Technological advancements in Africa and Western Europe during the late Middle Pleistocene highlight the intricate behaviors of hominin groups. Contrarily, East Asian human technology has long been perceived as lacking innovation. Recent archaeological findings at the Xigou site in Henan province, China, reveal remarkable evidence of technological innovations dating back between 160,000 and 72,000 years, illustrating over 90,000 years of sophisticated technological behavior through detailed technological, typological, and functional analyses.
“For decades, researchers have posited that, while Africa and Western Europe exhibited significant technological growth, East Asians relied on simpler and more traditional stone tool techniques,” noted Dr. Shisia Yang from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology.
In recent findings, Dr. Yang and colleagues reveal that, during a time when numerous large-brained hominins coexisted in China, the hominins in this region displayed far greater inventiveness and adaptability than previously assumed, including species such as Homolonghi, Homo juruensis, and potentially Homo sapiens.
“The discovery at Xigou challenges the notion that early human populations in China were inherently conservative over time,” emphasized Professor Michael Petraglia from Griffith University.
“In-depth analyses indicate that the early inhabitants utilized advanced stone tool-making techniques to create small flakes and multifunctional tools,” he added.
Notably, the site revealed handled stone tools, marking the earliest known evidence of composite tools in East Asia.
These tools, which integrated stone components with handles and shafts, demonstrate exceptional planning, skilled craftsmanship, and knowledge of how to enhance tool functionality.
“Their existence underscores the behavioral flexibility and ingenuity of the Nishigou hominids,” Dr. Jiang Ping Yue, also affiliated with the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, remarked.
The geological formations at Xigou, spanning 90,000 years, align with accumulating evidence of increasing hominin diversity across China.
Findings from Xujiaba and Lingjing confirm the presence of a large-brained hominin, Homo juruensis, providing a biological foundation for the behavioral complexity observed in the Xigou population.
“The advanced technological strategies evidenced in the stone tools likely played a crucial role in aiding humans to adapt to the fluctuating environments typical of East Asia over 90,000 years,” stated Professor Petraglia.
The discoveries at Xigou have transformed our understanding of human evolution in East Asia, revealing that early populations possessed cognitive and technological competencies comparable to their African and European counterparts.
“Emerging evidence from Xigou and other archaeological sites indicates that early Chinese technology featured prepared core methods, innovative retouching techniques, and substantial cutting tools, suggesting a more intricate and advanced technological landscape than previously acknowledged,” Dr. Yang concluded.
The research team’s paper is published in the latest edition of Nature Communications.
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JP. Yue et al. 2026. Technological Innovation and Patterned Technology in Central China from Approximately 160,000 to 72,000 Years Ago. Nat Commun 17,615; doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-67601-y
Source: www.sci.news
