Zhiyu Man Site

The Zhiyu Man site is a site of ancient human fossils. It is located in the gravel layer of the secondary terrace along the Zhiyu River in the Datong Basin, Shanxi Province, and it was discovered in 1963. The site contains many cultural relics, including 15,000 stone artefacts, such as arrows, serrated blades, an ‘axe-shaped small stone knife’ with a collar, as well as burned stones, burned bones, a graphite decoration and many artificially smashed animal bones. The site includes 15 species of mammals, most of which are typical grassland types, including Equus ferus przewalskii, Equus hemionus, Procapra przewalskii, Gazella subgutturosa, Coelodonta antiquitatis, Wang’s wild horse, Megaloceros ordosianus, Cervus elaphus, Crocuta crocuta, tiger and Myospalax fontanieri. They lived during the late stage of the Late Pleistocene. C-14 dating dates them to 28,000 years before present.