Bones, Tools From 45,000 Years Ago Serve as Earliest Known Homo Sapiens Evidence in Eastern Asia

Ancient bone and rock fragments in Eastern Asia could change what is currently known about human migration history.

Bones and Tools From 45,000 Years Ago

The artifacts were discovered at northeastern China's Shiyu site. Analysis reveals that Homo sapiens created them roughly 45,000 years ago. With this, the findings serve as the earliest evidence of Homo sapiens in Eastern Asia.

The discovery suggests that by then, modern humans may have been established at Shiyu. This prompts a novel interpretation of other cultural artifacts that were previously discovered in the area.

Archaeologist Francesco D'Errico from the University of Bordeaux explains that the site exhibits a cultural creolization process of blending traits that were inherited with novel innovations. This may have led to complications in traditional understanding regarding the global expansion of Homo sapiens.

The discovery was detailed in the "Initial Upper Palaeolithic material culture by 45,000 years ago at Shiyu in northern China" study.

A Long-Standing Mystery in Shiyu Site

For decades, Shiyu has been regarded as archaeologically significant. For a long time, it was inhabited. Its sedimentary sequence goes as deep as 30 meters, with layers deposited throughout a span of tens of thousands of years. Within the sediments, archaeologists have discovered a rich variety of artifacts and tools that were made and employed by those who used to live in the area.

Efforts to establish who these individuals were and how long they dwelled in the area have been long-standing. The earliest excavations in the area took place in 1963 and yielded thousands of artifacts, including thousands of bone and tooth pieces, 15,000 stone artifacts, and one single hominid skull bone fossil that was identified to be that of Homo sapiens.

However, the majority of the artifact collection got lost. This included the skull finding.

With determination, scientists conducted another excavation in 2013. Now, an international multidisciplinary team has focused on the in-depth characterization of the site. They gathered several artifacts that were available and closely analyzed them. They examined animal bones discovered at the site and conducted novel dating analysis via radiocarbon and techniques for optically stimulated luminescence. They did so in order to accurately date the samples taken from various sections of the sediments.

The dating showed that the oldest sequence was deposited roughly 45,000 years ago. Artifact analysis also showed various technological skills, such as the stone-knapping Levallois technique. There were also projectile points that were hafted and tanged and that had impact fracture evidence. This suggests a hunting skill of some sort. There was also obsidian that could have only been sourced from far distances of at least 800 to 1,000 kilometers, which suggests travel and/or trade.

Other findings include a graphite disk with a hole in the middle and a worked bone tool. The site's animal bones were also distinct, with most being adult horse bones. Many of them exhibited cut marks that indicate butchering. This suggests that the Shiyu site's inhabitants could have been hunters who targeted horses.

Mixed with the lost skull fragment, the findings show a crucial human history piece. Further work on the site could unravel even more hints regarding the individuals who used to inhabit the site.

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