Fossil Records and Cultural Traces: The Significance of the Zhalainuoer Hominin Remains in the Prehistoric Sequence of Inner Mongolialink
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52152/heranca.v8i3.1187Palavras-chave:
Zhalainuoer; Inner Mongolia; Microblade Technology; Heritage Interpretation; Pleistocene ChronologyResumo
Inner Mongolia has a strategic position in pre-history in East Asia between Siberia, Mongolian Plateau and North China. In this paper, a systematic review of fossil, cultural, chronological and heritage data on the Zhalainuoer locality is synthesized based on both international and Chinese literature. Results show that the current record is Holocene, morphologically modern, and stratigraphic ally sound Pleistocene deposits are not proven. Comparisons between regions focus on recurrent dispersals and technological advancements such as microblade systems that can appear when the old intact layers are mainly found. Heritage analysis demonstrates that Hulunbuir and Zalainuoer Museums incorporate the site in regional identity yet they need to be more closely tied with verifiable context. The noninvasive survey, targeted excavation, high precision dating, and museum research partnerships have been recommended as the main priorities to combine scientific rigor with the shared interpretation in the most effective way.
Downloads
Referências
Bae, C. J., & Wu, X. (2024). Making sense of eastern Asian Late Quaternary hominin variability. Nature Communications, 15, 9479.
Bocherens, H. (2015). Isotopic tracking of large carnivore palaeoecology in the mammoth steppe. Quaternary Science Reviews, 117, 42–71.
Bower, B. (2025, June 18). ‘Dragon Man’ skull may be the first from an enigmatic human cousin. Science News. Retrieved from https://www.sciencenews.org/article/skull-first-denisovan-human-cousin
CGTN (2019). Human skull unearthed near north China border confirmed to be 10,000 years old. [online] Cgtn.com. Available at: https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d514d3163544f31457a6333566d54/index.html.
Chang, S. C., Li, Y., & Zheng, D. (2023). Dating amber: Review and perspective. Minerals, 13(7), 948.
Chen, N., Ming, B., Chen, Y., Wang, H., Zhao, Y., Jie, D., Gao, G., & Niu, H. (2024). Spatial–temporal variations of Paleolithic human activities in Northeast China. Quaternary International, 691, 18–30.
Chen, X. (2023). Radiocarbon dating and its applications in Chinese archaeology: An overview. Frontiers in Earth Science, 11, 939766. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2022.939766
Cooper, A., Turney, C. S., Hughen, K. A., Brook, B. W., McDonald, H. G., Bradshaw, C. J., ... & Wood, R. (2015). Abrupt warming events drove Late Pleistocene Holarctic megafaunal turnover. Science, 349(6248), 602–606.
Coutouly, Y. A. G. (2018). The emergence of pressure knapping microblade technology in Northeast Asia. Radiocarbon, 60(3), 821-855.
Demeter, F., Shackelford, L. L., Bacon, A. M., Duringer, P., Westaway, K., Sayavongkhamdy, T., ... & Karpoff, A. M. (2012). Anatomically modern human in Southeast Asia (Laos) by 46 ka. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(36), 14375-14380.
Elston, R. G., & Brantingham, P. J. (2002). Microlithic Technology in Northern Asia: A Risk‐Minimizing Strategy of the Late Paleolithic and Early Holocene. Archeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association, 12(1), 103-116.
Ge, J., Yue, J., Li, Y., Zhao, H., Gu, L., Yang, S., Petraglia, M., & Gao, X. (2024). New Late Pleistocene age for the Homo sapiens skeleton from Liujiang, southern China. Nature Communications, 15, 47787.
Gusenbauer, M., & Haddaway, N. R. (2020). Which academic search systems are suitable for systematic reviews or meta‐analyses? Evaluating retrieval qualities of Google Scholar, PubMed, and 26 other resources. Research synthesis methods, 11(2), 181-217.
Harley. (2025, June 18). Key evidence links Harbin individual's skull to early Denisovan lineage. Retrieved from https://phys.org/news/2025-06-key-evidence-links-harbin-individual.html
Hong, Z. (1989). Human skulls of Han Dynasty from Zhalainuoer site (The third excavation), Inner Mongolia. Acta Anthropologica Sinica, 8(02), 0.
Lewis, D. (2025, June 18). First ever skull from ‘Denisovan’ reveals what ancient people looked like. Nature. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01899-y
Li, Y., Zheng, D., Sha, J., Zhang, H., Denyszyn, S., & Chang, S. C. (2023). Lower Cretaceous Hailar amber: The oldest-known amber from China. Cretaceous Research, 145, 105472.
Macquarie University (2023). Ancient Cave Reveals New Secrets of Our First Ancestors. [online] SciTechDaily. Available at: https://scitechdaily.com/ancient-cave-reveals-new-secrets-of-our-first-ancestors/.
New York Post. (2025, June 19). Fossilized ‘Dragon Man’ skull clears up baffling mystery behind early humans. New York Post. Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2025/06/19/science/fossilized-dragon-man-skull-clears-up-baffling-mystery-behind-early-humans-scientists/
Ning, C., Li, T., Wang, K., Zhang, F., Li, T., Wu, X., … & Cui, Y. (2020). Ancient genomes from northern China suggest links between subsistence changes and human migration. Nature Communications, 11, 2700. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16557-2
Rosenberg, K. R., Zuné, L., & Ruff, C. B. (2006). Body size, body proportions, and encephalization in the Jinniushan hominin. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 131(2), 218–227. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.20432
Sample, I. (2024, March 30). Scientists link elusive human group to 150,000-year-old Chinese ‘Dragon Man’. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/mar/30/scientists-link-elusive-human-group-to-150000-year-old-chinese-dragon-man
Sawafuji, R., Tsutaya, T., Takahata, N., Pedersen, M. W., & Ishida, H. (2024). East and Southeast Asian hominin dispersal and evolution: A review. Quaternary Science Reviews, 333, 108669.
Sayers, A. (2008). Tips and tricks in performing a systematic review. British Journal of General Practice, 58(547), 136-136.
Science News. (2025, June 19). ‘Dragon Man’ skull may be the first from an enigmatic human cousin. Retrieved from https://www.sciencenews.org/article/skull-first-denisovan-human-cousin
Shao, Q., Ge, J., Ji, Q., Zhang, Y., Wang, C., & Liu, F. (2021). Geochemical provenancing and direct dating of the Harbin archaic human cranium. The Innovation, 2(4), 100127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xinn.2021.100127
Smolarski, P. (2021). The dragon in Chinese Hongshan culture.
Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 104, 333–339
Song, Y., Chen, C., Gao, X., & Morgan, C. (2019). Re-thinking the evolution of microblade technology in East Asia. PLoS ONE, 14(6), e0216782. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0216782
Stuart, A. J., & Lister, A. M. (2014). Extinction chronology of the woolly rhinoceros Coelodonta antiquitatis in the context of late Quaternary megafaunal extinctions in northern Eurasia. Quaternary Science Reviews, 51, 1–17.
UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (n.d.). Zhoukoudian Peking Man Site. Retrieved from https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/449
Wu, J., Zhang, Q., Li, A., & Liang, C. (2015). Historical landscape dynamics of Inner Mongolia: patterns, drivers, and impacts. Landscape Ecology, 30(9), 1579-1598.
Wu, X., Liu, W., & Zhang, Y. (2023). Xujiayao hominins and Middle Pleistocene morphological variability in East Asia. PaleoAnthropology, 2023, 92–110. Retrieved from https://paleoanthropology.org/ojs/index.php/paleo/article/view/18
Wu, X., Liu, W., & Zhao, Y. (2019, January 15). Tests find human skull age exceeds 10,000 years. China Daily. Retrieved from https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/global/2019-01/15/content_37427097.htm
Wu, X., Liu, W., Zhang, Q., Zhu, H., & Norton, C. J. (2007). Craniofacial morphological microevolution of Holocene populations in northern China. Chinese Science Bulletin, 52(12), 1661-1668.
Xinhua News. (2019, January 12). Skull dating confirms ancient human settlement in Zhalainuoer. XinhuaNet. Retrieved from http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-01/12/c_137738749.htm
Xu, T., Yue, J. P., Zhao, H. L., Gu, L. B., Ge, J. Y., Li, Y., . . . & Gao, X. (2024). Blade and microblade industry at Helong Dadong, north-east China, during Marine Isotope Stage 2. Antiquity, 98(402), 1487–1504. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2024.91
Yen, H.-P. (2014). Evolutionary Asiacentrism, Peking Man, and the origins of Sinocentric ethno-nationalism. Journal of the History of Biology, 47(4), 585–625. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10739-014-9381-4.
Zhao, C. (2023). Regional variation in the shift towards microlithization: The development of early microblade technology in North China. Quaternary International, 666, 42–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2022.06.012
Zhao, C., Janz, L., Bukhchuluun, D., & Odsuren, D. (2021). Neolithic pathways in East Asia: early sedentism on the Mongolian Plateau. Antiquity, 95(379), 45-64.
Zhao, C., Wang, Y., & Walden, J. P. (2022). Diachronic shifts in lithic technological transmission between the eastern Eurasian Steppe and northern China in the Late Pleistocene. Plos one, 17(11), e0275162.
Zhu, H. (1989). Human skulls of Han Dynasty from Zhalainuoer site (the third excavation), Inner Mongolia. Acta Anthropologica Sinica, 8(2), 130–145. Retrieved from https://www.anthropol.ac.cn/EN/abstract/abstract437.shtml.
Downloads
Publicado
Como Citar
Edição
Secção
Licença
Direitos de Autor (c) 2025 Herança - Revista de História, Património e Cultura

Este trabalho encontra-se publicado com a Licença Internacional Creative Commons Atribuição 4.0.

8.png)