The Microblade Tradition in China: Regional Chronologies and Significance in the Transition to Neolithic

Abstract

Although research on the microblade tradition in China dates back more than fifty years, there are still questions of classification, regional sequences, and chronology to be solved. The relevant archaeological data from China are summarized and the chronological sequences of the microblade tradition in different regions are analyzed. It is proposed that the time span of this tradition varied from region to region, and that it was associated with different non-microblade lithic assemblages in different areas. The florescence of the microblade tradition occurred close to the end of the Pleistocene, after which it declined in central China contemporary with the emergence of agriculture. The microblade tradition therefore serves as a technological correlate of the transition from Paleolithic to Neolithic in central China. KEYWORDS: China, microblade tradition, regional and chronological sequence, lithic tradition.