Quina lithic technology indicates diverse Late Pleistocene human dynamics in East Asia

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Ruan, Qi-Jun; Li, Hao; Xiao, Pei-Yuan; Li, Bo; Monod, Helene; Sumner, Alexandra; Zhao, Ke-Liang; Liu, Jian- Hui; Jia, Zhen- Xiu; Wang, Chun- Xin; Fan, An- Chuan; Moncel, Marie- Helene; Marwick, Ben; Peresani, Marco; Wang, You-Ping; Chen, Fa-Hu; Delpiano, Davide
• 署名单位: Chinese Academy of Sciences; Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, CAS; Chinese Academy of Sciences; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS; University of Wollongong; University of Wollongong; Universitat Rovira i Virgili; Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN); Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); CNRS - Institute of Ecology & Environment (INEE); DePaul University; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology & Paleoanthropology, CAS; Chinese Academy of Sciences; University of Science & Technology of China, CAS; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); CNRS - Institute of Ecology & Environment (INEE); Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN); University of Washington; University of Washington Seattle; University of Ferrara; Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR); Istituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria (IGAG-CNR); Peking University
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-10808
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2418029122
• 发表日期: 2025-04-08
• 关键词: middle stone-age; paleolithic site; denisovan dna; qesem cave; neanderthal; strategies; remains; france; subsistence; emergence

摘要

The Late Pleistocene of Eurasia is key for understanding interactions between early modern humans and different types of archaic human groups. During this period, lithic technology shows more diversity and complexity, likely indicating flexible adaptative strategies. However, cultural variability as expressed by technological types remains vague in large parts of eastern Eurasia, like in China. Here, we report a complete Quina technological system identified from the study of the Longtan site in Southwest China. The site has been securely dated to ca. 60 to 50 thousand years ago (ka), with compelling evidence of core exploitation, production of large and thick flakes, shaping and maintenance of scrapers exhibiting the whole Quina concept, typical of contemporary European Middle Paleolithic technologies developed by Neanderthal groups adapted to climatic oscillations during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 4 and early MIS 3. The finding of a Quina lithic assemblage in China not only demonstrates the existence of a Middle Paleolithic technology in the region but also shows large-scale analogies with Neanderthal behaviors in western Europe. Longtan substantially extends the geographic distribution of this technical behavior in East Asia. Although its origin remains unclear, implications for Pleistocene hominin dispersal and adaptation to diverse ecological settings are considered. The Longtan lithic evidence also provides perspectives for understanding the cultural evolutionary situation before the large-scale arrivals of early modern humans in East Asia predating similar to 45 ka.