Xigou site discovery challenges long-held views on early human technology in East Asia
image:
Location of the Xigou site.
view moreCredit: Image by the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, CAS.
An international research team has uncovered evidence of advanced stone tool technologies in East Asia dating back 160,000 to 72,000 years, with the findings recently published in Nature Communications.
Led by the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the team—which included researchers from China, Australia, Spain, and the United States—conducted multidisciplinary archaeological investigations at the Xigou site in the Danjiangkou Reservoir region of central China. Their work yielded evidence of sophisticated stone tool technologies dating from 160,000 to 72,000 years ago, revealing that hominins in the region were far more innovative and adaptable than previously thought. This period coincided with the coexistence of multiple large-brained hominin species in China, including Homo longi, Homo juluensis, and potentially Homo sapiens.
To establish the site's age, the researchers applied multiple luminescence dating methods to six samples for cross-validation. Results indicated that quartz recuperated optically stimulated luminescence (ReOSL) ages provide a reliable benchmark for the depositional age of the site's stratigraphic profile. Consequently, the cultural layer at Xigou has been dated to roughly 160,000–72,000 years ago, creating a well-defined chronological framework for studying hominin activity during this interval.
Detailed analysis of 2,601 lithic artifacts recovered from the site shows that ancient inhabitants employed refined stone tool-making techniques to produce small flakes and formal tools. Small-sized flakes were generated using core reduction strategies ranging from expedient to highly systematic—including core-on-flake and discoid technologies. The standardized retouching patterns of the dominant small tools are indicative of a high degree of technological complexity and uniformity.
Among the most notable discoveries is the earliest known evidence of hafted stone tools in East Asia—representing the region's earliest confirmed composite tools. Traceological analysis identified two distinct handle types: juxtaposed and male. These composite tools, which integrated stone components with handles or shafts, reflect advanced planning, skilled craftsmanship, and a sophisticated understanding of how to optimize tool performance.
The archaeological discoveries at Xigou challenge the long-held narrative that early hominins in China exhibited technological conservatism over time. The site's robust stratigraphic sequence, spanning nearly 90,000 years, aligns with mounting evidence of increasing hominin diversity across China during this period. The presence of large-brained hominins at sites such as Xujiayao and Lingjing—some classified as Homo juluensis—provides a plausible biological basis for the behavioral complexity evident in Xigou's stone tool assemblages.
Cores and tools. (a) Core-on-flake; (b) Discoid core; (c) Tanged borer; (d) Backed borer.
Credit
Image by the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, CAS.
Journal
Nature Communications
DOI
Discovery challenges long-held beliefs on early human technology in East Asia
Griffith University
image:
Reconstruction of Xigou tool-making.
view moreCredit: Credit Hulk Yuan
A newly excavated archaeological site in central China is reshaping long-held assumptions about early hominin behaviour in Eastern Asia.
Led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, an international team of researchers conducted archaeological excavations at Xigou, located in the Danjiangkou Reservoir Region in central China, uncovering evidence of advanced stone tool technologies dating back 160,000-72,000 years ago.
The explorations, co-led by Griffith University, revealed hominins in this region were far more inventive and adaptable than previously believed, at a time when multiple large-brained hominins were present in China, such as Homo longi and Homo juluensis, and possibly Homo sapiens.
“Researchers have argued for decades that while hominins in Africa and western Europe demonstrated significant technological advances, those in East Asia relied on simpler and more conservative stone-tool traditions,” said expedition leader Dr Shixia Yang of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP).
Study co-author Professor Michael Petraglia, Director of Griffith University’s Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, added: “The Xigou findings challenge the narrative that early humans in China were conservative over time.”
“Detailed analyses from the site show hominin inhabitants employed sophisticated stone toolmaking methods to produce small flakes and tools that were then used in a diverse array of activities.”
Among the most striking finds was the discovery of hafted stone-tools – the earliest-known evidence of composite tools in East Asia.
These tools combined stone components with handles or shafts, and demonstrated complex planning, skilled craftsmanship, and an understanding of how to enhance tool performance.
Lead author Dr Jian-Ping Yue of the IVPP said: “Their presence indicates the Xigou hominins possessed a high degree of behavioural flexibility and ingenuity.”
The site’s rich layers, covering a 90,000-year period, aligned with growing evidence of increasing hominin diversity in China.
Large-brained hominins identified at Xujiayao and Lingjing, sometimes referred to as Homo juluensis, provided a possible biological context for the behavioural complexity reflected in the Xigou assemblages.
“The technological strategies evident in the stone tools likely played a crucial role in helping hominin populations adapt to the fluctuating environments that characterised the 90,000-year-period in Eastern Asia,” Professor Petraglia said.
The research team said the Xigou findings reshaped our understanding of human evolution in East Asia, proving early populations possessed cognitive and technical abilities comparable to their counterparts in Africa and Europe.
Dr Yang added: “Emerging evidence from Xigou and other sites shows early technologies in China included prepared-core methods, innovative retouched tools, and even large cutting tools, pointing to a richer and more complex technological landscape than previously recognised.”
The study ‘Technological innovations and hafted technology in central China ~160,000–72,000 years ago’ has been published in Nature Communications.
Journal
Nature Communications
