Ancient tools in China are forcing scientists to rethink early humans
A recently uncovered archaeological site in central China is changing how scientists understand early hominin behavior in East Asia.
A recently uncovered archaeological site in central China is changing how scientists understand early hominin behavior in East Asia. The discoveries suggest these ancient populations were far more capable and adaptable than previously assumed.
An international research team led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences carried out excavations at Xigou in the Danjiangkou Reservoir Region of central China. Their work revealed evidence of advanced stone tool technologies dating from about 160,000 to 72,000 years ago.
The project, co-led by Griffith University, shows that hominins living in this area demonstrated creativity and flexibility during a time when several large-brained hominins lived in China. These included Homo longi and Homo juluensis, and possibly Homo sapiens.
Challenging Old Assumptions About East Asian Technology
“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.”
According to the research team, close examination of the artifacts shows that the site’s inhabitants used advanced stone toolmaking techniques. These methods produced small flakes and tools that supported a wide range of activities, pointing to complex and versatile behavior.
Earliest Composite Tools Found in East Asia
One of the most remarkable discoveries at Xigou was evidence of hafted stone tools, representing the earliest known composite tools in East Asia. These tools combined stone elements with handles or shafts.
Such designs required careful planning, skilled workmanship, and an understanding of how tool performance could be improved by combining materials. The findings indicate a sophisticated approach to technology rather than simple or static traditions.
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.”
A Long Record of Change and Diversity
The archaeological layers at Xigou span approximately 90,000 years, offering a long-term view of technological development. This record aligns with increasing evidence that hominin diversity in China was growing during this period.
Large-brained hominins identified at sites such as Xujiayao and Lingjing, sometimes referred to as Homo juluensis, may provide a biological context for the behavioral complexity seen in the Xigou stone tool collections.
“The technological strategies evident in the stone tools likely played a crucial role in helping hominin populations adapt to the fluctuating environments that characterized the 90,000-year-period in Eastern Asia,” Professor Petraglia said.
Rethinking Human Evolution in East Asia
The research team says the discoveries at Xigou are reshaping views of human evolution in East Asia. The findings indicate that early populations in the region had cognitive and technical abilities comparable to those of early humans 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 recognized.”
The study ‘Technological innovations and hafted technology in central China ~160,000-72,000 years ago’ has been published in Nature Communications.
