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Technological strategy and mobility of Middle Holocene hunter-gatherers in the high-altitude Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau: a case study from Tshem gzhung kha thog

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Abstract

Microblade technology occupies an important position for understanding the process of peopling of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau; however, the region’s specific technological behaviour has been unclear due to a lack of research. Here, we introduce the newly excavated site of Tshem gzhung kha thog (TGKT, in Chinese is Canxionggashuo), located at 4016 m above sea level on the northeast Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, with a focus on its lithic assemblage. Following the approach of chaîne opératoire, we reconstruct the reduction sequence, and, from the perspective of the organization of technology, we explore the technology’s implications for hunter-gatherer mobility in this area. Combining the lithic assemblage and the chronological sequence, we hypothesize that TGKT was a workshop occupied by logistically organized hunter-gatherers who used high-quality siliceous rocks found near the site to produce microblades, primarily, to adapt to a limited stay in this high-elevation area. The gradual climatic warming during the Holocene provided better conditions for peopling the high-elevation area; however, considering the distance between the higher and lower elevation areas, we hypothesize that TGKT was not used logistically by lower-elevation foragers but by foragers whose residential base was located elsewhere in the region near the TGKT.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to all members who contributed to the fieldwork conducted at the Deng’E river valley during three field seasons. We appreciate Prof. Robert L. Kelly, who polished the English and provided constructive suggestions. We are grateful to Prof. John W. Olsen, Prof. Xing Gao and Prof. Feng Li, who each provided helpful advice about the structure of our article and polished the English. We thank two anonymous reviewers and the editor for constructive comments that improved the manuscript.

Funding

This research was supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDA2004010104) and the National Social Science Foundation of China (14BKG005).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 142 Xizhimenwai Street, Beijing, 100044, China

    Fang Han

  2. CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, 142 Xizhimenwai Street, Beijing, 100044, China

    Fang Han

  3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Fang Han

  4. Department of Archaeology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610000, China

    Fang Han, Yuanhong He & Hongliang Lu

  5. Qinghai Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Xining, 810000, China

    Wei Du & Linghai Cai

  6. Center for Tibetan Studies, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610000, China

    Hongliang Lu

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Han, F., He, Y., Du, W. et al. Technological strategy and mobility of Middle Holocene hunter-gatherers in the high-altitude Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau: a case study from Tshem gzhung kha thog. Archaeol Anthropol Sci 12, 242 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-020-01188-x

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