What is the significance of the discovery of Peking Man? Why did Peking Man live in groups?

Peking Man lived between 700,000 and 200,000 years ago. He still retained some characteristics of apes, but his hands and feet had distinct division of labor, he could make and use tools, and he could use natural fire. Peking Man is the most informative and well-documented Homo erectus in the world. The following content will share with you the significance of the discovery of Peking Man.

Contents of this article

1. What is the significance of the discovery of Peking Man?

2. Why did Peking Man live in groups?

3. What was the purpose of the stone tools made by Peking Man?

What is the significance of the discovery of Peking Man?

The discovery of Peking Man laid the foundation for the study of ancient Chinese humans and their culture, and provided strong empirical evidence for the theory of human evolution. Peking Man lived in Zhoukoudian, Beijing in ancient times. He was a Homo erectus who could use natural fire and make tools.

Peking Man lived between about 700,000 and 200,000 years ago. He still retained some characteristics of apes, but his hands and feet had clear division of labor. He was able to make and use tools and use natural fire.

During the day, Beijingers made tools, picked fruits, and hunted wild animals. At night, they returned to the caves of Dragon Bone Mountain, where they rested by the fire and communicated in simple language with hand gestures.

Peking Man is the most informative and best-documented Homo erectus in the world. Five relatively complete skull fossils of Peking Man and some fossils of other parts of the body have been discovered, as well as a large number of stone tools and stone flakes, totaling more than 100,000 pieces.

Why do Peking Man live in groups?

Because the forests were dense and there were many wild beasts, it was impossible to survive in such a dangerous environment relying on the strength of a single person. Therefore, only dozens of people living together could resist the attacks of the wild beasts. They formed groups to live together and worked together to obtain food.

In 1929, Chinese archaeologist Pei Wen-zhong discovered the first complete skull fossil in a cave on Dragon Bone Hill in Zhoukoudian, Beijing. This is the world-famous Peking Man.

Peking Man lived between about 700,000 and 200,000 years ago. He still retained some characteristics of apes, but his hands and feet had clear division of labor. He was able to make and use tools and use natural fire.

During the day, Beijingers made tools, picked fruits, and hunted wild animals. At night, they returned to the caves of Dragon Bone Mountain, rested by the fire, and communicated in simple language with hand gestures.

What was the purpose of the stone tools made by Peking Man?

The stone tools made by Peking Man were mainly used in daily life and production. They could be used to dissect animal carcasses for cooking and eating, or to chop branches into sticks to make daily necessities. Stone tools can be divided into choppers, scrapers, and carvers.

The full name of Peking Man is Peking Ape-Man. He belongs to Homo erectus and is an ape-man from the Paleolithic Age. He mainly lived in Zhoukoudian area of ​​Beijing. He could use natural fire and his main living tools were stone tools.

Peking Man selected pebble-like stones and roughly processed them into daily necessities that could be used for chopping and smashing things by hitting, knocking, and colliding. The production method was simple and easy to use.

Among the stone tools made by Peking Man, chopping tools are larger tools with thick bodies and blunt, curved edges. They are often used for tasks such as chopping trees, digging plant roots and cracking nuts.