Conny Waters - AncientPages.com - The Middle Paleolithic period is often regarded as a dynamic era in European and African history. Yet, it has traditionally been seen as a static phase in East Asia. However, recent findings from the University of Washington are challenging this view.
Researchers have uncovered a complete Quina technological system at the Longtan site in southwest China, dating back approximately 50,000 to 60,000 years. This discovery is significant because while Quina technology was identified in Europe many years ago, it was not previously found in East Asia.
Quina technology was found in Europe decades ago but has never before been found in East Asia. Credit: Ben Marwick
“This is a big upset to the way we think about that part of the world in that period of time,” said Ben Marwick, co-author and UW (University of Washington) professor of archaeology.
“It really raises the question of, what else were people doing during this period that we haven’t found yet? How is this going to change how we think about people and human evolution in this area?”
The Middle Paleolithic, also known as the Middle Stone Age, spanned from approximately 300,000 to 40,000 years ago and is a pivotal era in human evolution. This period marks the emergence and development of modern humans in Africa. In Eurasia, it is associated with the evolution of archaic human groups like Neanderthals and Denisovans. Contrary to the belief that China experienced slow development during much of the Paleolithic era, recent findings challenge this notion.
The Quina system discovered in China has been dated to around 55,000 years ago, aligning with similar European discoveries. This challenges previous assumptions about stagnation during the Middle Paleolithic in this region and enhances our understanding of Homo sapiens, Denisovans, and potentially other hominins.
A key feature of the Quina system is its distinctive scraper—a stone tool characterized by its thickness and asymmetry with a broad sharp edge showing signs of use and resharpening. Researchers have uncovered several such tools and manufacturing debris. The presence of tiny scratches and chips suggests these tools were used for scraping materials like bones, antlers, or wood.
Researcher Marwick highlights an important question: how did this toolkit reach East Asia? Future research aims to determine whether there was a gradual west-to-east migration or if this technology emerged independently without direct contact between groups. Identifying an archaeological site with extensive stratification could provide insights into tool development preceding Quina technology's appearance.
“We can try to see if they were doing something similar beforehand that Quina seemed to evolve out of,” Marwick said. “Then we might say that development seems to be more local — they were experimenting with different forms in previous generations, and they finally perfected it. Alternatively, if Quina appears without any sign of experimentation, that suggests this was transmitted from another group.”
There are several potential reasons why Quina technology has only recently been discovered in East Asia. According to Marwick, one reason is that archaeologists in China are gaining a better understanding of archaeological practices from other regions, which helps them identify their findings more accurately. Additionally, accelerating research efforts increases the likelihood of uncovering rarer artifacts.
“The idea that nothing has changed for such a long time in East Asia also has a tight grip on people,” Marwick said. “They haven’t been considering the possibility of finding things that challenge that. Now maybe there are some scholars who are interested in questioning those ideas.”
Much of archaeological discovery relies on luck, Marwick said, but one goal for the future is to uncover human remains in the area.
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“That could answer the question of whether these tools are the product of a modern human like you and me,” Marwick said. “There have never been any Neanderthals found in East Asia, but could we find a Neanderthal? Or, more likely, could we find a Denisovan, which is another kind of human ancestor? If we can find the human remains associated with this period, we might find something surprising — maybe even a new human ancestor that we don't know about yet.”
The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Written by Conny Waters - AncientPages.com Staff Writer
