Though Shanghai is now well-known for the longevity of its citizens, archaeologists said 6,000 years ago people didn't live longer than 30 years.

Archaeologists said a newly discovered skull which dates back 6,000 years belonged to a man around the age of 30.

The skull was unearthed at the Songze site of the Neolithic Age and it was basically intact except the destroyed nose bridge bone, cheekbones and the upper jaw, said Huang Xuanpei, archaeologist of Shanghai museum.

Huang said analysis of the bones of people of the same period in Shanghai showed their ages ranged from 20 to 30, compared with the current average life expectancy of 79.13 years for male and 83.41 years for female in the city.

(Xinhua News Agency May 18, 2004)