On July 4, 2025 (Beijing time), the renowned journal Science published an online research paper titled "300,000-year-old wooden tools from Gantangqing, southwest China." This groundbreaking study unveils an extraordinary archaeological discovery and the results of multi-disciplinary research to the global academic community.

The paper announces the discovery of 35 exquisitely preserved wooden artifacts at the Gantangqing site in Jiangchuan County, Yunnan Province, dating back approximately 300,000 years. Alongside these wooden tools, the excavation unearthed a wealth of associated cultural relics, including stone implements, bone and antler tools, animal fossils, and plant remains. Significantly, the wooden tools and antler "soft hammers" found at this site represent the earliest of their kind in East Asia and are extremely rare among Paleolithic archaeological sites globally.

The Gantangqing site, located about 5 kilometers south of Fuxian Lake in Jiangchuan County, Yunnan Province (geographical coordinates: 24°18′26.76”N, 102°50′48.20”E), was first discovered in 1984. Initial excavations took place in 1989, followed by subsequent excavations in 2014 - 2015 and 2018 - 2019. These later excavations yielded a rich collection of stone tools, animal fossils, wooden materials, and plant seeds, all of which form the basis of the materials presented in this paper.

The archaeological research at the Gantangqing site was fraught with challenges. However, through innovative and collaborative efforts, a multi-disciplinary team overcame these obstacles, achieving remarkable results that have garnered high praise and acclaim from experts in the field.

Preservation of Ancient Plant Remains

The site's discovery of a large number of well-preserved wooden materials and plant seeds is a rarity among Paleolithic sites. Through comprehensive analysis of geomorphology, stratigraphy, paleobotany, and taphonomy, the research team determined that the Gantangqing site's unique location and environment were key to this preservation. The strata containing cultural relics are lacustrine and fluvial deposits from the ancient Fuxian Lake. The site was rapidly buried and preserved in a water-saturated, oxygen-deficient, and stable environment, conditions highly conducive to the conservation of organic materials.

Determining the Site's Age

As the site's age exceeded the dating range of the commonly used carbon-14 technique in archaeology, the team employed a combination of methods, including paleontological stratigraphy, paleomagnetism, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), and electron spin resonance (ESR), for cross-dating and data verification. By measuring the luminescence signals of potassium feldspar mineral grains using OSL technology, combined with ESR analysis of animal teeth and Bayesian analysis models, they accurately determined that human activity at the site occurred between 360,000 and 250,000 years ago.

Proving the Human-Made Nature of Wooden Tools

Wooden materials are prone to degradation during burial, often leading to the blurring or disappearance of usage traces. To establish the artificial origin and functions of these wooden tools, the team conducted in-depth investigations through material analysis, trace analysis, residue analysis, and experimental simulations. The wooden tools were primarily crafted from pine wood. Macroscopic and microscopic examinations revealed cutting and scraping marks indicative of branch pruning and shaping, as well as polished streaks and fractures at the tips, evidence of usage. Some tool tips retained soil residues containing plant starch grains, confirming that these wooden tools were mainly used for digging underground plant foods. Experimental simulations successfully replicated the process of using stone tools to process wooden tools and extract plant roots, further validating the human-made origin and functionality of the unearthed artifacts.

Stone Tool Technology and Function

The stone tools at the Gantangqing site are predominantly small scrapers. Through raw material and technical analysis, the team uncovered the reasons behind their size. Due to the scarcity of stone tool raw materials near the site, stone materials had to be sourced from afar. The resulting small, portable tools were then brought to the site for use. The emergence of wooden tools likely reflects the site's inhabitants substituting wooden implements for stone tools in response to limited stone resources. The stone tools were used for processing wooden tools and butchering prey, as evidenced by scraping marks on the wooden artifacts and cutting and scratching marks on animal bones. Despite their simple appearance, some stone tools show signs of fine edge processing. Four deer antler fragment "soft hammers" exhibit clear usage marks. The use of soft hammers in tool processing is a significant indicator of mature stone tool technology, suggesting that East Asian stone tool technology during the early and middle Paleolithic periods was not as far behind that of the West as previously believed.

The Gantangqing site holds immense research value and academic significance. The well-preserved wooden tools, stone tools, bone and antler tools, animal fossils, and plant remains in their original strata vividly illustrate the diversity and complexity of ancient human production and survival strategies. This discovery has rewritten academic understandings of human capabilities and lifestyles during the Paleolithic era, as well as the characteristics and origins of Paleolithic cultures in East Asia. It highlights the crucial role of bamboo and wooden tools in the lives of ancient humans in East and Southeast Asia, providing empirical support for the "Bamboo and Wooden Tools Hypothesis" of the Paleolithic period. For the first time, it reveals the nature of ancient human gathering economies, comprehensively showcases the variety of ancient diets, offers conclusive evidence of the use of wooden tools for foraging plant roots and stems, and uncovers the unique resource utilization strategies and adaptive survival methods of ancient Southeast Asian populations in tropical and subtropical environments.