The Late Middle Pleistocene Hominin Fossil Record of Eastern Asia: Synthesis and Review

摘要

Traditionally, Middle Pleistocene homi-nnin fossils that cannot be allocated to Homo erectus sensunlato or modern H. sapiens have been assigned to differentnspecific taxa. For example, in eastern Asia, these homininnfossils have been classified as archaic, early, or premodernnH. sapiens. An increasing number of Middle Pleistocenenhominin fossils are currently being assigned to H. heidel-nbergensis. This is particularly the case for the African andnEuropean Middle Pleistocene hominin fossil record. Therenhave been suggestions that perhaps the eastern Asian latenMiddle Pleistocene hominins can also be allocated to thenH. heidelbergensis hypodigm. In this article, I review thencurrent state of the late Middle Pleistocene hominin fossilnrecord from eastern Asia and examine the various argu-nments for assigning these hominins to the different spe-ncific taxa. The two primary conclusions drawn from thisnreview are as follows: 1) little evidence currently exists innthe eastern Asian Middle Pleistocene hominin fossil re-ncord to support their assignment to H. heidelbergensis;nand 2) rather than add to the growing list of hominin fossilntaxa by using taxonomic names like H. daliensis for north-neast Asian fossils and H. mabaensis for Southeast Asiannfossils, it is better to err on the side of caution and con-ntinue to use the term archaic H. sapiens to represent all ofnthese hominin fossils. What should be evident from thisnreview is the need for an increase in the quality and quan-ntity of the eastern Asian hominin fossil data set. Fortu-nnately, with the increasing number of large-scale multidis-nciplinary paleoanthropological field and laboratorynresearch projects in eastern Asia, the record is quicklynbecoming better understood