Technological innovations and hafted technology in central China ~160,000-72,000 years ago.

ABSTRACT: Technological innovations in Africa and western Europe in the later part of the Middle Pleistocene signal the behavioural complexity of hominin populations. Yet, at the same time, it has long been believed that hominin technologies in Eastern Asia lack signs of innovation and sophistication. Here, we report on technological innovations occurring at Xigou, in the Danjiangkou Reservoir Region, central China, dating to ~160,000-72,000 years ago. Technological, typological, and functional analyses reveal the presence of advanced technological behaviours spanning over a 90,000-year period. The Xigou hominins used core-on-flake and discoid methods to effectively obtain small dimensional flakes to manufacture a diverse range of tool forms. The identification of the hafted tools provides the earli

SUBMITTER: Yue JP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12848047 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature