Lantian, also spelled Lantien, is a archeological district found in the Shaanxi province, China. The Lantian man was a very important discovery. Before its excavation in 1963 and 1964, the Peking man was widely believed to the oldest hominid species found in China. The Peking man fossils were lost in 1941 during W.W.I. So the discovery of the Lantian man, proving to be even older than the prehistoric Peking man was an amazing discovery. The Lantian man is thought to have lived in between 600,000 to nearly 1 million years ago. Two Chinese archaeologists discovered the Lantian man at two different sites in Lantian county. One specimen of the Homo erectus was found at each site, but both proved to be female. One is thought to come from the Early Pleistone period coming from Gonwangling area where they found a partial cranium. The other artifact came from the Chenjiawo area of Lantian county and is thought to be from the Middle Pleistone era.
Written by: Jill Kneip
Resources:
“Lantian man.” Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
“Lantian man.” Descendants of Pondaung Primate? http://www.myanmars.net/history/pondaungd.htm