Approximately 300,000 years ago, Europe was experiencing the Middle Palaeolithic, a period marked by significant advancements in stone tool technology. However, the narrative for East Asia has long been one of stagnation, with minimal changes in stone artifacts until the emergence of modern humans around 40,000 to 45,000 years ago. According to Professor Bo Li, the author of a groundbreaking new study, this assumption has been challenged by recent findings. “This discovery really revolutionizes our understanding of the technique and the cultural industry of Paleolithic East Asia,” he stated in an interview with IFLScience.
The remarkable collection of wooden artifacts was excavated from a lakeside site known as Gantangqing. Among the 35 unearthed items, clear evidence of human shaping and usage is evident, featuring whittling marks and intentionally smoothed surfaces. The tools, primarily made from pine with a few hardwood exceptions, include large digging sticks and smaller, hook-like implements that likely served for slicing through plant roots. The rarity of such finds is attributed to the decomposition of wooden artifacts, which often leads them to be absent from the archaeological record.
Utilizing cutting-edge dating methods, researchers were able to determine that these tools were crafted between 361,000 and 250,000 years ago. This timeframe suggests that the inhabitants of Gantangqing were engaging in complex subsistence strategies well before the arrival of modern humans. The study indicates that these early hominins made strategic use of lakeshore food resources, indicating a plant-oriented approach to subsistence in a subtropical environment.
The researchers posit that hominins at Gantangqing likely planned visits to the lakeshore, bringing along fabricated tools crafted from selected wood to exploit underground tubers, rhizomes, and corms. This assemblage provides compelling evidence for the significance of plant foods in the diets of early hominins living in subtropical conditions. The findings contrast sharply with northern temperate environments, such as those represented by the famous Schöningen spears from Germany, where hunting large mammals predominated.
The intriguing question of the creators of these tools leads Professor Bo Li to suggest that the most likely candidates are the Denisovans. Recent discoveries of Denisovan fossils in East Asia, including a notable fossil from Harbin over 150,000 years old, bolster this claim. Additional Denisovan remains have been found in various regions, including the Tibetan Plateau and the Penghu region in Taiwan. These findings imply that the Middle Palaeolithic period in East Asia was predominantly occupied by Denisovans.
Professor Li emphasizes the advanced cognitive and technological capabilities of the Denisovans, asserting that “Denisovans co-existed with Neanderthals in Siberia and made very sophisticated stone tools, demonstrating their intelligence and advanced skills.” Based on the types of plant remains discovered at Gantangqing, researchers speculate that these wooden tools were likely used for harvesting kiwis, nuts, and various types of tubers.
This significant discovery not only reshapes our understanding of the technological capabilities of ancient hominins in East Asia but also highlights the importance of plant-based diets in their survival strategies. The findings from Gantangqing open new avenues for research into the lifestyles of our ancient relatives and their adaptations to diverse environments.
