Abstract:

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.

Key words: Sichuan province, Paleolithic age, Pebble Tool Industry, Acheulean, modern human dispersal, behavioral complexity