Read in the papers (Sunday Times) that the fossils of Peking Man are lost!! 
I never knew the fossils were missing but they have been from since the time of World War 2, through a rather unfortunate turn of events. The story is that the fossils were to have been sent to the US for 'safekeeping' by ship on 8 Dec 1941. However, Pearl Harbour was attacked on 7 Dec and the US marines who were to have done the deed, i.e. ferry the fossils, became POWs before they could do it. Since then, the fossils seem to have 'disappeared'. According to the article, they may possibly be somehwere in China, the US, Japan, at the bottom of the ocean, 'underneath an embassy garage', 'in the trunk among the belongings of a deceased person', etc. In other words, who knows where they could be.
So China is now hunting for the fossils, and good luck to the people involved, because it is so hard to recover 'lost history'. And the Chinese will know it well, as they have lost not just Peking Man but loads of other artefacts due to war, as well as foreigners coming and going, both legally and illegally.
And Peking Man is just one of many worldwide 'lost' historical items.
I am reminded of the 'missing pieces' from places such as Angkor Wat and Borobudur. Many of the best Buddhist images from these two places have also 'disappeared' and are being bought and sold under the table and are probably sitting in some rich people's homes or vaults, rather than where they should be sitting. This article says that 'the Khmer treasures (from Angkor Wat) are... a victim of their own beauty.' So sad, huh?
As for Borobudur, which is quite a sight to behold, believe me (and I'm not even Buddhist), one of the 'lost' pieces might even have turned up at a Christie's auction.
Was it Professor Miksic (who led excavations at Fort Canning, etc) who said that it was criminal that a piece of history should be taken away from where it should be? Hmmm... I can't remember if he was the one who said it. Thought he did.
I first learnt about Peking Man, along with Java Man, in lower sec history. I'm not sure, but I don't think they learn about 'prehistoric man' these days. Both Peking and Java Man were fossils of the homo erectus ('erect man') stage, i.e., the stage that is believed to have come just before the homo sapiens stage.
I never knew the fossils were missing but they have been from since the time of World War 2, through a rather unfortunate turn of events. The story is that the fossils were to have been sent to the US for 'safekeeping' by ship on 8 Dec 1941. However, Pearl Harbour was attacked on 7 Dec and the US marines who were to have done the deed, i.e. ferry the fossils, became POWs before they could do it. Since then, the fossils seem to have 'disappeared'. According to the article, they may possibly be somehwere in China, the US, Japan, at the bottom of the ocean, 'underneath an embassy garage', 'in the trunk among the belongings of a deceased person', etc. In other words, who knows where they could be.
So China is now hunting for the fossils, and good luck to the people involved, because it is so hard to recover 'lost history'. And the Chinese will know it well, as they have lost not just Peking Man but loads of other artefacts due to war, as well as foreigners coming and going, both legally and illegally.
And Peking Man is just one of many worldwide 'lost' historical items.
I am reminded of the 'missing pieces' from places such as Angkor Wat and Borobudur. Many of the best Buddhist images from these two places have also 'disappeared' and are being bought and sold under the table and are probably sitting in some rich people's homes or vaults, rather than where they should be sitting. This article says that 'the Khmer treasures (from Angkor Wat) are... a victim of their own beauty.' So sad, huh?
As for Borobudur, which is quite a sight to behold, believe me (and I'm not even Buddhist), one of the 'lost' pieces might even have turned up at a Christie's auction.
Was it Professor Miksic (who led excavations at Fort Canning, etc) who said that it was criminal that a piece of history should be taken away from where it should be? Hmmm... I can't remember if he was the one who said it. Thought he did.
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