Three Scenarios of the Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition. Scenario 2: The Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition in Continental East Asia

Three Scenarios of the Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition. Scenario 2: The Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition in Continental East Asia

A.P. Derevianko.

The paper describes a model of the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition in East and Southeast Asia. Lithic industries of the Lower and Middle Paleolithic reported from the Sino-Malayan zone demonstrate features clearly different from those noted in other regions of Eurasia and Africa. Lithic assemblages from archaeological sites in China and Korea suggest the autochthonous development of fl ake-based industries throughout the Lower and Middle Paleolithic. The appearance of bifaces and “Levallois” points in East and Southeast Asia suggesting an infl uence exerted by the second wave of immigrants to this region can be explained by the parallel development of lithic industries and changes in human adaptation strategies. Blades and microblades have been recorded in Upper Paleolithic technocomplexes of the Sino-Malayan zone from 30–20 ka BP. Their emergence was associated with the expansion of human populations from South Siberia and Mongolia. The autochthonous population was not displaced by the immigrants. Rather, acculturation occurred, as demonstrated by skeletal data suggesting the in situ evolution of anatomically modern humans in East and Southeast Asia.

Keywords: Pleistocene, Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition, convergence, adaptation, acculturation, China, Korean
Peninsula.