Lantian Man Site Memorial

Chenjiawo Village and Gongwangling in Lantian County, the suburbs of Xi'an, Shaanxi Province

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Introduction

Lantian Homo erectus site is a national key cultural heritage site, including two locations: Gongzhuling in Lantian County and Chenjiawo. It was excavated from 1964 to 1966. According to paleomagnetic dating, the geological ages of the two locations are at least 750,000-800,000 years and 530,000 years ago, respectively. In the Gongzhuling site, a female skull fossil, estimated to be around 30 years old, was found in the early Pleistocene red soil. Its brain capacity is 778 milliliters, more primitive than that of the Peking Man, and named Lantian Man. Fire sites were also discovered at the site. The stone tools found there are mainly made of quartzite and vein quartz. They include pointed tools, multi-sided or single-sided chopping tools, scraping tools, stone balls, etc. The processing techniques are rough and the shapes of the tools are irregular. Forty-two species of mammal fossils were found, including some species from the central southern region. In Chenjiawo, a fossil of an elderly female mandible, similar to the Peking Man, was found and named as the Lantian Man Chenjiawo subspecies. A batch of stone tools and 14 species of Pleistocene mammal fossils from the North China region were also unearthed there. Located in Gongwangling, Lantian County, about 50 kilometers from Xi'an, it is one of the birthplaces of Chinese humanity and belongs to ancient ruins. In 1963, the Paleovertebrate Archaeology Team of the Chinese Academy of Sciences discovered a fossil of an elderly female jawbone and stone tools near Chenjiawo Village in Lantian County. In 1964, during the excavation of Gongwangling, a skull fossil of the Lantian Man was found, showing more primitive features than the Peking Man. Lantian Man is the most important human fossil discovered in China after the Peking Man. This discovery expands the distribution range of human ancestors in China, enriches the record of human material culture, and provides valuable scientific data for the study of human origins.

Address

Chenjiawo Village and Gongwangling in Lantian County, the suburbs of Xi'an, Shaanxi Province

Opening hours

09:00-16:30 (All day)
Last admission time: 16:30 (Tuesday-Sunday from January 1 to December 31, all day)
(Monday from January 1 to December 31, all day)

Transportation

Bus: Take the "Xi'an → Xumiao" bus at the Sanfuwan Bus Station in Xi'an to directly reach the scenic area. Take bus No.926 in the urban area to "Lantian Bus Station", transfer to the bus to "Xumiao" to reach the scenic area.

Phone 029-82971807