Archaeology: Earliest known evidence of composite toolmaking in Eastern Asia (Nature Communications)
28 January 2026
Early humans in central China may have been making sophisticated stone tools as early as 160,000 years ago, according to research published in Nature Communications. This discovery challenges the perception that stone tool technology in Asia lagged behind Europe and Africa during this period.
Innovations in stone tool technology (such as formal bone tools, use as personal ornaments, and pigment use) are often associated with advances in behavioural complexity in early humans. These kinds of innovations are thought to have occurred in Africa and western Europe during the later part of the Middle Pleistocene (roughly 300,000–50,000 years ago). However, the archaeological record in Asia has suggested that complex tools did not appear until much later, around 40,000 years ago.
Shi-Xia Yang and colleagues present the discovery of 2,601 stone tools (mostly quartz and quartzite) excavated from Xigou in the Henan Province of central China, dating to between approximately 160,000 and 72,000 years ago. The authors identify hafted tools (where a working part is attached to a handle) amongst the artefacts, presenting the earliest known evidence for composite tools in Eastern Asia. The majority of the artefacts are under 50 mm in size and were found in detached pieces (such as flakes and fragments). The techniques used to manufacture a diverse range of tools (including cutting, scraping, and boring tools) appear to be well established and involve several intermediate steps, showing evidence of planning and foresight. The authors also report that these tools may have been used to cut plant materials, such as wood or reeds, based on microscopic wear patterns on the tools’ surface.
These technological innovations correspond with recent evidence of larger brain sizes in hominins in the area. The authors suggest that human ancestors were likely creating complex technologies across Asia in the late-Middle and middle-Late Pleistocene, in addition to Africa and western Europe.
- Article
- Open access
- Published: 27 January 2026
Yue, JP., Song, GD., Yang, SX. et al. Technological innovations and hafted technology in central China ~160,000–72,000 years ago. Nat Commun 17, 615 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-67601-y
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