Confirming the Subtropical Paleoecology of Yahuai Cave in Guangxi, China, at 120 Kya through the Taphonomic Analysis of Rodent Remains

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Current State of Archaeological Research across Southeast Asia" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

One of the main questions in human evolution concerns the dispersal of modern humans into Eurasia. Given the current tropical environment of South China, we may wonder whether early modern humans entering this region could penetrate the rainforest to forage for food, and indeed whether the environment in this area was suitable for early hominins during their exodus from Africa around 100 kya. As a case study we present the small mammal remains from Yahuai Cave, Guangxi, China, that includes 53 excavated layers that date to 124 ka BP. A postdepositional taphonomic analysis was conducted on rodent post-cranial bones. Variables recorded included weathering, fragmentation, pits, perforations, color, abrasions, and rounding. Results suggest that the area was a warm, humid, dense forested environment. The area was most likely more humid than the contemporaneous Indochinese peninsula and confirms the result from species distribution.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Current State of Archaeological Research across Southeast Asia   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 35844.0