The use of lithic raw materials during the Upper Paleolithic in eastern China: A focus on microblade industries

Abstract During the Upper Paleolithic, many sites with microblade industries were distributed across northeastern China and the North China Plain in eastern China. Based on the composition of lithic raw materials (LRMs) and the site distributions of microblade industries, this study defined five territories of human groups in two regions of China: 1) the western Changbai Shan Mountains (Mount Paektu) and Song-Nen Plain in northeastern China and 2) the southern Yanshan Mountains, Yi-Shu River Basin, and western Huang-Huai Plain in the North China Plain. In northeastern China, high-quality LRMs, including various types of igneous rock and obsidian, were used in combination with local LRMs such as flint and agate. Based on the distribution range of high-quality LRMs, the territories of human groups in that region are estimated at 300–450 km. It is believed that residential systems were established for the long-distance transport of LRMs and the long-distance movement of human groups. One such system included microblade technology based on biface and flake-blade reduction systems. In contrast, the territory of human groups in the North China Plain was small, with an area estimated at 100–230 km. Given the numerous small sites in that region, it is believed that human groups moved frequently within their territories because they were highly mobile and dependent on local LRM sources (e.g., flint) near their occupation sites. Human groups might have employed various microcore reduction systems to produce microblades, even from limited LRMs. Preliminary conclusions suggest that the divergent activities of late Upper Paleolithic human groups in eastern China could reflect variations in regional economic strategies and ecological environments between the Last Glacial Maximum and the Younger Dryas.