iower Quaternary (Polycene) in age, This latter statement is based on the evidence collected in a preliminary report on the geology and palaeontology of the site by Pere Teilhard de Chardin and Dr, C.C, Young which is now in press, Further it should be added that up to the present time, though hundreds of cubic meters of material i have been examined, no artifaocts of any nature have been encountered nor has any trace of the usage of fire been observed, The greater part of the left lateral surface and the fore part of the base of this unique skull specimen of Sent is still imbedded in a block of very — hard travertine, The vault of the 8 om its massive brow ridges to the occiput, and the whole right side of the specimen was however supported within a relatively soft matrix which has now been removed, In the present stage of its preparation it thus becomes apparent that the brain case has been almost completely preserved while most of the facial region would seem to be lacking, The skull of Sinanthropus would seem to be of approximately similar length to tnat of Pithesanthropus and Tike the latter form is provided with massive brow ridges, a feature to be correlated with a powerful jaw mechanism, However, Sinanthropus characteristically differs from the Java type in the following important Teatures:- relatively well developed frontal eminences, well localized parietal eminences and greater height of skull vault, all these characters pointing to a relatively greater brain capacity in Fo kd ana The mastoid processes of Sinanthropus are small and massive, e sockets in which the lower jaw articulated are well preserved on both sides, a circumstanoe which will be of great value in the restoration of the lower jaw fragments recovered in 1928, E ; 0139 la FAS -2- In general it may be said that while the new skull specimen bears out what little was already known from other fragments, the perfection of its preservation will enable much to be learned that is now obscure concerning the evolution of the head region in early man, Preliminary photographs and notes will be published in an early issue of the Bulletin of the Geological Society of China and a more complete report on the specimen will be made at the annual meeting of the Society to be held next February, Davidson Black Honorary Director, Ceno zoic Research Laboratory Geological Survey of China, Tillverkad 1933 image/jpeg https://collections.smvk.se/carlotta-om/web/image/tn/10166506/E1A-8_0138.jpg https://collections.smvk.se/carlotta-om/web/image/zoom/10166505/E1A-8_0138.jpg http://kulturarvsdata.se/resurser/License#by-nc-nd Östasiatiska museet Statens museer för världskultur image/jpeg https://collections.smvk.se/carlotta-om/web/image/tn/10166510/E1A-8_0139.jpg https://collections.smvk.se/carlotta-om/web/image/zoom/10166509/E1A-8_0139.jpg http://kulturarvsdata.se/resurser/License#by-nc-nd Östasiatiska museet Statens museer för världskultur http://kulturarvsdata.se/SMVK-OM/arkiv/204087 http://kulturarvsdata.se/SMVK-OM/arkivdokument/html/520374 http://kulturarvsdata.se/SMVK-OM/arkivdokument/xml/520374 http://kulturarvsdata.se/SMVK-OM/arkivdokument/rdf/520374
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ojåk 2 5 hå PF 50 DISCOVERY OF SKULL OF ADULT SINANTHROPUS AT CHOU KOU TIEN On December 2nd last Mr, W,C, Pei of the staff of the Cenozoioe Laboratory of the Geological Survey of China, while excavating a sheltered recess of the main deposit at Chou Kou Tien discovered the greater part of an unerushed adult skull of Sinanthropus pekinensis, Mr, Pei at once recognized the importance of the specimen and personally carried out the diffioult work of exeavation endå subsequent field preparation of the block of matrix in which it lay, It is entirely due to his skill and devotion that this bulky mass with its unique and fragile contents reached the Cenozoie Laboratory quite undamaged, Mr, Pei has been in charge of the Geological Survey's field excavations at & Chou Kou Tien during the past season, He was also associated with Drs, Bohlin and C.C, Young in the work of excavation carried on at that site during the season of 1928 which resulted in the recovery of the major parts of two lower jaws and numerous teeth and skull fragments referable to the genus Sinanthropus, Within the main cave deposit at Chou Kou Tien up to the present time Flnanthro remains 5 have been recovered from five different loci, three of which, Tao Tudlng the last major find, have been discovered by Mr, Pei during the last season's work, Contrary to any reports which have been circulated, no skeletal parts other than the skull and numerous isolated teeth have been recovered during this year's excavations, It should be noted that the different Sinanthropus loci discovered within the main Chou Kou Tien deposit are all clearly contemporaneous with one another, being Iower Quaternary (Polycene) in age, This latter statement is based on the evidence collected in a preliminary report on the geology and palaeontology of the site by Pere Teilhard de Chardin and Dr, C.C, Young which is now in press, Further it should be added that up to the present time, though hundreds of cubic meters of material i have been examined, no artifaocts of any nature have been encountered nor has any trace of the usage of fire been observed, The greater part of the left lateral surface and the fore part of the base of this unique skull specimen of Sent is still imbedded in a block of very — hard travertine, The vault of the 8 om its massive brow ridges to the occiput, and the whole right side of the specimen was however supported within a relatively soft matrix which has now been removed, In the present stage of its preparation it thus becomes apparent that the brain case has been almost completely preserved while most of the facial region would seem to be lacking, The skull of Sinanthropus would seem to be of approximately similar length to tnat of Pithesanthropus and Tike the latter form is provided with massive brow ridges, a feature to be correlated with a powerful jaw mechanism, However, Sinanthropus characteristically differs from the Java type in the following important Teatures:- relatively well developed frontal eminences, well localized parietal eminences and greater height of skull vault, all these characters pointing to a relatively greater brain capacity in Fo kd ana The mastoid processes of Sinanthropus are small and massive, e sockets in which the lower jaw articulated are well preserved on both sides, a circumstanoe which will be of great value in the restoration of the lower jaw fragments recovered in 1928,
E ; 0139 la FAS -2- In general it may be said that while the new skull specimen bears out what little was already known from other fragments, the perfection of its preservation will enable much to be learned that is now obscure concerning the evolution of the head region in early man, Preliminary photographs and notes will be published in an early issue of the Bulletin of the Geological Society of China and a more complete report on the specimen will be made at the annual meeting of the Society to be held next February, Davidson Black Honorary Director, Ceno zoic Research Laboratory Geological Survey of China,
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Östasiatiska museet
Statens museer för världskultur