New research at the Shiguo site in central China has found evidence of systematic stone tool production and the early use of tools with handles, challenging the notion that hominins in East Asia maintained a relatively simple technology for a long time without significant innovations.
A study published in the journalNature Communications.Presents new findings from the Shiguo site, in the Danjiangkuo Reservoir area of central China, showing that hominins who lived in the area between 160 and 72 tousands years ago used more advanced chiseling technologies than previously thought. The researchers, led by the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with partners from China, Australia, Spain and the United States, say the site reflects a high level of planning, skill and standardization in stone tool production.
To determine the age of the layers, the team used several luminescence dating methods and compared the results. They said the quartz-based ReOSL method provided a reliable estimate of the age of the sediments. This determined that the cultural layer at the site spanned an exceptionally long period of time, almost 90 years. This time frame allows us to examine not just a brief moment of human activity, but a technological tradition that lasted for many generations.
Consolidated technological knowledge passed down through generations
The site analyzed 2,601 items, including cores, flakes, and worked tools. The study shows that the site’s occupants used a variety of production methods, from relatively simple methods to more advanced methods, such as core-on-flake and discoid. The researchers note that many of the small tools show repeated and consistent processing patterns, indicating technical skill and non-random production. In other words, this is not a one-time improvisation, but rather a consolidated technological knowledge that was probably passed down through generations.
One of the most important findings is what the researchers define as the earliest evidence in East Asia of stone tools attached to a handle, that is, complex tools. According to analysis of the signs of use, some of the tools were attached to handles or shafts in two different ways. If this interpretation is correct, it means that the inhabitants of the region were not satisfied with stone chisels alone, but knew how to combine several materials to improve the function of the tool. This is a significant technological step, because it requires early planning, precise selection of materials and an understanding of mechanical advantages.
Credit: Image from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
It is unknown what species of hominin produced the tools.
The researchers also link the find to the broader question of the diversity of human species living in China at the time. Several large-brained hominins lived in the region during the period in question, including Homo longi ,Homo juluensis and maybe also Homo sapiens The study does not determine with certainty which species made the tools, but it does suggest that central China was engaged in more complex technological behavior at the time than previously attributed to East Asian populations. In this context, the researchers also mention fossils from other sites, such as Shujiao and Lingjing, which may in the future help to link the archaeological findings to the identity of the toolmakers.
The find is particularly important because it challenges a long-standing view in prehistoric research that East Asia was characterized by a long period of stability in stone technologies, with relatively little innovation. The Shiguo site presents a different picture: a human group or groups that developed diverse work practices, preserved technological traditions over time, and perhaps also made early use of complex tools. If such finds are discovered at other sites, the story of technological innovation in Paleolithic Asia may need to be rewritten.
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For the scientific article: DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-67601-y
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