The Palaeolithic in Southern China

Abstract

Palaeolithic sites discovered in southern China in the last 20 years document the human occupation of this region through the Pleistocene. Tool inventories from localities south of33°N latitude and east of the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau have greatly expanded the range of variability in the Palaeolithic of this region. Bone artifacts and stone spheroids, once thought to be confined to northern Chinese Palaeolithic industries, have been recovered from South China sites as well. We see not only the persistence of the chopper/chopping tool tradition from the earliest Palaeolithic assemblages through to terminal Pleistocene sites but also the presence of assemblages dominated by smaller flaked implements, emphasizing the problems involved in equating hominid type and technology. Natural site formation processes affecting assemblage composition are a priority for future archaeological investigations. KEYWORDS: South China, Pleistocene, Palaeolithic, hominid, geoarchaeology.