By NewsBlogger Recent archaeological discoveries in East Asia and Western Europe challenge previous perceptions of early human technological development and social dynamics, revealing advanced tool-making skills and complex social relationships among hominin populations over 1.1 million years ago.
At a glance
- Hominins with advanced tool-making skills present in East Asia over 1.1 million years ago
- Challenges previous timelines and perceptions of early technological development in the region
- Organized flaking techniques observed in the Cenjiawan refit sets
- Retouched tools showed intentional breakage of slender flakes and standardization of tool shape
- Genetic study in Western Europe reveals hunter-gatherer communities prioritized mixing with other groups over blood relations
The details
A recent archaeological discovery in East Asia has revealed that hominins with advanced tool-making skills, equivalent to Mode 2 technology, were present in the region over 1.1 million years ago.
This finding challenges previous timelines and perceptions of early technological development in the area.
The hominins were skilled in intentionally breaking slender flakes to be used as blanks for retouching tipped tools.
Unifacially retouched points and borers were also found at the site.
The study, led by Prof. PEI Shuwen and Prof. Ignacio de la Torre, provides key insights into the early dispersals and adaptations of hominins in Eurasia.
Organized flaking techniques were observed in the Cenjiawan refit sets from the Nihewan basin, indicating a standardized operational process.
The prepared core technologies exhibited detailed planning and a deep understanding of flaking mechanisms.
Moreover, the retouched tools showed intentional breakage of slender flakes and standardization of tool shape, suggesting complex mental templates among the toolmakers.
The evidence from the Cenjiawan site provides compelling proof of complex technical abilities and in-depth planning behaviors among Early Pleistocene hominins in East Asia.
The technology documented at the site is similar to Mode 2 technology, challenging the long-held belief that Lower Paleolithic technology in China was simple and homogeneous.
In contrast, a genetic study conducted at Stone Age burial sites in Western Europe revealed that blood relations and kinship were not all-important for hunter-gatherer communities.
Researchers from Uppsala University analyzed biomolecular data from human skeletons at sites like Téviec, Hoedic, and Champigny, dating back to the Mesolithic period.
The study found that distinct families lived together in these communities to avoid inbreeding, indicating that hunter-gatherer groups mixed with other hunter-gatherer groups rather than with Neolithic farmers.
Graves at Téviec and Hoedic contained individuals who were not biologically related, suggesting that strong social bonds existed that were not based on kinship.
Overall, these new findings offer valuable insights into the social dynamics and technological advancements of early human populations in East Asia and Western Europe, shedding light on the complex behaviors and interactions of our ancient ancestors.
Article X-ray
Sources
Here are all the sources used to create this article:
Facts attribution
This section links each of the article’s facts back to its original source.
If you suspect false information in the article, you can use this section to investigate where it came from.
| scitechdaily.com |
|---|
| – East Asia was inhabited by hominins with advanced tool-making skills equivalent to Mode 2 technology over 1.1 million years ago – The discovery challenges previous timelines and perceptions of early technological development in the region – Slender flakes were intentionally broken and used as blanks for retouching tipped tools – Unifacially retouched points were found – Borers were also discovered – Hominins with advanced knapping abilities occupied East Asia as early as 1.1 million years ago – This is 0.3 million years earlier than previously thought – The study was conducted by a joint team led by Prof. PEI Shuwen and Prof. Ignacio de la Torre – The research provides insights into the early dispersals and adaptions of hominins in Eurasia. – Organized flaking techniques were discovered in the Cenjiawan refit sets from the Nihewan basin – Refit sets showed the standardized operational process – Prepared core technologies required detailed planning and a deep understanding of flaking mechanisms – Retouched tools showed intentional breakage of slender flakes and standardization of tool shape – The Cenjiawan assemblage suggests complex mental templates among the toolmakers – The evidence provides compelling evidence for complex technical abilities and in-depth planning behaviors among Early Pleistocene hominins in East Asia – The technology documented at the Cenjiawan site is similar to Mode 2 technology – The Lower Paleolithic technology in China has long been regarded as simple and homogeneous – The Cenjiawan assemblage provides a new perspective on technological stasis in East Asia – The authors argue that technological features should be the basis for studying Early and Middle Pleistocene assemblages in East Asia |
| scitechdaily.com |
|---|
| – Blood relations and kinship were not all-important for Stone Age hunter-gatherer communities in Western Europe – A genetic study conducted at French Stone Age burial sites showed distinct families lived together to avoid inbreeding – The study was led by researchers from Uppsala University and published in PNAS – Biomolecular data was obtained from human skeletons at sites like Téviec, Hoedic, and Champigny – The remains were dated to the Mesolithic period, overlapping with the Neolithic – This is the first study analyzing the genome of Stone Age hunter-gatherers living near Neolithic farming communities – Incoming Neolithic farmers replaced the last hunter-gatherer populations in Western Europe – The study provides new insights into the social dynamics of Stone Age populations – Hunter-gatherer groups mixed with other hunter-gatherer groups, not with Neolithic farmers – There were distinct social units with different dietary habits to avoid inbreeding – Researchers from French institutions collaborated on the study – Graves at Téviec and Hoedic contained individuals not biologically related – Strong social bonds existed that were not based on biological kinship |
