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By Root 1498 0

younger one. But if one accepts the younger of the conflicting paleomagnetic dates for Gongwangling, the data allows the possible near contemporaneity of all three sites at about 500,000 years to 600,000 years ago, in the middle Middle Pleistocene.

Let us now further analyze the Gongwangling fauna in comparison with the Zhoukoudian fauna, and see whether or not it is possible to conclude in any other way that Gongwangling must be older. In our comparison, we have not limited ourselves to the fauna at Zhoukoudian Locality 1, where Beijing man fossils were found, but have also included the faunal lists from the nearby Zhoukoudian Localities 13 and 15. Locality 13 is about the same age as the basal part of Locality 1 (Aigner 1981, p. 32). Locality 15 is slightly more recent than Locality 1 or perhaps equivalent to its upper phase (Aigner 1981, p. 32; Pei 1939, p. 184). Zhoukoudian Localities 1, 13, and 15 all fall within the middle Middle Pleistocene (Aigner 1981, p. 32). Using their combined faunal lists, we discovered that 26 of the 46 Gongwangling taxa (about 57 percent) are found at Zhoukoudian (Figure 9.4, I).

Of the remaining taxa, 7 represent distinctly southern forms (Figure 9.4, II).

Figure 9.4. Analysis of Gongwangling fauna. In 1964, a Homo erectus-type cranium was found at Gongwangling. Because it was much more primitive than the Homo erectus crania from Zhoukoudian, some researchers thought it demanded an earlier date. These researchers sought support for their conclusion in the Gongwangling fauna (• = living forms), which they claimed was quite distinct from that of Zhoukoudian. But analysis of the Gongwangling fauna shows the following. (I) Twenty-six of the 46 taxa (57 percent) are found at Zhoukoudian Localities 1, 13, and 15. (II) Seven are typical southern forms, which would not be expected at Zhoukoudian, 500 miles to the northeast of Gongwangling. They could represent a geographical rather than a temporal variation. (III) Four of the Gongwangling taxa not found at Zhoukoudian are still living today, so they cannot be used to establish an earlier date for Gongwangling. (IV) Two species are unique to Gongwangling and thus cannot be used for relative dating. (V) Four Gongwangling species not found at Zhoukoudian are found at other Chinese sites with ages similar to Zhoukoudian. Thus far, comparison of the Gongwangling and Zhoukoudian fauna (I–V) do not establish that the Gongwangling site must be older. (VI) The only species that tends to confirm an early date is Leptobos, but this species differs significantly from the European type and was said by the original discoverer to resemble Bison priscus, which survived to the Late Pleistocene. (VII) Three species reported by original excavators at Gongwangling and Zhoukoudian were inexplicably reclassified by later researchers. The changes tend to support a desired older date for Gongwangling, and are thus suspect. It thus appears that the Zhoukoudian Homo erectus and the more primitive Gongwangling Homo erectus were contemporary in the middle Middle Pleistocene.

I. Taxa also discovered at Zhoukoudian

Localities 1,13, or 15:

• Macaca (monkey)

• Neomys (water shrew)

Hyaena brevirostris sinensis (Chinese short-faced hyena)

Megantheron (saber-tooth cat)

• Felix (Panthera) pardus (panther)

• Felix (Panthera) tigris (tiger)

• Mustela (polecat)

Meles leucurus (hog badger)

Canis variabilis (Chinese gray wolf)

• Nyctereuteus sinensis (raccoon dog)

Equus sanmeniensis (horse) Sus lydekkeri (pig) Megaloceros (giant deer) Pseudaxis grayi (sika deer)

• Gazella (gazelle)

• Petaurista (flying squirrel)

• Hystrix subcristata (porcupine)

• Myospalax (mole rat)

• Myospalax fontanieri (mole rat)

Myospalax tingi (mole rat)

• Cricetulus griseus (little hamster) Cricetulus varians (little hamster) Microtus epiraticeps (common vole)

• Apodemus (field mouse)

• Gerbillus (gerbil)

Ochotonoides complicidens (pika)

II. Taxa typical of southern China:

Stegodon orientalis (elephant)

• Tapirus (tapir)

• Tapirus sinensis (Chinese tapir) Megatapirus augustus (giant