Recent discovery of a unique Paleolithic industry from the Yumidong Cave site in the Three Gorges region of Yangtze River, southwest China

Abstract

a b s t r a c tThe Three Gorges of Yangtze River, southwest China, abundant in human and faunal fossils, and lithic artifacts, represents an important site complex for understanding hominin dispersion and adaptations during the Pleistocene. The Yumidong Cave is a newly-discovered Paleolithic site in this region which yielded a large number of animal fossils and lithic artifacts. UeTh dating in conjunction with biostratigraphic analysis indicated that the archaeological remains were deposited during a long sequence from ca. 400 to 8 ka (Middle Pleistocene to Holocene). Lithic technological analysis indicated an original material shaped on massive limestone blocks with chaîne op eratoire consisted of selection, shaping and retouching. The volumetric structures of selected blanks are regrouped into three categories: structures with bevel(s), trihedral structure and convergent ones. The outline of cutting-edge is predonimated by denticulate ones, followed by saw-like ones, rostrum, convergent with a denticulate edge and beaked ones. Despite showing nothing in common with Europe, Africa, the Near East and even the Indian Subcontinent and northern China, the lithic assemblage of the Yumidong Cave exhibits a strong coherence and presents more similarity to mainland Southeast Asia with heavy, angular and massive stone tools made on pebble, cobble and without the Levallois, Discoid, and blade/bladelet phenomenon. The lithic assemblage of Yumidong Cave may represent material clues of a potential local technological center of origin in unique technical world of Central-South China and its uniqueness would be understandable as the result of a successful adaptation of hominids to a specific environment. Yumidong lithic material deconstructs the existing paradigm for a long period of time and presents new ideas and new facts for the technic evolution in South China.

Reduction Sequences During the Hoabinhian Technocomplex in Cambodia and Thailand: A New Knapping Strategy in Southeast Asia from the Terminal Upper Pleistocene to mid Holocene

“…As a systematic methodology, it can reveal the chaînes opératoires and tool structures of the lithic industry (Boëda et al, 1990;Inizan et al, 1999;Soressi & Geneste, 2011), and thus provides a uniform criterion for intra-and inter-site comparisons. An increasing number of sites in Southeast Asia and southern China have been (or are being) revisited with this approach (Bodin, 2011;Boëda & Hou, 2011;Forestier, 2000Forestier, , 2020Forestier, 2020;Forestier et al, 2005bForestier et al, , 2013Forestier et al, , 2017aForestier et al, , 2017bLi, 2011;Li et al, 2009;Li et al, 2014Li et al, , 2019aLi et al, , 2019bLi & Bodin, 2013;Wei et al, 2017;Zeitoun et al, 2008Zeitoun et al, , 2019Zhou, 2021;Zhou et al, 2019Zhou et al, , 2020, and researchers now confirm that it is a scientifically robust and efficient method for revealing and discussing lithic variability and distinguishing different technological ideas and systems. In this paper, the technological analysis of two Hoabinhian sites has clearly demonstrated variability in reduction sequences and tool types.…”

On the Pleistocene Population History in the Japanese Archipelago

“…This route was likely, given that hunter-gatherer population density in the adjacent regions would have been higher than Paleo-Honshu at the time of the earliest population entry. For example, researchers have identified an increasing number of Middle and Late Pleistocene sites in southern China (e.g., Pei et al 2013;Shen and Keates 2003;Wang 2003Wang , 2005Wei et al 2017), suggesting that the Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherer population density in southern China was higher than that in Paleo-Honshu.…”

The Chronology of Early Human Settlement in Three Gorges Region, China—Contribution of Coupled Electron Spin Resonance and Uranium-Series Dating Method

“…Two fossil teeth and three calcite samples collected from Layer 2, 3 and 4 were dated by the U-series method at the University of Queensland, the tooth sample from Layer 2 gives an age of ~8.4 ka, while another tooth sample and one calcite sample from Layer 3 were dated to ~78.5 ka and ~75.2 ka, respectively. The other two calcite samples from Layer four yield distant U-series ages of 198 ± 51 ka and 398 ± 30 ka, respectively, and put the deposits of the Yumidong site range from ~400 ka to ~8 ka (Wei et al, 2017).…”

“…The site is a horizontal limestone cave with a skylight about 3 m in diameter, at ~20 m distance from the cave entrance. The site was discovered in 2004 and a large number of stone artifacts and mammalian fossils were unearthed during the excavations conducted in 2011-2013 (Wei et al, 2017).…”

“…The cave deposits are mainly composed of brown karstic sandy clay and limestone breccia and the stratigraphic sequence was divided into five layers initially by Wei et al (2017) and further subdivided in detail into 18 layers (Shao et al, 2022). Two fossil teeth and three calcite samples collected from Layer 2, 3 and 4 were dated by the U-series method at the University of Queensland, the tooth sample from Layer 2 gives an age of ~8.4 ka, while another tooth sample and one calcite sample from Layer 3 were dated to ~78.5 ka and ~75.2 ka, respectively.…”