Waterlogged Paleolithic Sites in China Excavated

CHENGDU, CHINA—Xinhua reports that more than 100,000 stone, wood, and bone tools; fossilized animal bones; plant matter; ebony; and traces of fire and toolmaking were recently uncovered at the Mengxihe site, which has been dated to between 50,000 and 70,000 years old. First discovered in 2019, an additional 11 similar waterlogged sites have since been identified along the Mengxi River in southwestern China. Zheng Zhexuan of the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology said that the animal remains include the bones of elephants, rhinoceros, bears, cattle, deer, macaques, fish, turtles, snakes, frogs, birds, porcupines, and bamboo rats. The plant matter represents more than 30 kinds of trees, fruits, seeds, and herbs that may have been used to treat illnesses, Zheng added. To read about a 13,500-year-old bone sculpture unearthed in Henan, go to “Oldest Chinese Artwork,” one of ARCHAEOLOGY’s Top 10 Discoveries of 2020.