全新世各时期人类遗骸，尤其是新石器时代、青铜铁器时代等考古遗址出土的一些已经消失的古代人群的标本，对于探讨我国人群的起源、演化和迁徙问题起到非常重要的作用。
从50年代起，在我国境内相继发现了丰富的全新世人骨材料，从一万年前至今，各个时期都有重要的遗址发现，目前已经发表和报道的新石器时代的人类遗址有30余处，绝对年代为据今10000－4000年之间。我国全新世人群的分布范围广泛，不同地区人群之间的体质特征存在着一定的差异，对于其体质特征分型问题，目前还存在不同的认识：一些学者提出我国新石器时代和现代居民的体质特征以长江为界分为南部和北部两大类型，现代中国人的体质特征是我国新石器时代居民特征类型的延续和发展；另外一些学者认为我国新石器时代居民分为黄河上游，黄河中下游和华南三种类型或者甘青、华南和黄河中下游三组；还有学者认为我国古代居民分为古中原类型、古华北类型、古东北类型、古西北类型和古华南五个基本类型。多年来，我国学者在对古代居民的体质特征进行研究时，采用的方法基本是选用一些主要的颅骨测量数据，通过其平均值的分析得出结论。虽然很多学者倾向于南北两大类型的分类方法，但是并没有人对长江两岸古代居民的体质特征进行详细的研究和论述。
最近，中科院古脊椎动物与古人类研究所吴秀杰副研究员等对分布于秦岭以北、长江以南，以及秦岭和长江之间的古代居民的头面部的形态特征进行了详细的研究，发现新石器时代长江以南的居民表现为宽的鼻部和较矮的上面部，秦岭以北的居民表现为较高的上面部和较高的眶部，而位于秦岭和长江之间的人群其体质特征比较复杂，有些特征倾向与北方类型、而有些特征倾向于南方类型。现代居民，相比于长江以南的居民，秦岭以北的居民表现为更宽阔的面部和高的鼻部。通过对新石器时代、现代34处考古遗址出土的309例人类遗骸的个体分布，并结合动物群、植物生态学、血液学、遗传学及语系的研究结果，吴秀杰等提出秦岭和长江为我国古代居民体质特征差异的分水岭，这种体质特征的差异主要是由于长期适应环境因素造成的。将今论古，这种南北体质特征的差异向上可以追溯到距今60万年左右的周口店直立人和南京汤山直立人。(生物谷Bioon.com)
生物谷推荐原文出处：
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology doi：10.1002/oa.1190
Craniofacial variation between southern and northern Neolithic and Modern Chinese
X.J. Wu 1 *, W. Liu 1, C.J. Bae 2
1Key Laboratory of Evolutionary Systematics of Vertebrates, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
2Department of Anthropology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawai'i, 96822-2223, USA
Previous studies propose that the Yangtze River is the geographic boundary separating northern and southern Chinese populations. In order to test this hypothesis, 19 Neolithic and 15 Modern human cranial samples from north of the Qinling Mountain Range, south of the Yangtze River and in between were chosen for morphometric analysis. Our results indicate that cranial variation exists in Holocene Neolithic and Modern northern and southern Chinese. In the Neolithic sample, the northern Chinese crania are characterised by greater upper face height and orbit height, while the southern Chinese skulls are depicted by a wider nose. The morphology of the crania between the Qinling Mountain range and the Yangtze River feature a mosaic of characters that suggest affiliation with both north and south groups. In the Modern day sample, northern crania are characterised by a broad and wide face, and a tall nose. From the Neolithic to Modern day, a series of microevolutionary processes that apply to both the northern and southern samples can be discerned. Overall, the head gets lower, the face and nose become narrower and the orbits tend to be narrower and higher. Our results support the suggestion that the Qinling Mountain Range and the Yangtze River represent a natural barrier to the movement of Chinese populations. Climatic variation and the transition to an agricultural lifestyle are proposed as the primary factors influencing human craniofacial morphologies.
