East Asia, Paleolithic Cultures

Abstract

The East Asian Paleolithic experienced long persistence of core-and-flake technology. At the same time, Pleistocene climate fluctuations had a strong influence on the spread and dispersals of populations and cultures. In the Early Paleolithic (2–0.3 myr BP), Homo erectus with simple flake tools set foot on paleo-lakeshores in the Fen-Wei River Rifts in North China. During the Middle Pleistocene Transition, their habitats expanded and a binary structure with small-sized flake tools in the north and pebble tools in the south was established. In the Middle Paleolithic (300–60ka BP) core-and-flake assemblages continued to develop, while Large Cutting Tools emerged in the south. The local populations became more diverse, and their territories reached high-altitude plateaus. During the Late Paleolithic (60–10ka BP), climatic fluctuation led to periodic migration of populations and cultures through the Eurasian steppe, including anatomically modern humans with blade technology, while more flake tools appeared in southern East Asia. In the southernmost sub-tropical areas, pebble tools persisted and demonstrated close connection with the Sonvian/Hoabinhian Culture in Southeast Asia. This developmental trajectory of “Continuity with Hybridization” is unique in the evolution of hominids and Paleolithic cultures in East Asia. Through the long-term prosperity of local inhabitants as well as their exchange and fusion with populations in surrounding areas and western Eurasia, East Asian Paleolithic cultures reached their peak at the end of the Pleistocene, laying the ground for a new era of prehistory.