“Homo sapiens” arrived in China 5,000 years earlier than thought

Our ancestors were already living in the north of present-day China around 45,000 years ago. This discovery, made as a result of research at the Shiyu site by an international team including researchers from CNRS1 , challenges the established timeline of colonisation in China by Homo sapiens populations 40,000 years ago.

Located about 20 kilometres from the city of Shuozhou, the Shiyu site is, to date, the oldest archaeological site with evidence of the arrival of modern humans in China. Artefacts discovered, including a perforated disc made of graphite — currently the oldest jewellery item ever found in China — and a bifacially shaped bone tool, present a series of characteristics indicative of a diverse range of cultural influences at the time our species arrived in the region. Analysis of tools made of obsidian, a volcanic rock, also revealed the existence of social networks spread over distances of up to 1,000 kilometres. Scientists believe that interactions between Homo sapiens and indigenous populations, far more complex than archaeologists previously imagined, led to significant genetic and cultural mixing.

These results, published on 18 January in Nature Ecology & Evolution, shed new light on the global expansion of Homo sapiens and broaden our understanding of human history.

• 1Working at the “From prehistory to today: culture, environment and anthropology” laboratory (CNRS/French Ministry of Culture/Université de Bordeaux).