Patterns of transitions in Paleolithic stages during MIS 3 and 2 in Korea

Possible linkage between Paleolithic site occurrence and past climate change in the central Korean Peninsula

“…These different rates of evolution of Paleolithic technologies strongly indicate heterogeneous timing in the utilization of blades owing to geographical limitations. Therefore, this study supports an earlier suggestion that Early Paleolithic tools were not suddenly replaced by blade and microblade tools (Bae & Bae, 2012; H. W. Lee, 2016).…”

“…Interestingly, the ages of Paleolithic cultural layers at the study site and other sites in the Wonju area (Figure 1c) appear to cluster around the late MIS 3 period (30–40 ka). Although this finding agrees with recent studies demonstrating that Paleolithic activity in Korea mainly occurred between the middle MIS 3 and late MIS 2 (e.g., H. W. Lee, 2016), it is necessary to investigate the possible reasons for the clustering of Paleolithic occupations in the Wonju area in the late MIS 3.…”

“…A similar pattern, characterized by higher scraper abundance, has been reported in the Gigok Paleolithic site, the eastern coast of Korea (Figure 1b; H. W. Lee, 2016 and references therein). On the other hand, the Yongsandong and Jingeuneul sites (Figure 1b, Table 2), both located at areas with lower elevations, show high abundances of blades (H. W. Lee, 2016 and references therein), implying either migration from the north through low‐elevation routes or independent in situ evolution at such sites. These different rates of evolution of Paleolithic technologies strongly indicate heterogeneous timing in the utilization of blades owing to geographical limitations.…”

“…However, the reasons for the transition from Early to Late Paleolithic in the Korean Peninsula remain poorly understood (Seong, 2009a). In contrast to China and Japan, Korea's Paleolithic sites are concentrated between the middle of MIS 3 and the end of MIS 2 (e.g., Bae & Bae, 2012; H. W. Lee, 2016, and references therein). The transition from the Early to Late Paleolithic in Korea is considered to have occurred during the transition between MIS 3 and MIS 2, corresponding to ∼40–25 ka, which was accompanied by significant behavioral changes.…”

A functional approach to the use of the earliest blade technology in Upper Paleolithic Hokkaido, northern Japan

“…Despite the historical and ecological complexity of East Asia, northeastern Asia, consisting of modern northern China, Korea, Mongolia, eastern Siberia, and Japan, blade technology consistently appeared in the Upper Paleolithic archaeological record from the late Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 to MIS 2 (ca. 40,000-11,000 BP) (e.g., Brantingham et al, 2001;Vasilevsky, 2006;Bar-Yosef and Wang, 2012;Gladyshev et al, 2012;Morisaki, 2012;Wang and Qu, 2014;Yi et al, 2014;Lee, 2016;Terry et al, 2016). For example, in China, blade technology probably appeared due to human southward migration to northwest China around 38,000-34,000 cal.…”