Technological behavior of the early Late Pleistocene archaic humans at Lingjing (Xuchang, China)
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Technological behavior of the early Late Pleistocene archaic humans at Lingjing (Xuchang, China) Hao Li 1,2
&
Zhan-yang Li 3,4 & Xing Gao 1,2 & Kathleen Kuman 5 & Alexandra Sumner 6,7
Received: 6 June 2018 / Accepted: 20 November 2018 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2019
Abstract The period approximating 100 ka relates to Middle Paleolithic or Middle Stone Age technological behaviors that are generally characterized by prepared core technology, an expanding range of retouched tools, and the novel exploitation and sourcing of raw materials. As opposed to other regions of the world, the technological features of this period in China are deeply debated and remain unclear. Presently, it is suggested that Chinese lithic technology during this period is marked by the continuation of mode 1 artifacts that are characterized by simple cores, flakes, and tools that lack standardization. Here, we present a lithic assemblage associated with the discovery of two archaic human crania at the Lingjing site, securely dated to ~ 125–90 ka. A detailed analysis of stone artifacts shows increased technological advancement of the Lingjing humans during this period, including bi-conical discoidal core reduction strategies, discrete small-sized tool types, and refined retouch on blanks. Those features are also shared by the contemporaneous sites documented across the broader Eurasian and African continents. However, the rarity of prepared core technologies at Lingjing, such as Levallois or laminar flaking, likely indicates a unique technological trajectory compared to sites outside of China. It is due to this that we herein adopt the term Chinese Middle Paleolithic to more clearly refer to the variations we have identified at Lingjing. The Lingjing lithic assemblage, overall, could potentially represent a regional expression of the Middle Paleolithic technocomplex in China, although details about the processes behind its development are still unclear. The study contributes to a new understanding of the long-standing view of the simplified technological behaviors in China before ~ 40 ka and sheds light on the interpretations of the implied human behavioral transformations in the early Late Pleistocene of China. Keywords Lingjing . Early Late Pleistocene . Archaic humans . Technological behavior . Chinese Middle Paleolithic
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-018-0759-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Zhan-yang Li [email protected] * Alexandra Sumner [email protected] 1
Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
2
CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, China
3
Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China
4
Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Zhengzhou 450000, China
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