Technological Innovations and Hafted Tools Unearthed in Central China Dating 160,000–72,000 Years Ago
A groundbreaking study recently published in Nature Communications reveals evidence of advanced technological behaviors among hominin populations in central China between approximately 160,000 and 72,000 years ago. The findings, specifically from the Xigou archaeological site in the Danjiangkou Reservoir Region, challenge long-held assumptions that East Asian prehistoric technologies were simplistic and lacked innovation during the Middle to Late Pleistocene epochs.
Challenging the Traditional Narrative
Historically, archaeological frameworks characterized hominin technologies in Eastern Asia as conservative and lacking major technological developments until after roughly 40,000 years ago. This contrasted sharply with Africa and Western Europe, where the later Middle Pleistocene saw sophisticated innovations such as Levallois techniques, bone tools, personal ornaments, and pigment use. The newly excavated evidence from Xigou counters this dichotomy, indicating sustained technological complexity in East Asia across a span of approximately 90,000 years.
The Xigou Site: Location and Excavation
Located in Henan Province, central China, along the Laoguanhe River near the Qinling Mountains, Xigou sits at a biogeographic boundary between temperate northern and subtropical southern China. Excavations conducted between 2019 and 2021 exposed six stratigraphic layers, with cultural deposits mainly found in Layers 2 through 5. These layers consist predominantly of silty clay and have been dated using advanced luminescence techniques to span from about 191,600 to 71,900 years ago, situating the cultural horizons firmly within the late Middle to middle Late Pleistocene.
Advanced Lithic Technologies Identified
A total of 2,601 stone artifacts were recovered, mostly smaller than 50 mm, crafted mainly from quartzite and quartz sourced locally. The assemblage demonstrates deliberate and sophisticated core reduction strategies, including core-on-flake and discoid methods. These techniques facilitated the efficient production of small-dimensional flakes used to create a diverse array of tool types.
Significantly, the team identified evidence of hafting—the attachment of stone tools to handles or shafts—marking the earliest known composite tools in Eastern Asia. This innovation points to enhanced tool functionality and signals a leap in hominin behavioral complexity. The presence of hafted tools aligns with morphological findings of hominins in the region exhibiting larger brain sizes, such as those from the nearby Lingjing site.
Implications for Middle to Late Pleistocene Hominin Behavior
The technological innovations discovered at Xigou offer new insights into adaptive strategies hominins employed to survive fluctuating environments during this period. Contrary to earlier perceptions, these populations developed complex cultural behaviors concurrent with their morphological evolution. Not only do the findings highlight cultural and technological dynamism in East Asia, but they also contribute to a broader understanding of human evolutionary history by revealing parallel advancements occurring contemporaneously with well-documented behaviors in Africa and Europe.
Conclusion
The Xigou discoveries compel a reassessment of the narrative surrounding prehistoric technological evolution in Eastern Asia. The artifacts reflect sophisticated tool manufacture, use of composite technology, and strategic adaptation over tens of thousands of years, underscoring a nuanced tapestry of human development during the Middle to Late Pleistocene epochs. This research paves the way for further investigations into the behavioral capacities of ancient hominins in Asia and enriches the global picture of human evolutionary history.
Reference: Yue, J.-P., Song, G.-D., Yang, S.-X. et al. Technological innovations and hafted technology in central China ~160,000–72,000 years ago. Nat Commun 17, 615 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-00215-z
