Scientists find evidence of pigment use by humans 40,000 years ago in Hebei's Naihewan archaeology

The origin and evolution of modern human beings has been a hot academic topic in the past three decades. Tracing the formation, spread, and communication of early modern populations through "modern behavioral elements" such as the use of pigments, artistic creations, and composite tools is an important means of conducting related research. For a long time, the lack of such archaeological remains in China and even in East Asia has been used as the basis for the inference that modern populations formed later in East Asia than in Western Eurasia.

The Naihewan Basin, which is located in the Sanggan River basin in northwestern Hebei and northern Shanxi provinces and is known as the "hometown of mankind in the East," has once again brought us a breakthrough in understanding. In the southeastern edge of the basin under the Horse Monument site found the earliest known prehistoric human pigment processing in China and even in East Asia and the use of small stone tools inlaid with the key evidence, reproduced 40,000 years ago, East Asia, the human life scene. By the Hebei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, and a number of Chinese and foreign research institutions to complete the results of this cooperation, recently published online in the journal Nature.

The results of the study show that the main cultural layer of the Xiamabei site was formed between 41,000 and 39,000 years ago. Sedimentology and sediment grain size analysis showed that the Xiamabei site was formed in a river floodplain environment, sporulation analysis showed that it was a grassland environment in a cool and dry climate, and fossilized animal identification showed that horses, deer and zokors accounted for a high proportion of the fossilized animal population. Therefore, the study hypothesizes that the ancient human beings at the Xia Ma Bei site lived on the river terraces, and the vegetation was dominated by the grassland landscape, with patchy coniferous forests in the surrounding mountains.

The identification of hematite processing remains in the Xiomabei site is the focus of the study. Through Raman spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy spectroscopy analysis, it was determined that the suspected pigment processing area in the field excavation contained two small pieces of hematite (ochre) of different sizes and mineral composition. Further microscopic analyses revealed that the surface of the larger piece showed obvious signs of repeated rubbing. Analysis of an accompanying piece of elongated limestone with a distinctly reddish-stained surface revealed remnants of hematite microfragments, resembling hair strands, on its surface. Another relic in the pigment processing area was a pebble with a partially polished surface, which had no visible residue, but its partially visible polished character suggests that it may have been used as a grinding hammer or pestle.

The discovery of hematite processing remains at the Xiamabei site is the first officially reported discovery of its kind in East Asia, and brings forward the history of pigment use by early East Asian humans to 40,000 years ago, as well as the history of artistic creation, aesthetics, and cognitive expression by ancient Oriental humans.

Within the 12 square meters excavated so far, the hematite processing area can be clearly seen in the northwest corner of the site, with a fire pit to the east, whose ashes are overflowing and around which stone tools are scattered. These stone tools are distributed in different positions according to their functions, and it can be seen that people at that time showed their abilities around the fire, each in their own way, so it can be outlined 40,000 years ago, ancient mankind, "around the stove and rest, grinding stone to get the color, embedded stone for the edge, share the prey," the vivid picture of life.

Forty thousand years ago was the key point of the Late Paleolithic revolution and the formation of the early modern crowd, the spread and modernization of behavior. Human fossils from Tianyuan Cave and molecular biological evidence confirm that modern humans were already active in North China after 40,000 years ago, but we know little about their behavior and culture. The Xia Ma Bei site reveals the complex cultural evolution of modern humans in East Asia, which parallels the technological and cultural development of populations in western Eurasia.

(Original title: Scientists make archaeological discovery in the Naihewan Basin that early humans in East Asia already knew how to use pigments 40,000 years ago)

Source Beijing Daily

Author Zhongke

Process Editor u017