Neanderthals: Immigration to China by stone tools?

Neanderthals: Immigration to China by stone tools?

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archaeologists who excavate the longtan site in the province of Yunnan, on the southwestern edge of the Tibetan highlands, discovered hundreds of stone artifacts in two trenches that were dug into the reddish, silty earth of the region. The research team found that many of the tools were manufactured in the style of the so -called Quina, which is typically considered an archaeological sign of the Neanderthals. This style was not found in East Asia before, as published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences explained.

Neanderthaler and their migration

"The discovery at the Longtan site is remarkable because it documents this special tradition far (at least 7,000 or 8,000 kilometers) from the area, which is traditionally associated with this techno-cultural complex," said Davide Delpiano, co-author of the study and postdoctorate for paleolithic archeology at the University of Ferrara in Italy. Neanderthals roamed Eurasia for about 400,000 years before they disappeared 40,000 years ago. However, there is no evidence of their remains east of the Altai mountains in southern Siberia.

Quina tools and their importance

The tool equipment discovered at Longtan from 2019 and 2020 includes SCHABER, which were used with a sharp side to process skins or wood, stone tips that may have been attached to wooden spears, as well as tools with notches that have similarities to saw. In Europe, Neanderthals used Quina tools during a dry and cold period 60,000 to 50,000 years ago in a landscape of open forests. The tools would probably have helped the Neanderthals to hike hiking herds of reindeer, huge deer, horses and bison, according to the study.

climatic conditions and analysis

The analysis of old pollen from Longtan showed that the climate and the surrounding area in the southwest of China could have been similar to that in Europe. However, the authors found no animal remains at the site, so that it remains unclear whether the people living there chase similar animals. "The Quina package represents an adaptation to highly developed mobility strategies: These artifacts have been designed in such a way that they last for a long time because nomadic groups of people were forced to look for resources that became scarce due to increasingly tough climate conditions," said Delpiano.

The role of Denisova people

It is possible that Neanderthals came to South West China or possibly met other human species in their ancestral area, which led to a spread of their stone tool technology to the east. Fossils from the Denisova Cave in the Altai mountains show that Neanderthals lived there about 200,000 years ago, at the same time as a sister species that as Denisovans is known from which they lived throughout Asia.

The research results and their implications

The study authors added that skull, which was found in Xuchang Features of the Neanderthals showed, which "indicates that there could have been human interactions between the West and the East". "It would not be surprising if Neanderthals occasionally entered Chinese territory. However, the problem is that we are currently missing these technology lessons in the rest of Asia, which means that we do not have a clear 'Breadcrumb-Traces' for connection in a hypothetical migration path," said Delpiano.

summary and outlook

an equally plausible explanation that was brought up in the study is that the hominids, who once lived in Longtan - Perhaps denisovans or another unknown species -separately developed the same style of stone tools, in response to the same area. "Although we cannot yet confirm the presence of Neanderthals in China-who were responsible for the Central Paleolithic tools in Europe and Central Asia-we know that their 'sister' art, Denisovans, were present in the region," he said.

"For me, the meaning of this paper is that it contributes to a constantly growing list of discoveries that propagate research on human origins in Southeast Asia and Southeast Asia," said Ben Utting, Postdoktorand in the Department of Anthropology of Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. "While archaeologists and anthropologists regarded East and Southeast Asia as a cultural 'hindrance' for a long time, these discoveries help to reverse and show that people in these regions were as dynamic and complex as the people who lived elsewhere at the same time."