1. Longquan Cave: an early Upper Palaeolithic site in Henan Province, China
- Author
-
Du, Shuisheng, Li, Xuan, Zhou, Li, Pang, Haijiao, Bar-Yosef, Ofer, and Wu, Xiaohong
- Subjects
Bone implements -- Analysis ,Anthropological research ,Caves -- Discovery and exploration ,Anthropology/archeology/folklore - Abstract
The Palaeolithic sequence of East Asia differs from that of western Eurasia in that it is characterised by core-and-flake tools. Blade industries only appear late in the sequence, long after the first appearance of modern humans; bone tools and personal ornaments may therefore function as a better marker of modern human presence. Longquan Cave provides vital new evidence to this effect, with dated hearths indicating an initial occupation around 40 kya cal BP, followed by a second period of activity around 35-31 kya cal BP. They are associated with a polished bone awl and a structured division of settlement space, features typically associated with modern humans. Keywords: China, Longquan Cave, Palaeolithic, lithics, quartz, bone tool, radiocarbon dating, Introduction The dispersal of modern humans from Africa into different regions of Eurasia some 50 000 years ago is generally seen to mark the onset of the Upper Palaeolithic, a [...]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF