The paleoenvironmental changes and adaptation strategies of hominins during the Late Pleistocene are crucial for understanding the evolution,dispersal,and behavioral shifts of early modern humans.Despite South China&#...The paleoenvironmental changes and adaptation strategies of hominins during the Late Pleistocene are crucial for understanding the evolution,dispersal,and behavioral shifts of early modern humans.Despite South China's significance as a nexus for hominin dispersal and handaxe technology diffusion,quantitative reconstructions of paleoenvironments linked to archaeological records remain scarce.The Sandinggai site(96.6-13.3 ka BP)in central South China,with its well-preserved stratigraphy and abundant lithic artefacts,is notable for providing valuable insights.In this study,quantitative reconstruction of the vegetation succession and climate change sequences at the site was conducted using palynological and isotopic data.The results indicated a shift from a warm-temperate evergreen and deciduous broadleaf mixed forest to a temperate deciduous broadleaf forest,with the climate transitioning from warm and humid to cooler and drier conditions.During the early phase,an increase in lithic production suggested favorable conditions for hominin survival.In the later phase,decreased lithic production and the replacement of large handaxe tools by smaller flake tools,indicated that hominins adapted to the cooler,drier climate and more open landscapes through lithic miniaturization.These findings highlight the environment-driven adaptation of lithic technology and hominin behavior,thereby shedding light on human survival adaptation strategies.展开更多
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.42471185,No.T2192952National Key Research and Development Program of China,No.2022YFF0801502。
文摘The paleoenvironmental changes and adaptation strategies of hominins during the Late Pleistocene are crucial for understanding the evolution,dispersal,and behavioral shifts of early modern humans.Despite South China's significance as a nexus for hominin dispersal and handaxe technology diffusion,quantitative reconstructions of paleoenvironments linked to archaeological records remain scarce.The Sandinggai site(96.6-13.3 ka BP)in central South China,with its well-preserved stratigraphy and abundant lithic artefacts,is notable for providing valuable insights.In this study,quantitative reconstruction of the vegetation succession and climate change sequences at the site was conducted using palynological and isotopic data.The results indicated a shift from a warm-temperate evergreen and deciduous broadleaf mixed forest to a temperate deciduous broadleaf forest,with the climate transitioning from warm and humid to cooler and drier conditions.During the early phase,an increase in lithic production suggested favorable conditions for hominin survival.In the later phase,decreased lithic production and the replacement of large handaxe tools by smaller flake tools,indicated that hominins adapted to the cooler,drier climate and more open landscapes through lithic miniaturization.These findings highlight the environment-driven adaptation of lithic technology and hominin behavior,thereby shedding light on human survival adaptation strategies.
