四川省位于中国西南腹地，横跨青藏高原东部与四川盆地，其独特的地理位置与阶梯式的地貌环境使其成为早期人类迁徙和文化交流的关键区域。该区旧石器考古起步较早，但既往工作有限。2019年以来，川西高原、四川盆地均发现了大量旧石器遗址，并发掘皮洛、濛溪河等遗址。这些发现不仅丰富了南方旧石器文化，更为探讨砾石石器文化的演变、手斧与“莫维斯线”、东亚现代人的出现扩散及行为复杂性等重大课题提供了新材料。本文整合当前材料，系统梳理四川旧石器发展脉络，并对上述问题展开初步探讨。研究显示从川西高原到四川盆地及临近过渡地带，四川旧石器呈现出明显的时空多样性和技术演变序列，从早期的简单石核石片到阿舍利技术，再到晚期的石器小型化及行为复杂化，不仅填补区域文化发展缺环，更为了解区域史前人群的迁徙互动、技术传播与适应策略提供了关键实证。

Sichuan Province is located in the hinterland of southwestern China, spanning the eastern part of the Tibetan Plateau and the Sichuan Basin. Its unique geographical location and stepped geomorphology have led to a rich ecological diversity, making it a key area for early human migration and cultural exchange. Although the Paleolithic archaeology in this region started early, with important Paleolithic remains such as the “Ziyang Man” and the “Fulin Culture” being discovered shortly after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, limited research led to many gaps in temporal and spatial framework and a vague understanding of regional Paleolithic culture.

Since 2019, the Paleolithic archaeological work in Sichuan has gradually achieved a series of breakthroughs. A large number of Paleolithic sites have been discovered on the western Sichuan Plateau and in the Sichuan Basin. These sites feature pebble tools, typical handaxes, Middle and Upper Paleolithic cultural elements, late period remains, and microblades from the Paleolithic-Neolithic transition. These discoveries reflect the complexity and diversity of the Paleolithic culture in Sichuan in terms of time, space, and technology. Important sites such as Piluo site in Daocheng and Mengxihe site in Ziyang have been excavated, yielding lithic artifacts that include various technological traditions and rich evidence for behavioral modernity. Piluo site revealed a continuous sequence of three lithic technology. Its typical handaxes reshaped the understanding of the Acheulean in East Asia, indicating complex interactions between East and West Eurasia and the ability of archaic populations to adapt to high-altitude extreme environments. Mengxihe site discovered abundant organic remains,such as wooden and bone artifacts, which were rare worldwide. It also displayed an early case of broad-spectrum use of plant and animal resources and engraving behaviors, providing key evidence for the study of human behavioral complexity in the early to mid-Late Pleistocene in East Asia. Sites in Fujiang River Basin revealed the uniqueness of the regional “large flake industry”, while the Mengxihe site group showed the miniaturization of flake tools during the early Late Pleistocene

Abundant materials from these sites documented the technological change of lithic assemblages in southwestern China, providing significant evidence for major scientific questions such as the evolution of the pebble tool traditions, East Asian handaxes and the “Movius Line”, behavioral complexity and the emergence of modern human in East Asia, etc. This paper reanalyzes the previous and recent archaeological records in Sichuan and reconstruct the developmental trajectory of regional Paleolithic cultures, and further discusses its implication in above-mentioned questions. The research reveals clear spatiotemporal diversity and technological sequences—from early simple core-flake techniques, through Acheulean assemblages, to late-stage miniaturization of tools and emerging behavioral complexity—across the highlands of western Sichuan, the basin, and adjacent transitional zones. These advances not only fill gaps in regional cultural development but also provide crucial evidence for understanding migration interactions, technological transmission, and adaptive strategies among ancient populations in northern and southern China, as well as between Eastern and Western Eurasia.