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Ancient Stone Tools Unearthed in China Challenge Human Origins Theories
Archaeological discovery in southwest China has revealed stone tools dating back 50,000 to 60,000 years, crafted by a mysterious group inhabiting a frigid environment. These ancient artifacts, discovered at the Longtan site in Yunnan province, are prompting researchers to reconsider existing narratives of human origins and migration during the Stone Age. The tools’ distinctive style, typically linked to Neanderthals, has never before been found in East Asia, sparking debate about early human presence in the region.
Unprecedented Find in Yunnan Province
Excavations at the Longtan site, situated on the Tibetan Plateau’s southwestern edge in Yunnan province, unearthed hundreds of stone implements from trenches dug into the area’s reddish clay. Analysis indicates many of these tools exhibit a “Quina” style, a technique generally associated with Neanderthals, an extinct human species. This toolmaking tradition, or complex, was previously unknown in East Asia, according to a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
“The Longtan site discovery is truly remarkable, showcasing this specific tool tradition remarkably far – at least 7,000 to 8,000 kilometers – from its conventionally understood geographical range,” stated study co-author Davide Delpiano, a Paleolithic archaeology expert at the University of Ferrara in Italy, via email.
Neanderthals inhabited Eurasia for approximately 400,000 years before their disappearance around 40,000 years ago. Crucially, evidence of their remains has not been found east of Siberia’s Altai Mountains until now.
Past discoveries of Neanderthal skeletal remains alongside Quina stone tools have occurred at numerous sites in Western Europe, including La Quina in southwest France, the style’s namesake location. Quina is categorized as part of the Mousterian culture, a broader collection of stone tool technologies associated with Neanderthals.
Delpiano emphasized the “significant implications” of the unprecedented Longtan discovery, suggesting two potential interpretations: either Neanderthals migrated eastward to present-day China, or another ancient human population independently developed remarkably similar stone tools to those concurrently being produced in Europe during the Middle Paleolithic period.
Implications of the Stone Tool Technology
The assemblage of tools retrieved from Longtan in 2019 and 2020 includes:
- Scrapers: Tools with a sharpened edge, likely used for processing hides or woodworking.
- Stone Points: Potentially hafted onto wooden spears for hunting.
- Notched Tools: Resembling saws, their precise function is still under investigation.
In Europe, Neanderthals utilized Quina tools during a dry, cold spell roughly 50,000 to 60,000 years ago in an open woodland environment. Research suggests these tools facilitated the hunting of migratory animals such as reindeer, giant deer, horses, and bison, which were crucial for Neanderthal survival.
Quina tools often show signs of prolonged use, with frequent retouching and recycling, indicating their importance in resource-scarce conditions and nomadic lifestyles, the researchers noted.
Pollen analysis from Longtan indicates a comparable climate and environment to that of Europe during the period. However, the absence of animal remains at the Longtan site leaves open questions about the specific fauna hunted by the toolmakers.
“The Quina toolkit signifies an adaptation to highly mobile survival strategies. These artifacts were 만들어designed for extended utility as nomadic groups sought resources that became increasingly scarce due to worsening climate conditions,” Delpiano explained.
He proposed two scenarios: Neanderthals themselves reached as far east as southwest China, or they encountered other human species within their range, resulting in the eastward dissemination of their stone tool technology.
Fossil evidence from Denisova Cave in the Altai Mountains confirms Neanderthal presence there around 200,000 years ago, coinciding with the presence of Denisovans, a related hominin group believed to have inhabited extensive regions of Asia.
Furthermore, the study authors pointed to skulls discovered in Xuchang, Henan province, central China, exhibiting certain Neanderthal traits, suggesting potential “interactions between human populations in the West and East.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised by occasional Neanderthal incursions into Chinese territory,” Delpiano commented. “However, the current challenge lies in the absence of this specific technological style across the rest of Asia. This gap prevents us from establishing a clear ‘breadcrumb trail’ for a hypothetical migration route.”
Competing Theories: Neanderthals or Denisovans?
An equally compelling explanation presented in the study posits that the hominins inhabiting Longtan – possibly Denisovans or another unknown group – independently invented a similar stone tool technology to Neanderthals as a response to analogous harsh environmental pressures.
“While definitive confirmation of Neanderthal presence in China – the group associated with Middle Paleolithic tools in Europe and Central Asia – remains elusive, we know their ‘sister’ group, the Denisovans, inhabited the region,” he stated. “Therefore, attributing these technological innovations and ecological adaptations to Denisovans is a plausible preliminary hypothesis.”
“Building upon a shared foundation of knowledge – a technological base common to European Neanderthals – local populations might have ‘reinvented’ this tool-making tradition because it was optimally suited to their ecological circumstances,” Delpiano elaborated.
Dongju Zhang, an archaeologist at China’s Lanzhou University, who was not involved in the research, considered both scenarios plausible yet speculative. She emphasized the need for more definitive evidence to ascertain the toolmakers’ identity.
“In my view, it is premature to definitively identify the creators of this tool style at Longtan. I eagerly anticipate further discoveries, particularly more conclusive evidence such as human fossils, ancient DNA, or paleoproteomic (ancient protein) data from East Asia,” Zhang stated via email.
John Shea, an anthropology professor at Stony Brook University in New York, emphasized that unequivocal proof of Neanderthal habitation in present-day China necessitates the discovery of Neanderthal fossils in the region.
“Stone tools, in themselves, are not definitive identifiers of specific hominin groups,” Shea cautioned.
This recent study contributes to a growing body of unresolved questions surrounding the unfolding human story in Asia preceding the extensive arrival of Homo sapiens, our own species.
“For me, the paper’s significance lies in its contribution to the expanding collection of recent discoveries that highlight East and Southeast Asia as crucial regions for human origins research,” noted Ben Utting, a postdoctoral fellow in anthropology at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
“While archaeologists and anthropologists historically considered East and Southeast Asia as cultural ‘backwaters,’ these findings are reshaping that perception, demonstrating that human populations in these regions were every bit as behaviorally dynamic and complex as those elsewhere during that era.”