The Upper Paleolithic site of Shuidonggou Locality 2 (寧夏水洞溝二號點遺址): Recent research and implications for understanding modern human dispersal to East Asia / Dr. Sam Lin（林玠衡博士）（Centre for Archaeological Science, University of Wollongong, Australia）

The timing and dispersal of Homo sapiens into Asia is a topic of long-standing debate. Across Siberia, Mongolia and North China, abrupt changes in the region’s archaeological record at 50-40 ka have been taken as evidence for the spread of modern humans through a so-called ‘northern route’ to the region. Known as the ‘Initial Upper Paleolithic’ (IUP), these archaeological changes are defined by the sudden appearance of a distinctive stone blade technology that is sometimes accompanied by bone tools and ornaments. In North China, stone artefacts with IUP features have been reported from the site complex of Shuidonggou in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. As the southernmost example of the IUP phenomenon in the region, archaeological evidence from SDG plays a vital role in clarifying the timing and spread of modern humans into Northeast Asia.

In this talk, I review recent research carried out at Shuidonggou Locality 2, summarising findings concerning the chronology and formation history of the site, as well as the stone tool technological organisation. The results show that the IUP likely appeared at Shuidonggou around 41 ka, when the now-arid landscape contains large water bodies. However, from 40-35 ka to 30-28 ka, the water bodies receded owing to increased aridity in the region. Over this period, the archaeological record indicates intermittent use of the locality by mobile foragers, likely following periods of high rainfall. Finally, I explore the importance of paleoenvironment in modern human dispersal in this part of the world, and present preliminary modelling outcomes on identifying potential dispersal pathways into North China.