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Zhoukoudian or Choukoutien, is a cave system in Beijing, China. It has yielded many archaeological discoveries, including one of the first specimens of ''Homo erectus'', dubbed Peking Man, and a fine assemblage of bones of the gigantic hyena ''Pachycrocuta brevirostris''. Dates of when Peking Man inhabited this site vary greatly: 700,000-200,000 years ago,〔"UNESCO World Heritage Site: Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian" http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/449 retrieved 12/15/2013〕 670,000-470,000 years ago〔''Climatic cycles investigated by sediment analysis in Peking Man’s Cave, Zhoukoudian, China.'', Zhou, C., Lui, Z., Wang, Y.; Journal of Archaeological Science 27, 2000, pp 101-109〕 and no earlier than 530,000 years ago.〔' 'Encyclopedia of Prehistory: Volume 3: East Asia and Oceania' ', Chuan Kun Ho; Human Relations Area Files, Inc., 2001, p 352〕 The Peking Man Site was first discovered by Johan Gunnar Andersson in 1921 and was first excavated by Otto Zdansky in 1921 and 1923 unearthing two human teeth. These were later identified by Davidson Black as belonging to a previously unknown species and extensive excavations followed. Fissures in the limestone containing middle Pleistocene deposits have yielded the remains of about 45 individuals as well as animal remains and stone flake and chopping tools. The oldest animal remains date from as early as 690,000 years ago and tools from 670,000 years ago〔“Middle Pleistocene climate and habitat change at Zhoukoudian, China, from the carbon and oxygen isotopic record from herbivore tooth enamel”, Gaboardia, Deng and Wang, Quaternary Research 63, 2005, p 331〕 while another authority dates the tools found from no earlier than 530,000 years ago.〔 During the Upper Palaeolithic, the site was re-occupied and remains of ''Homo sapiens'' and its stone and bone tools have also been recovered from the Upper Cave. The crater Choukoutien on asteroid 243 Ida was named after the location. The caves are located in Fangshan District (房山区), southwest of central Beijing. ==Excavation history== 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Zhoukoudian」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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