Beijing, China – A recent study conducted in the Nihewan basin of China has uncovered groundbreaking evidence that hominins in East Asia showcased advanced tool-making skills equivalent to Mode 2 technology over 1.1 million years ago. This discovery challenges existing timelines and perceptions surrounding early technological development in the region, sparking a reevaluation of early human culture and connections across Eurasia.
Published in the journal PNAS, the study led by Prof. PEI Shuwen from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Prof. Ignacio de la Torre from the Institute of History at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), sheds light on the dispersal and adaptation of hominins in Eurasia during ancient times.
The research team reconstructed Cenjiawan refit sets from the Nihewan basin, revealing organized flaking techniques aimed at producing slender flakes through core preparation on both the striking platform and flaking surface. This standardized operational process, evidenced by refit sets and detached products at various stages, provides strong indications of a well-planned core preparation process.
Moreover, the study highlights the characterization of prepared core technologies, showing organized methods to obtain predetermined flakes that required intricate planning and a deep understanding of flaking mechanisms rooted in the Acheulean period. The intentional breakage of slender flakes for retouched tools, aiming to create tipped tools with two convergent sides, showcases a high level of technical skill and ingenuity among the ancient hominins in East Asia.
The findings from the Cenjiawan assemblage suggest a level of complexity in early Pleistocene tool-making that challenges previous notions of technological simplicity in the region. Dr. MA Dongdong, the study’s first author, notes that the advanced technological behaviors observed at the Cenjiawan site resemble those of Mode 2 technology, rather than the technical simplicity associated with Mode 1.
Furthermore, the study prompts a re-evaluation of the technological stasis previously assumed in East Asia, advocating for a focus on technological features rather than the presence of specific tool types. This shift in perspective enables a more holistic understanding of Mode 2 technology and the cultural and biological connections between East Asia and other parts of the world during ancient times.