Posted 2016/10/24
Archeologists has recently confirmed a cave as in Xintian Town, xuancheng city as a prehistoric cave which harbors a trove of animal fossil bones and vessels and isolated from the ourside world for millions of years.
A huge crescent fossil bone weighing two kilograms was unearthed during the discovery. Experts have verified it as an Asian elephant tooth, the first one of its kind to be excavated from southern Anhui Province.
“I have been excavating the cave since April 2003. Originally I dug it just to create a shelter and rest stop for visitors en route to the temple. But later, I unearthed a heap of fossil bones and vessels from the cave. So my discovery was actually entirely accidental,” he told a reporter from an Anhui-based newspaper. “At first, I didn’t even realize what I had unearthed. Some of my finds were even taken away by visitors. If I hadn’t let them go I’d have had almost a thousand fossils in number,” he said regretfully.
If not for some alert experts from the Anhui Museum, Bi would never have known a bit of what his finds mean to modern archaeology.
According to Zheng Longting, director of the Cultural Relics Protection Center of Anhui Museum, the cave was formed from the force of erosion caused by underground water sources millions of years ago. When asked where those fossil stones came from, Zheng explained: “They were probably either washed in by water, or left by some prehistoric predatory human beings. The cave’s location serves as evidence that the area must have enjoyed a benign environment and a mild climate that allowed prehistoric human beings to thrive.”
Zheng felt jubilant after he visited the cave, asserting that it was a great archaeological coup. He said: “I hope we can find some prehistoric human traces in our upcoming excavations that are set to start in October.”
