Homo erectus: cranium

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Object Details

Is this an original object?

Age

Between 780,000 and 400,000 years old

Summary

This composite skull combines several skulls from the same site, first named Sinanthropus pekingensis but later attributed to Homo erectus. The original fossils vanished while being shipped to the United States for safety during World War II, but scientists still have high-quality casts and descriptions to work with.

Original Object Identifier

Zhoukoudian Skull III

Original Object Holding Institution

original material destroyed in 1941

Location of Discovery

Zhoukoudian, China

Site

Zhoukoudian, China

Species

Homo erectus

Data Source

NMNH - Anthropology Dept.

Metadata Usage

CC0

Record ID

dpo_3d_200059