Neolithic Period Research Articles

XRF Semi-Quantitative Analysis and Multivariate Statistics for the Classification of Obsidian Flows in the Mediterranean Area

Obsidian is a natural volcanic glass formed after eruptions if very rapid cooling of lava occurs. In particular conditions, the lava silicate ions cannot reach the crystalline lattice ordered formation and assume a chaotic arrangement, giving origin to obsidian flows. Obsidian has been used since the Paleolithic period to make tools because of its durability; in the Neolithic period, its trade played an important role in the Mediterranean area, and currently, obsidian is of particular interest for tracing prehistoric trading patterns. In this work, we present a semi-quantitative approach, exploiting energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) coupled with principal component analysis. We consider geological samples from the five main collection sites of archaeological interest in the Mediterranean Basin (i.e., Pantelleria, Lipari, Palmarola, and Sardinia islands in Italy and Milos Island in Greece) and obtain a reliable classification of the fragments’ provenance, also comparing chemical fingerprints with data from the literature. Reported results show that this non-invasive semi-quantitative protocol could ease the application to archaeological samples, such as blades and splinters, permitting the classification of artifacts found in the archeological sites of the Mediterranean area even when relatively few samples are considered.

Lipid preservation in ceramics and bones from the Iranian Plateau: Implications for dietary and chronological reconstructions

This paper presents the first investigations of lipid preserved in bones and ceramics, from sites of various ages and depositional environments in Iran with the aim of using them in palaeodietary and chronological reconstructions. We also characterized modern dairy products from the region using stable carbon isotope values to provide a local reference range for dairy lipid identification in archaeological ceramics. The dataset recorded on pottery suggests lipids are recovered in appreciable concentrations regardless of the environment or the age of settlements, but rather the vessel function may play an important role. The results showed exploitation of ruminant adipose and dairy products in pottery vessels from the Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods. Our dataset suggests lipids in pottery are viable materials for palaeodietary and chronological reconstructions for the Iranian region. Lipid preservation in bones, similar to collagen, is more variable. Lipid and collagen preservation in bones are not directly related and one of the bones studied showed diagnostic lipids in a context of low collagen preservation. This suggests lipids have limited potential to be used for chronological reconstructions as an alternative to collagen when the latter does not survive.

Lexical and semantic features of translating names of Kazakh national clothing

The article provides information about the fact that in the distant Paleolithic – Stone Age, humanity began to create leather and textile clothing using bone needles, bones, and other types of clothing culture, along with the use of clothing without seams. In the Neolithic period, the profession of weaving, spinning and weaving developed, and when we consider the types of clothing worn on the shoulders and waist from a linguistic point of view, they have their own names, depending on their specific functions and national characteristics. The appearance of names related to clothing has enriched the vocabulary of our language. The peculiarities of translating the names of national clothes into other languages, including English, belonging to the West German group, can be considered as the relevance of scientific work because such complex scientific research is proposed for the first time. The practical significance of scientific work is to use the results of research work in the field of literature, translation, reading and understanding of texts, compiling dictionaries, preparing scientific reports, training in educational programs in the textile industry and design. The comparative method and the method of translation analysis were used in the scientific work.   Keywords: linguistics, translation, transcription, transliteration, calculus, close translation, clothing names, lexical and semantic specifics &nbsp

A 23,000-year-old southern Iberian individual links human groups that lived in Western Europe before and after the Last Glacial Maximum

Human populations underwent range contractions during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) which had lasting and dramatic effects on their genetic variation. The genetic ancestry of individuals associated with the post-LGM Magdalenian technocomplex has been interpreted as being derived from groups associated with the pre-LGM Aurignacian. However, both these ancestries differ from that of central European individuals associated with the chronologically intermediate Gravettian. Thus, the genomic transition from pre- to post-LGM remains unclear also in western Europe, where we lack genomic data associated with the intermediate Solutrean, which spans the height of the LGM. Here we present genome-wide data from sites in Andalusia in southern Spain, including from a Solutrean-associated individual from Cueva del Malalmuerzo, directly dated to ~23,000 cal yr bp. The Malalmuerzo individual carried genetic ancestry that directly connects earlier Aurignacian-associated individuals with post-LGM Magdalenian-associated ancestry in western Europe. This scenario differs from Italy, where individuals associated with the transition from pre- and post-LGM carry different genetic ancestries. This suggests different dynamics in the proposed southern refugia of Ice Age Europe and posits Iberia as a potential refugium for western European pre-LGM ancestry. More, individuals from Cueva Ardales, which were thought to be of Palaeolithic origin, date younger than expected and, together with individuals from the Andalusian sites Caserones and Aguilillas, fall within the genetic variation of the Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age individuals from southern Iberia.

‘Openness in Action’ Early Steps in Cosmic Phenomenology

‘Openness in Action’ Early Steps in Cosmic Phenomenology

초당동 유적을 통해 본 중부동해안지역 신석기시대 중기에 대한 검토

The remains of the middle Neolithic age in the central east coast area had no clear results other than those of Jigyeong-ri, Yangyang. With the excavation of Chodang-dong site, a detailed review of the middle Neolithic age became possible. In Chodang-dong Neolithic site, comb-patterned pottery, stone tools, dwellings, and Open-Air Hearths were investigated.
 The study of the Neolithic age in the central east coast area focused on the chronology and the background of the establishment of the Middle Age culture through comb-patterned pottery. The middle Neolithic age of the central east coast area was established under the influence of comb-patterned pottery in the Midwest area. Later, it was thought that comb-patterned pottery, which had the traditional of the southern area was excavated.
 The analysis was focused on the relics excavated from the Neolithic site in Chodang-dong. As a result, the lip pattern of the comb-patterned pottery is divided into a single thread and a zip line pattern. Most of the Neolithic site in Chodang-dong are the latter. Some of the site of Gangneung are the former. Comb-patterned pottery engraved with short horizontal and slanted gates have been excavated from the remains of Open-Air Hearths. The Open-Air Hearths of Chodangdong site was intensively used in the late Neolithic age rather than the middle.
 Chodang-dong Neolithic site was a large village with many dwellings and Open-Air Hearths in the middle of the Neolithic Age. In the middle Neolithic age, Chodang-dong site were the residential area south of Gyeongpo Lake. Afterwards, in the late Neolithic age, an Open-Air Hearths was installed throughout the first sand dune area. However, he lived in Chodang-dong site and did not use Open-Air Hearths.

Subsistence strategies in the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age in Nenjiang River Basin: A zooarchaeological and stable isotope analysis of faunal remains at Honghe site, Northeast China

AbstractThe Nenjiang River Basin, located in the northern part of Northeast China, is an important cultural region that has attracted much attention from academic communities. Previous studies demonstrated that hunting and gathering always dominate the subsistence for prehistoric populations in this region. Herein, we further investigate the evolution of dietary and economic strategies in the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age occupations at the recently excavated Honghe site of the Nenjiang River Basin by means of a multidisciplinary approach incorporating zooarchaeological and stable isotope analysis. The results of zooarchaeological approaches indicate that the Honghe populations rely extensively on hunting and fishing during the Late Neolithic (4500–4000 cal BP), consistent with the results of previous studies. Interestingly, by the Bronze Age (3100–2400 cal BP), animal husbandry develops as one main economic strategy, corresponding to the probable decline of hunting and fishing, which is different from the previous reports. In addition, based on the results of stable isotopic approaches, C3 plants are always prominent diets for animals and humans from the Late Neolithic to the Bronze Age, which signifies that crop agriculture does not appear to have been of primary importance during either of these eras, in contrast to the C4 agricultural tradition formed in the Neolithic Age of the southern part of Northeast China. The findings of this paper shed some more light on the evolution of human subsistence strategies in the Nenjiang River Basin.

Micro-PIXE and micro-IBIL characterization of lapis lazuli samples from Myanmar mines and implications for provenance study

The provenance of raw lapis lazuli used since the Neolithic Age for the realization of carved artefacts can be pivoting for the reconstruction of ancient trade routes. The role of main provider of this material in ancient times is generally attributed to the Badakhshan quarries (Afghanistan), although other deposits could have been exploited as well since antiquity. The systematic multi-technique analysis of lapis lazuli rocks coming from four known source areas (located in present-day Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Siberia and Chile) has led in the last years to the compilation of a protocol for provenance determination. The protocol is based on differences in the physical–chemical properties measured with non-invasive techniques (Ion Beam Analysis (IBA)), making it suitable also for precious ancient artefacts. In this work, 10 new reference samples from the Mogok quarry (Myanmar), previously subjected to a complete petrographic and mineralogical characterization, have been analysed employing mu-PIXE (Proton Induced X-ray Emission) and mu-IBIL (Ion Beam Induced Luminescence) techniques. The subdivision of Myanmar samples into three groups, previously suggested, is corroborated by diopside trace elements concentrations. The results also allow to include Myanmar as a new provenance in the analytical protocol, indicating that provenance markers such as presence/absence of wollastonite, altered pyrites and Sr content are still valid to discriminate also the Myanmar lapis lazuli from Chilean or Siberian ones. New weaker markers (Zn content in diopside, Se and Cu contents in pyrite) are proposed for the discrimination of Myanmar from Afghan or Tajik provenances; however, from the analysis it arose the need of investigating new mineral phases with IBA to find strong markers for a definitive discrimination with samples from Southwest Asia.

Postmortem treatment of preterm infants at the Gangshang site during the Late Neolithic period, Shandong Province, China

AbstractJar burial is a particular burial practice generally used in the Neolithic period of China. However, the rarity of finding prenatal individuals limits the ability to study their treatment in jar burial contexts. In this paper, to study the postmortem treatment of this specific age further, we focus on three jar burials of infant individuals excavated in 2021 at the Gangshang site in China, where the skeletal remains were relatively well preserved. The skeletal remains of three well‐preserved individuals are presented into inverted ceramic tripods near the residential area and with a crouched posture. In terms of this condition, we apply the osteometric method to estimate the range and mean of age at death for each individual investigated. Meanwhile, we use micro‐computed tomography (CT) scans to help judge the degree of microbial bioerosion. Besides, histological analysis on skeletal remains combined with the Oxford Histological Index (OHI) assessment allows us to estimate the developmental stage at the time of death by analyzing the results of micro‐CT scans. By using osteometric methods, the results show that the gestational age of the three individuals is 22–26, 24–28, and 22–26 weeks, respectively. The results of the micro‐CT scans indicate that all three fetuses died shortly after birth, or had died in their mother's uterus before birth, with the OHI score of 5. Moreover, we indeed observe infant skeleton remains with no bacterial bioerosion, indicating that it is effective using this method to judge the developmental stage at the time of death with a specific taphonomic environment in the Gangshang site of the Dawenkou culture period. Combined with the placement of the jars in which the three infants were buried, it is believed that this unique placement method was intentional and specific to the infant deaths. These results are instructive for exploring the postmortem treatment of dead infants by ancient residents of the Dawenkou culture period (4200 bc–2600 bc) in Shandong Province, China, and the significance and possible causes of the unique burial type.

Soil organic nitrogen fraction and sequestration in a buried paddy soil since the Neolithic age

Soil organic nitrogen fraction and sequestration in a buried paddy soil since the Neolithic age

Selection signature analysis reveals RDH5 performed key function in vision during sheep domestication process.

As one of the most successful domesticated animals in the Neolithic age, sheep gradually migrated all over the world with human activities. During the domestication process, remarkable changes have taken place in morphology, physiology, and behavior, resulting in different breeds with different characters via artificial and natural selection. However, the genetic background responsible for these phenotypic variations remains largely unclear. Here, we used whole genome resequencing technology to compare and analyze the genome differences between Asiatic mouflon wild sheep (Ovis orientalis) and Hu sheep (Ovis aries). A total of 755 genes were positively selected in the process of domestication and selection, and the genes related to sensory perception had directional evolution in the autosomal region, such as OPRL1, LEF1, TAS1R3, ATF6, VSX2, MYO1A, RDH5, and some novel genes. A missense mutation of c.T722C/p.M241T in exon 4 of RDH5 existing in sheep were found, and the T allele was completely fixed in Hu sheep. In addition, the mutation with the C allele reduced the retinol dehydrogenase activity encoding by RDH5, which can impair retinoic acid metabolism and further influenced the visual cycle. Overall, our results showed significant enrichment for positively selected genes involved in sensory perception development during sheep domestication; RDH5 and its variants may be related to the retinal degeneration in sheep. We infer that the wild sheep ancestors with weaker visual sensitivity were weeded out by humans, and the mutation was selective, swept by the dual pressures of natural and artificial selection.

Textiles, basketry and cordage from the Early Neolithic settlement of La Marmotta, Lazio

Archaeological investigation of Circum-Alpine lake, or pile, dwellings has afforded unprecedented insight into Neolithic and Bronze Age societies. The discovery in 1989 of a submerged settlement near Rome added an early (eighth millennium BP) geographical outlier to this distribution. Two decades of excavation at La Marmotta have identified more than a dozen dwellings and an enormous assemblage of organic remains. Here, the authors present an overview of the textiles, basketry and cordage recovered, and the tools used to manufacture them. The assemblage paints a more complete picture of the technological expertise of Neolithic societies and their ability to exploit and process plant materials to produce a wide range of crafts.

Evaluation and Comparison of the Effects of Mature Silkworm (Bombyx mori) and Silkworm Pupae Extracts on Schwann Cell Proliferation and Axon Growth: An In Vitro Study.

Silkworm products were first used by physicians more than 8500 years ago, in the early Neolithic period. In Persian medicine, silkworm extract has several uses for treating and preventing neurological, cardiac, and liver diseases. Mature silkworms (Bombyx mori) and their pupae contain a variety of growth factors and proteins that can be used in many repair processes, including nerve regeneration. The study aimed to evaluate the effects of mature silkworm (Bombyx mori), and silkworm pupae extract on Schwann cell proliferation and axon growth. Silkworm (Bombyx mori) and silkworm pupae extracts were prepared. Then, the concentration and type of amino acids and proteins in the extracts were evaluated by Bradford assay, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer (LC-MS/MS). Also, the regenerative potential of extracts for improving Schwann cell proliferation and axon growth was examined by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, electron microscopy, and NeuroFilament-200 (NF-200) immunostaining. According to the results of the Bradford test, the total protein content of pupae extract was almost twice that of mature worm extract. Also, SDS-PAGE analysis revealed numerous proteins and growth factors, such as bombyrin and laminin, in extracts that are involved in the repair of the nervous system. In accordance with Bradford's results, the evaluation of extracts using LC-MS/MS revealed that the number of amino acids in pupae extract was higher than in mature silkworm extract. It was found that the proliferation of Schwann cells at a concentration of 0.25 mg/mL in both extracts was higher than the concentrations of 0.01 and 0.05 mg/mL. When using both extracts on dorsal root ganglion (DRGs), an increase in length and number was observed in axons. The findings of this study demonstrated that extracts obtained from silkworms, especially pupae, can play an effective role in Schwann cell proliferation and axonal growth, which can be strong evidence for nerve regeneration, and, consequently, repairing peripheral nerve damage.

The Exceptional Presence of Megaloceros giganteus in North-Eastern Iberia and Its Palaeoecological Implications: The Case of Teixoneres Cave (Moià, Barcelona, Spain)

In this article we announce the discovery of the first remains of Megaloceros giganteus found in Catalonia (north-eastern Iberia) from the Late Pleistocene: a fragment of maxillary. Dated between 35,000 and 37,000 cal BP, it is also among the youngest occurrence of this taxon in the Iberian Peninsula, while its last known occurrence is dated to the Neolithic period. Through a comparison with the giant deer of the northern Pyrenees, we analyzed the herbivore guilds in which this taxon was associated to understand the context in which it was able to enter the Iberian Peninsula. By comparing its diet with those of specimens from Northern Europe, we detail the ecological adaptations of this taxon in this new environment. We suggest that Megaloceros accompanied the migrations of cold-adapted species by taking advantage of the opening of corridors on both sides of the Pyrenees during the coldest periods of the Late Pleistocene. The diet of the Iberian individuals, which is oriented towards abrasive plants, suggests an adaptation to a different ecological niche than that found in Northern European individuals. The northern Iberian Peninsula may have been an extreme in the geographical expansion of M. giganteus. More specimens will be needed in the future to establish the variability of the southern Megaloceros populations.

Paleogenetic analysis and radiocarbon dating on skeletal remains from the Roman necropolis of Contrada Diana (Lipari Island, Sicily)

Lipari, the largest of the Aeolian Islands, is located in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea. Archeological evidence suggests an early human occupation starting from the Neolithic period. The island, favored by its volcanic history, was an important crossroads of cultures and commerce exchanges during prehistory up to Greek and Roman dominations. In this study, we present multidisciplinary analysis results on four skeletal remains from the necropolis of Contrada Diana attributed to the Roman period. By using Next Generation Sequencing technology we identified the biological sex and reconstructed the complete mitochondrial genome for two individuals. We retrieved the first ancient L3e5a lineage that is today present only in North and Central Africa. In addition, a 14C dating of 2,030 ± 45 years BP was obtained for one individual. A previous ancient DNA study has highlighted a genetic link between Sicily and the African continent at least from the Bronze Age. Our results, documenting the existence of contacts between Lipari and Africa during Roman influence, are particularly relevant to better understand the peopling of the Aeolian Archipelago when the island was a sea route of primary importance for the trade in the Mediterranean.

LOGICAL DIMENSIONS OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC WORLD

The article addresses logical approaches to explaining the economic world. The introductory part reveals the general prerequisites for the logical analysis of large systems. The rest of the study is devoted to the logical structure of economic worlds: at micro-, macro- and mega-levels. The logical dimensions of the economic world are based mainly on deterministic logic, grounded in Antiquity, Modern era and institutional logic of the late XIX and XX centuries. The dynamics and structure of the micro level (enterprise, firm, MNE) is explained by the institutional logic based on the American school (R. Coase, O. Williamson, etc.). Institutional logic in a broad sense includes values, norms, customs that people use in their daily activities on the scale of a certain space and time. Economic institutions have a long history, accompanying socio-economic development from the Neolithic era to the modern one. Their logic was shaped by the level of social, economic, technological, cultural development of various human communities of the ecumene. The macro-level of economics, on the one hand, is defined by deterministic (Laplace’s) logic. Its essence is to take into account the whole set of possible factors (economic and non-economic ones) that affect the course of economic dynamics. Individual needs, preferences, productive capacity, interaction of individuals create the layout of neoclassical model of economy. Keynesian deterministic logic is structural in nature, when the behaviour of individuals is determined by the general state of the economy as a whole. The logic of Marxist economic analysis, also known as overdeterminism, is derived from dialectics. On the other hand, the works of T. Veblen, the old American school of institutionalism and modern representatives (D. North, R. Nelson, J. Winter) are of paramount importance. The tools of logical analysis of the mega-level are mostly reflected in the works of G. Leibniz, I. Kant, R. Carnap and in modern institutional logic. The logic of globalisation, its historical phases can be traced according to different types of globalisation in four spatio-temporal dimensions: extensiveness, intensity, velocity and reciprocity and three deterministic logics: technical (technological), economic and political.

Can the distribution patterns of plants used by humans as food give clues as to whether they are native or introduced?

The discovery that Arbutus unedo (Strawberry Tree) was probably introduced to Ireland and Wales by pre-Bronze Age copper miners about 2,400 BC (Sheehy Skeffington & Scott, 2021) has led me to consider whether the distributions of other British and Irish plants might have been extended by the activities of early humans, including hunter-gatherers. Three species have been chosen for study, Blitum bonus-henricus (L.) Rchb. (Good-King-Henry), Bistorta officinalis Delarbre (Common Bistort) and Lathyrus sylvestris L. (Narrow-leaved Everlasting-pea). These have contrasting distributions. The tetrad distributions of the three species were examined for areas where the distribution is coherent, suggesting native status, or broadly random, suggesting introductions. Individual localities were studied for a sample of vice-counties. Natural dispersal methods were also studied as were the likely uses by humans. It was concluded that the Blitum is an archaeophyte that had been introduced as a vegetable by early farmers in the Neolithic or Bronze Age. The Bistorta is a native species that survived the woodland invasion following the Ice Age in refugia in the north of England and, when woodland cover was reduced by man in the Neolithic and Bronze Age, recolonised only limited areas where it came to be used as a vegetable. It was later widely introduced elsewhere as a medicinal plant. The Lathyrus is a native species that had probably been harvested as a vegetable by man in the Mesolithic Age, and cultivated from the Neolithic or Bronze Age. Introductions from other sources were also probable.

Thoughts on Neolithic fishing-based economies in coastal Eastern Arabia

In Eastern Arabia, the Neolithic period (c. 6500–3300 BCE) corresponds to a cultural phase principally characterized by the development of mixed economies based on fishing, pastoralism, and hunting. Since the 1970s, a great number of Neolithic sites have been discovered and excavated along the coastline and on the coastal islands of both the Arabian Gulf and the Sultanate of Oman while only a few examples of inland sites are known to date. It evidences an original case of 'coastal adaptation' of the human populations of the Saharo-Arabian arid belt during the Holocene. In fact, Neolithic sites are mostly concentrated close to high biodiversity and biomass 'hot spots' such as estuaries, mangroves, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs where marine life abounds in the form of shellfish, crustaceans, marine mammals, and fish.The scope of the present paper is to gather the data and discuss the results of the zooarchaeological studies conducted since the late 1980s on marine fish remains retrieved from Neolithic sites of Eastern Arabia (from Kuwait to the Sultanate of Oman) in terms of main catches, fishing grounds, techniques, and equipment as well as seasonality and consumption modes. Furthermore, subsistence strategies and mobility patterns during the Neolithic are discussed taking into account data from palaeo-climatic studies.

Use-wear traces and plant micro-remain analysis reveal the function of perforated shell tools from the Xianrendong and Diaotonghuan sites in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, China

Shell remains are common cultural relics recovered from the late Paleolithic to the historical-age sites in China. Archaeological evidence shows that the number of perforated shells gradually increased at the transition from the Paleolithic to Neolithic age, a time period that coincides with the beginning of farming activities. Usage traces and plant residues from prehistoric perforated shells are often used to interpret tool function. In this study, we analyzed use-wear traces and recovered ancient starches and phytoliths from both the ventral and dorsal margin of twelve perforated shells from the Xianrendong and Diaotonghuan sites (30,000–12,000 cal. Y BP). These sites are well-known for the earliest pottery and the earliest cultivated rice micro-remains in the world. We found that: (1) all the twelve shells had scars and use wear, and that these use traces occurred on the edges of the shells; (2) an assemblage of 83 identifiable starch grains were recovered from the twelve perforated shells, including remains of starches from acorns, Panicoideae and the tribe Triticeae, tubers and roots; (3) only six phytoliths from the stems and leaves of grass taxa including Panicoideae and Bambusoideae were recovered from four shells. The meta-analysis of the use-wear and plant micro-remain analysis indicate that the functions of perforated shells were nearly identical from the late Paleolithic to early Neolithic periods. These functions include processing, harvesting or cutting grasses from the Panicoideae, Bambusoideae, and the tribe Triticeae, processing acorns or/and their starchy products, in addition to digging up and scraping tubers and roots. The digging and scraping of tubers and roots increased in intensity with the increase in rice cultivation during the period between 20,000 and 12,000 cal. Y BP.

Terrestrial paleoclimate changes recorded by Pleistocene red earth deposits at the Gaolingpo Paleolithic site, Bose Basin, South China

The Quaternary river sediments at Gaolingpo, Bose Basin, Guangxi Province contain stone hand adzes and microliths of Paleolithic and Neolithic ages, providing information about the effect of climatic and environmental changes on hominin and early modern human activities. Gaolingpo is a representative Paleolithic site in the Bose Basin, containing numerous stone artifacts of different ages in the red earth sediments. We examined the clay mineralogy and geochemistry of the Gaolingpo profile using X-ray diffractometry (XRD), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy with the goal of reconstructing paleoclimatic and environmental changes in the study area since the late Early Pleistocene. Within this soil profile, kaolinite and vermiculite increase and illite decreases gradually up section. The red earth sediments exhibit uniform chondrite-normalized rare earth element (REE) distribution patterns, which are similar to those of upper continental crust (UCC), post-Archean Australian shale (PAAS), loess and paleosol of the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP), and Yangtze River deposits. These confirm that the Gaolingpo red earth sediments originated from fine materials of well-mixed weathered continental crust within the upper Pearl River drainage basin. The chemical index of alteration (CIA) of the Gaolingpo sediments is 86.4–92.1, indicating that the sediments have undergone intense chemical weathering. Based on changes in clay mineral contents and geochemical compositions through the profile, the paleoclimatic evolution of the Gaolingpo area since the late Early Pleistocene can be divided into two stages with four sub-stages: (1) a generally humid climate prevailed during stage I can be further divided in two sub-stages. Sub-stage Ia was temperate with an alternating dry and wet climate, while sub-stage Ib was a transition to a warmer temperate climate. (2) A subtropical humid climate prevailed during stage II and transitioned to a cooler climate in the later stage. In this episode, sub-stage IIa was the warmest and the most humid period since the late Early Pleistocene in Bose Basin, and Stage IIb was a transition to a relatively cooler subtropical climate. This climate pattern is compatible with the regional palynological record at Chongzuo, south Guangxi and is in general agreement with the δ18O records from cave stalagmites in southern China, but is inconsistent with the δ18O record at ODP Site 1148 in the northern part of the South China Sea, though the age constraints limit a precise correlation. This reflects the predominant influence of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau uplift on East Asian climate since the late Early Pleistocene. The development of warm, humid, and only weakly fluctuating climate conditions in the Bose Basin was favorable for early hominin settlement.