Hualongdong people
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The Hualongdong people are extinct humans that lived in eastern China around 300,000 years ago during the late Middle Pleistocene.[1][2] Discovered by a research team led by Xiujie Wu and Liu Wu, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, from the Hualong Cave (pinyin: huálóng dòng; lit.'flowery/elegant dragon cave') in Dongzhi County at Anhui Province in 2006, they are known from about 30 fossils that belong to 16 individuals.[3] The first analysis of the skull fragments collected in 2006 suggested that they could be members of Homo erectus.[4] For some of the specimens, their exact position as a human species is not known. More complete fossils found in 2015 indicate that they cannot be directly assigned to any Homo species as they also exhibit archaic human features. They are the first humans in Asia to have both archaic and modern human features. They are likely a distinct species that form a separate branch in the human family tree.[5][6][7]
Chen Shengqian and Luo Hu, historical investigators in Dongzhi County, found the Hualong Cave in 2004,[8] or 2005.[9] With the help of palaeontologists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, led by Xiujie Wu and Liu Wu, they discovered the cave as a palaeontological site in 2006.[10][11] Initial excavation yielded human remains comprising a single tooth (lower second molar), designated specimen HLD (for Hualongdong) 1, and two pieces of a skull bone (frontal fragments) from one individual, labelled HLD 2.[4][8]
A series of excavations was organised between 2014 and 2016 by which many animal fossils and stone tools were discovered.[11][12] In addition, 29 human remains were found that came from about 16 individuals. The best specimen is an individual, coded HLD 6, represented by 11 fossil pieces of the skull, teeth and jaw bones. A temporal bone was the first piece found in 2014, and the rest, in 2015.[8] Radiometric dating in 2019 established that the fossils are about 300,000 years old.[3][13]
Homo erectus
Two of the first human remains found in 2006 are a lower second molar (HLD 1) and skull bones (HLD 2).[8][12] The two pieces of frontal bones perfectly fit to each other at one end, indicating that they were from one individual. They show small curvature with prominent temporal line and thick cranial wall like those of H. erectus. The structure and size of the tooth are also within the general features of H. erectus.[4]
In 2015, Liu Wu announced the discovery of one of the most complete and best preserved human skulls from Hualong Cave.[14] Popularised as "Dongzhi Man", the fossil was identified as H. erectus.[15][16]