Experts reveal latest research achievements on 'Ordos Tooth'

The International Conference on the 100th Anniversary of the Discovery of "Ordos Tooth" gets underway in Uxin Banner of Ordos city on Aug 14. [Photo/Nuan News]

A three-day International Conference on the 100th Anniversary of the Discovery of "Ordos Tooth" got underway in Uxin Banner of Ordos city on Aug 14.

Four experts from China and overseas gave keynote speeches, highlighting the latest research achievements, and fully demonstrating the unique nature and historical context of the "Ordos Tooth" culture – and the ancient people it refers to – at the Salawusu site.

Chen Fuyou, a senior engineer at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, shared the research results based on the excavations at the Salawusu site from 2021 to 2022, under the title "New Archaeological Excavation at Salawusu Site".

Chen said the excavation work confirmed the precise location of the Paleolithic site discovered by French scholars in 1923, providing a foundation for further archaeological excavation, research, cultural relic protection, and site park construction in Salawusu.

The diggings have unearthed a trove of stone tools, bone and horn artifacts, as well as animal fossils, providing solid materials for studying and understanding the culture of ancient humans in this area during the Paleolithic era, also known as the Old Stone Age.

Chen Fuyou, a senior engineer at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, delivers a speech at the conference. [Photo/Nuan News]

Zhou Liping, a distinguished professor at Peking University, believes the "Ordos Tooth" lived around 50,000 years ago. He said luminescence dating technology provides a better understanding of the deposits found at the Salawusu site.

Professor Robin Daniels from the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom delivered a keynote speech at the conference titled "Survival Adaptations of Late Paleolithic Groups in Siberia, Mongolia, and Northern China."

He said the excavations have yielded a large number of animal fossils. Combined with seasonal changes in northern China, these have inspired researchers to focus on the analysis of residual substances such as animal fur and blood in future research, in order to better understand the living conditions of the "Ordos Tooth" in a more scientific and comprehensive way, he noted.

In a video presentation, a descendant of French paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin gave a keynote speech titled "Pierre Teilhard de Chardin in China – A Retrospective of His Scientific Exploration Work."

She introduced some pioneering collaborative research work conducted by Mr Teilhard de Chardin in China in the last century. She also called for more international cooperation in order to explore, interpret, and inherit our common cultural heritage.