The Piluo Paleolithic site in Daocheng, SichuanSichuan Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology; School of Archaeology and Museology, Peking University

The Piluo site, located on the southeastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, underwent excavation and systematic survey from April to November 2021. The work was a joint effort between the Sichuan Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and the School of Archaeology and Museology at Peking University. The excavation revealed seven cultural strata that had been deposited continuously since the late Middle Pleistocene. Tens of thousands of lithics, including typical hand axes, were discovered, along with many remains of Paleolithic Age cultural activities such as residential floors created by prehistoric populations. These findings provide valuable data for investigating issues such as early human evolution in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, as well as the distribution, origin, and development of East Asian hand axes.

Automated summary

The excavation at the Piluo site, located on the southeastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, revealed seven continuously deposited cultural strata. These strata contained numerous lithics, including hand axes, and remnants of Paleolithic Age cultural activities. The findings provide valuable data for investigating early human evolution in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the distribution, origin, and development of East Asian hand axes.