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Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, volume 17, issue 3, publication number 71

Prehistoric human hand and footprints in Quesang on the central Tibetan Plateau from the Bølling-Allerød Interstadial

Yuhai Gao
David D Zhang
Haiwei Zhang
Shengda Zhang
Teng Li
Shimin Chen
Chengcai Luo
Hai Cheng
Publication typeJournal Article
Publication date2025-02-27
scimago Q1
SJR0.971
CiteScore4.8
Impact factor2.1
ISSN18669557, 18669565
Zhang D., Wang L., M.R. B., Zhang H., Zhang S., Li T., Su J., Yang X., Song S., Chen S., Gao Y., Luo C., Deng H., Cheng H.
2024-04-01 citations by CoLab: 1 Abstract  
古人类印迹学的研究始于20世纪,并在21世纪快速发展。作为研究古人类演化过程和生存环境的重要媒介,古人类印迹(如脚印、手印等)具有其他考古遗存(如骨骼化石、动植物遗存、文化层等)所不具备的优势:保存状况完好的印迹可以反映古人类的肌肉形态、运动状态、性别、身高和种群构成等信息。在全球范围内,非洲坦桑尼亚火山灰上的脚印(~3.66 Ma),北美洲白沙国家公园的脚印(23~20 ka)以及印度尼西亚洞穴中的手印(51.8 ka)等,都是代表性的印迹学研究成果,为古人类演化、迁移和行为认知等方面的研究提供了关键线索。自20世纪80年代以来,青藏高原中部邱桑温泉的泉华多期沉积层中有超过100个古人类手印和脚印被陆续发现,时间跨度超过20万年。古人类印迹学研究在国内很少涉及,国际上对泉华沉积上的古人类印迹学研究也比较少,因而本文系统地综述和讨论了青藏高原上泉华形成的地质、地貌及水文条件;古人类手脚印印迹的形成过程、保存条件及其基本鉴定特征;印迹的采样、定年方法;以及印迹形态学反映的古人类行为特征等,并回答了其他作者对U-Th定年的疑问。本文旨在吸纳更多有兴趣的学者加入古人类印迹学研究行列,使古人类印迹学研究成为我国考古和古环境研究中一个新的领域。
Wang L., Chen S., Zhao H., Fan Y., Sun A., Cai Q., Deng H., Ai J., Zhang H.
Quaternary Geochronology scimago Q1 wos Q3
2024-04-01 citations by CoLab: 2 Abstract  
Gypsum deposits within loess deposits are an important indicator of weathering processes and climate change. We conducted a thermoluminescence (TL) dating study of the gypsum from loess deposits of the Jiuzhoutai section in the western Chinese Loess Plateau. Determination of the equivalent doses (De) of gypsum samples was conducted using several protocols, including single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR-TL), multiple-aliquot additive dose (MAAD-TL), and Isothermal TL of SAR (SAR-ITL). The TL glow peak at 280 °C was targeted because of its reported stable signals. The test dose check, estimation of sensitivity changes, and the dose recovery test were applied to assess the applicability of the different protocols, and the characteristics of the thermoluminescence signals for gypsum were evaluated. The De results for the SAR-TL, MAAD-TL, and SAR-ITL protocols were within the error ranges. Among the three protocols, SAR-ITL did not involve high-temperature heating and it provided a more accurate De value, and thus it was used for De determinations for gypsum dating. With a dose rate of 1.74 ± 0.07 Gy/ka, the minimum TL age of the gypsum veins was ∼182 ± 7 ka. U-series dating was also applied to the same samples for comparison. However, the extremely low ratio of 230Th/232Th (≤4 × 10−6) of the gypsum veins deposited within the loess resulted in a large error of the U-series dates. We conclude that TL dating is more appropriate for the dating of gypsum in loess deposits.
Ge J., Zhang X., Wang S., Li L., He W., Jin Y., Zhang P., Xu B., Deng C., Olsen J.W., Guo Z., Gao X.
Science China Earth Sciences scimago Q1 wos Q1
2023-11-21 citations by CoLab: 6 Abstract  
The timing and mechanisms of the human occupation of the demanding high-altitude Tibetan Plateau environment are of great interest. Here, we report on our reinvestigations and dating of the Nwya Devu site, located nearly 4600 meters above sea level on the central Tibetan Plateau. A new microblade techno-complex was identified on a lower lake shore at this site, distinct from the previously reported blade tool assemblage. These two lithic assemblages were dated to 45.6±2.6 and 10.3±0.5 ka using optically stimulated luminescence and accelerator mass spectrometry 14C methods. They represent, respectively, the earliest known Paleolithic and microlithic sites on the interior Tibetan Plateau, indicating multiple occupation episodes of hunter-gatherers during the past 45 ka. Our studies reveal that relatively stable depositional conditions and a paleoenvironment characterized by a comparatively warm climate facilitated these multiple occupations at Nwya Devu. The contemporaneous occurrence of the Upper Paleolithic blade technology on the Tibetan Plateau and most of Eurasia between 50 and 40 ka indicates rapid, large-scale dispersals of humans that profoundly affected human demography on a large scale. Combining new archaeological evidence and previously reported genetic data, we conclude that the Tibetan Plateau provided a relatively stable habitat for Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherers, which may have contributed to the complex and multiple-origin gene pool of present-day Tibetans.
Wang L., Zhang H., Zhang D.D., Cheng H., Zhang S., Li T., Zhang Y., Wang X., Wu Z., Wang Y., Chen F.
Holocene scimago Q1 wos Q3
2023-07-07 citations by CoLab: 8 Abstract  
The cold and hypoxic environment of the Tibetan Plateau was a major challenge for its prehistoric human occupants. The earliest known hominin occupation (or visitation) of the Tibetan Plateau was at ~200 ka, in the middle Pleistocene, and these hominins must have had survival strategies for this harsh environment. We report the discovery of 5 handprints and 17 footprints on the travertine near the outlet of the Quesang hot spring, a well-documented archeological site with well-studied hominin hand and footprints on the Tibetan Plateau. Based on ichnological analysis and U-Th dating, we found that these intentional and unintentional traces were impressed during the early to middle Holocene. Combined with the 19 previously-dated hand and footprints from around the hot spring, we conclude that this site was attractive to ancient humans who made repeated visits over a long period. The strengthened monsoon in the early and middle Holocene may have promoted the expansion of prehistoric human activity onto the central Tibetan Plateau. The frequent human activities near the Quesang hot spring imply that the widespread hot springs on the Tibetan Plateau provided resources that facilitated human survival in this cold and dry plateau region.
Tang L., Wilkin S., Richter K.K., Bleasdale M., Fernandes R., He Y., Li S., Petraglia M., Scott A., Teoh F.K., Tong Y., Tsering T., Tsho Y., Xi L., Yang F., et. al.
Science advances scimago Q1 wos Q1 Open Access
2023-04-14 citations by CoLab: 16 PDF Abstract  
The extreme environments of the Tibetan Plateau offer considerable challenges to human survival, demanding novel adaptations. While the role of biological and agricultural adaptations in enabling early human colonization of the plateau has been widely discussed, the contribution of pastoralism is less well understood, especially the dairy pastoralism that has historically been central to Tibetan diets. Here, we analyze ancient proteins from the dental calculus ( n  = 40) of all human individuals with sufficient calculus preservation from the interior plateau. Our paleoproteomic results demonstrate that dairy pastoralism began on the highland plateau by ~3500 years ago. Patterns of milk protein recovery point to the importance of dairy for individuals who lived in agriculturally poor regions above 3700 m above sea level. Our study suggests that dairy was a critical cultural adaptation that supported expansion of early pastoralists into the region’s vast, non-arable highlands, opening the Tibetan Plateau up to widespread, permanent human occupation.
Gu Z., Gao Y., Wang Y., Yang J., Ran J., Yang X., Shargan W., Pedersen M.W., Sheng G., Wang Y., Chen F.
Science China Earth Sciences scimago Q1 wos Q1
2023-03-22 citations by CoLab: 6 Abstract  
Traditional zooarchaeological and archaeobotanical methods based on morphological identification of the excavated faunal and floral remains have been broadly used in reconstructing ancient subsistence economies. However, the accuracy and reliability of these methods rely heavily on the preservation state of the remains. By sequencing the ancient DNA of plants, animals, and microorganisms preserved in sediment, sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) now offers a novel approach for reconstructing the taxa composition dated back to hundreds of thousands of years. Yet, its application in open-air archaeological sites is rarely reported. In this study, we attempted to apply sedaDNA shotgun metagenomics on the archaeological deposits of the Khog Gzung site (an open-air site dated to 3160–2954 cal yr BP) on the Tibetan Plateau, and then compared the reconstructed taxonomic composition to the unearthed remains. Results showed that most of the crops and domestic animals identified by the two approaches, such as barley (Hordeum vulgare) and sheep (Ovis aries), are in general consistent. Some species, such as foxtail millet (Setaria italica), however, was only detected by sedaDNA. In addition, a variety of microorganisms were also detected by the sedaDNA. The two approaches combined revealed diversified food recourses at the Khog Gzung site, which included crops such as millet, barley and wheat, domestic animals such as sheep and cattle, and likely also wild animals from fishing and hunting. Our data proves that sedaDNA has a great potential in reconstructing the faunal and floral compositions from archaeological deposits, therefore laying the foundation for its border applications.
Zhang P., Zhang X., Li L., He W., Dawa, Jin Y., Ge J., Zwyns N., Wang S., Gao X.
Science Bulletin scimago Q1 wos Q1
2022-12-01 citations by CoLab: 7
Duveau J.
Anthropologie scimago Q2 wos Q3
2022-09-21 citations by CoLab: 3 Abstract  
Hominin footprints are a particular remain in paleoanthropology representing brief moments of life of extinct individuals. Footprints not only provide information on the locomotor behavior of fossil taxa but also on their body characteristics such as their stature. This stature is usually estimated from the length of the footprints based on the well-known foot length to stature ratio. However, footprint length does not result only from the foot length but of a combination of factors. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the relationships between footprint length and stature of individuals using experimental approaches. Secondly, recent discoveries of fossil footprints have led to the estimation of statures from isolated footprints. However, such estimates may be biased because of the intraindividual morphometric variation of the footprints. Moreover, footprints may also be incomplete making it impossible to measure the length and therefore the estimation of a stature. The search for relationships between stature and other morphometric variables is therefore necessary to have the most accurate picture possible of the individuals who left these tracks. In this context, this article reports the results of an experimental study that aims to determine the relationships between the stature of individuals and different morphometric variables and to quantify the intraindividual variation of each variable. Thus, 21 morphometric variables were measured on a total of 175 experimental footprints left by 20 individuals in an experimental area composed of loose sand. Statistical analyses show that footprint lengths are not only the variables most correlated with stature but also those with the least intraindividual variation. However, estimation of stature from footprints left by fossil hominins is subject to three types of uncertainties: residuals from linear regression, intraindividual variation that can be particularly large in soft substrates, and the application of relationships defined on modern populations to fossil taxa. Les empreintes de pieds d’hominines sont des vestiges particuliers en paléoanthropologie offrant un point de vue sur de brefs moments de vie d’individus disparus. Les empreintes apportent non seulement des informations sur le comportement locomoteur des taxons fossiles mais également sur leurs caractéristiques corporelles telles que leur stature. Cette stature est généralement estimée à partir de la longueur des empreintes sur la base du rapport bien connu entre la longueur du pied et la stature. Toutefois, la longueur de l’empreinte ne résulte pas uniquement de la longueur du pied mais d’une combinaison de facteurs. Par conséquent, il est nécessaire de rechercher les relations entre la longueur des empreintes et la stature des individus au moyen d’approches expérimentales. Par ailleurs, les récentes découvertes d’empreintes fossiles ont conduit à estimer des statures à partir d’empreintes isolées. Or, de telles estimations peuvent être biaisées à cause de la variation morphométrique intra-individuelle des empreintes. De plus, les empreintes peuvent être non seulement isolées mais également incomplètes. Il est parfois impossible de mesurer leur longueur et donc d’en estimer une stature. La recherche de relations entre la stature et d’autres variables morphométriques est donc nécessaire pour avoir l’image la plus précise possible des individus ayant laissé ces empreintes. Dans ce contexte, cet article rapporte les résultats d’une étude expérimentale ayant pour but de déterminer les relations entre la stature des individus et différentes variables morphométriques puis de quantifier la variation intra-individuelle de chaque variable. Ce sont ainsi 21 variables morphométriques qui ont été mesurées sur un total de 175 empreintes laissées par 20 individus au sein d’une aire expérimentale composée de sable meuble. Les analyses statistiques montrent que les longueurs des empreintes sont non seulement les variables les plus corrélées à la stature mais également celles ayant la variation intra-individuelle la plus faible. Toutefois, l’estimation de la stature à partir d’empreintes de pieds laissées par des hominines fossiles est soumise à trois types d’incertitudes : les résidus de la régression linéaire, la variation intra-individuelle pouvant être particulièrement importante dans des substrats meubles et l’application de relations définies sur des populations modernes à des taxons fossiles.
Luo L., Capezzuoli E., Rogerson M., Vaselli O., Wen H., Lu Z.
Sedimentary Geology scimago Q1 wos Q1
2022-08-01 citations by CoLab: 17 Abstract  
Travertine-depositing hot springs can generate various carbonate minerals with or without the participation of microorganisms. They thus serve as good natural laboratories to study abiotic and biotic factors controlling the precipitation of different carbonate minerals and CaCO 3 polymorphism. Through tens of years' investigations on travertines, considerable advances about carbonate mineral precipitation have been made. Here, we summarized general hydrological features of travertine systems, and driving forces, microenvironments, and mechanisms of the precipitation of different carbonate minerals in travertine-depositing hot springs by integrating present advances and conducting hydrochemical simulations. Travertine-depositing hot springs can be divided into near-neutral pH hot springs and hyperalkaline hot springs and contain four types of microenvironments: hypogean solid-water interface, epigean solid-water interface, air-water interface, and subaerial exposure surface. Both abiotic (passive CO 2 degassing, atmospheric CO 2 uptake, evaporation, and fluid mixing) and biotic (metabolism, organism-related crystal nucleation, and trapping and binding) processes may drive carbonate formation. The specific driving forces, however, depend on bulk water hydrochemistry and microenvironments. Calcite and aragonite are the most common minerals in travertines and the calcite-aragonite polymorphism might be under decisive influences from bulk water chemistry, especially [Mg 2+ ]/[Ca 2+ ], in some conditions. However, calcium carbonate precipitation in hot springs is controlled by solute transport in microenvironments, and any local change induced by hydrodynamics, microorganisms, and extracellular polymeric substances may significantly modify CaCO 3 precipitation and polymorphism. Such integrated control from bulk water composition and microenvironments also affects the formation of other carbonate minerals, but their exact roles remain unclear. Overall, despite the fruitful recent findings, further investigations, especially those focusing on microenvironments, are still imperative to better understand carbonate precipitation in hot springs. These microenvironment-scale studies might also provide insights on carbonate precipitation in other environments.
Huang C., Zhang J., Wang L., Zhao H., Li S.
Quaternary Geochronology scimago Q1 wos Q3
2022-05-01 citations by CoLab: 4 Abstract  
Thermoluminescence (TL) signals of calcite can be used to potentially date geological and archaeological events back to several million years. However, several issues, such as spurious TL signals appearing at temperatures above 300 °C, have hindered its application to a wide range of samples. A single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol for calcite with low-temperature measurements is proposed to measure the equivalent dose (D e ). It uses the isothermal TL (ITL) signals measured at around 225-240 °C, where a D e vs. ITL temperature (D e -T) plateau can be observed. The width of the temperature range of such a plateau can be sample dependent, as it relates to the proportional contributions of the signals from corresponding TL peaks. The signal at the ITL temperature plateau range largely corresponds to the TL signals of the 280 °C TL peak. D e values obtained by the SAR-ITL protocol are in agreement with those of the multiple-aliquot additive-dose (MAA)-TL and MAA-ITL protocols. The absence of detectable anomalous fading of ITL signals at 235 °C in this and previous studies indicates that the signal is free of fading. Dose recovery tests confirm the suitability of the SAR-ITL protocol for D e estimation. The SAR-ITL protocol measured with temperatures below 300 °C avoids the effects of spurious luminescence signals induced by high-temperature heating. The dose-response curves for ITL signals at 230-235 °C have large characteristic saturation doses (D 0 ) of ∼2000-2400 Gy. The SAR-ITL protocol for calcite thus has the potential to date geological and archaeological samples spanning the entire Quaternary period. • Thermoluminescence (TL) and isothermal TL properties of calcite are investigated. • Equivalent dose plateau using isothermal TL signals is identified within ∼225-240 °C. • SAR-ITL protocol avoids the influence of spurious signals appearing at >300 °C. • Isothermal TL signals of calcite at ∼230-235 °C saturate at ∼4800 Gy.
Zhang P., Zhang X., Zhang X., Gao X., Huerta-Sanchez E., Zwyns N.
Trends in Ecology and Evolution scimago Q1 wos Q1
2022-03-01 citations by CoLab: 27 Abstract  
Recent archaeological discoveries suggest that both archaic Denisovans and Homo sapiens occupied the Tibetan Plateau earlier than expected. Genetic studies show that a pulse of Denisovan introgression was involved in the adaptation of Tibetan populations to high-altitude hypoxia. These findings challenge the traditional view that the plateau was one of the last places on earth colonized by H. sapiens and warrant a reappraisal of the population history of this highland. Here, we integrate archaeological and genomic evidence relevant to human dispersal, settlement, and adaptation in the region. We propose two testable models to address the peopling of the plateau in the broader context of H. sapiens dispersal and their encounters with Denisovans in Asia.
Wang Z., Yin J., Cheng H., Ning Y., Meyer M.C.
2022-03-01 citations by CoLab: 11 Abstract  
Large volumes of travertine deposits are preserved at hydrothermal spring sites on the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Yet, most of these deposits are under-researched with respect to their diagenetic and depositional history and there is still very limited understanding of the tectonic and climatic influences on travertine precipitation in the arid high-altitude setting of Tibet. In this study, a detailed uranium-series dating campaign was carried out for the Qiusang travertine (~4270 m above sea level), southern Tibet that has been previously dated back to 486 thousand years ago (ka). Based on 42 new 230 Th/U ages, combined with geomorphological and sedimentological investigations, several travertine zones were identified and distinct travertine depositional phases constrained: 11.7–6.8 ka and ~ 13.4 ka (zone 1), 128–122 ka (zone 2), ~193 ka (zone 3), ~292 ka and 324 ka (zone 4), >317 ka (zone 5), ca. 415 to 470 ka (zone 6) and ca. 419 to 445 ka (zone 7). Comparison of these depositional phases with local and regional proxy records suggests that travertine accumulation at Qiusang occurred during main interglacials when monsoon precipitation peaked on the TP. This coincidence, together with a sensitive response of Tibetan hydrothermal spring activity to meteoric recharge, implies that climate controls the precipitation of large travertine volumes on orbital timescales on the plateau. We propose that (i) tectonic activity is of subordinate importance and influences travertine precipitation on the TP only episodically and on significantly shorter (i.e. centennial to millennial) timescales related to the recurrence rates of large earthquakes and that (ii) intensive monsoonal-driven groundwater recharge is required on top of tectonic activity for generating volumetrically significant travertine accumulations. Because of the high precipitation rates typical for hydrothermal spring carbonates, we conclude that travertine deposits on the TP could be utilized as valuable high-resolution proxy records of peak monsoon conditions in the currently arid to semi-arid landscape. Furthermore, the Qiusang travertine zone 7 is terraced and the travertine layers adjusted to a paleo-riverbed elevation ~30 m above the current river, allowing us to constrain fluvial incision to ~0.07 m/ka for the south-central sector of the TP since the Mid-Pleistocene. The abundant travertine occurrences in Tibet in combination with uranium-series dating can thus also provide detailed insights into earth surface dynamics and landscape evolution on the world highest plateau. • A detailed 230 Th/U dating campaign was conducted for the Qiusang travertine, Tibet. • Travertine deposition is restricted to interglacial conditions with peak monsoon. • Climatic controls on Tibetan travertine growth are on top of tectonic influences. • U Th ages of terraced travertines constrain a fluvial incision rate of ~0.07 m/ka.
Zhang D.D., Bennett M.R., Cheng H., Wang L., Zhang H., Reynolds S.C., Zhang S., Wang X., Li T., Urban T., Pei Q., Wu Z., Zhang P., Liu C., Wang Y., et. al.
Science Bulletin scimago Q1 wos Q1
2021-12-01 citations by CoLab: 31 Abstract  
At Quesang on the Tibetan Plateau we report a series of hand and foot impressions that appear to have been intentionally placed on the surface of a unit of soft travertine. The travertine was deposited by water from a hot spring which is now inactive and as the travertine lithified it preserved the traces. On the basis of the sizes of the hand and foot traces, we suggest that two track-makers were involved and were likely children. We interpret this event as a deliberate artistic act that created a work of parietal art. The travertine unit on which the traces were imprinted dates to between ∼169 and 226 ka BP. This would make the site the earliest currently known example of parietal art in the world and would also provide the earliest evidence discovered to date for hominins on the High Tibetan Plateau (above 4000 m a.s.l.). This remarkable discovery adds to the body of research that identifies children as some of the earliest artists within the genus Homo.
Obase T., Abe-Ouchi A., Saito F.
Scientific Reports scimago Q1 wos Q1 Open Access
2021-11-25 citations by CoLab: 16 PDF Abstract  
There were significant differences between the last two deglaciations, particularly in Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and Antarctic warming in the deglaciations and the following interglacials. Here, we present transient simulations of deglaciation using a coupled atmosphere–ocean general circulation model for the last two deglaciations focusing on the impact of ice sheet discharge on climate changes associated with the AMOC in the first part, and the sensitivity studies using a Northern Hemisphere ice sheet model in the second part. We show that a set of abrupt climate changes of the last deglaciation, including Bolling–Allerod warming, the Younger Dryas, and onset of the Holocene were simulated with gradual changes of both ice sheet discharge and radiative forcing. On the other hand, penultimate deglaciation, with the abrupt climate change only at the beginning of the last interglacial was simulated when the ice sheet discharge was greater than in the last deglaciation by a factor of 1.5. The results, together with Northern Hemisphere ice sheet model experiments suggest the importance of the transient climate and AMOC responses to the different orbital forcing conditions of the last two deglaciations, through the mechanisms of mass loss of the Northern Hemisphere ice sheet and meltwater influx to the ocean.

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