Evidence has been uncovered of a 40,000-year-old “factory floor” in northern China, giving insight into a previously unknown ancient culture in East Asia.
Archaeological excavations at the site of Xiamabei in the Nihewan Basin of northern China have uncovered the earliest known ochre-processing site in the region, as well as hundreds of tiny stone tools.
Archaeologists excavate the well-preserved surface at the Xiamabei site in northern China.Credit:Fa-Gang Wang
Ochre, a naturally occurring clay pigment, was widely used across the ancient world up to modern times, from cave painting right through to Roman murals and beyond.
Michael Petraglia, director of the Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution at Griffith University, was part of the team that uncovered the site. He said it was the first evidence ochre was produced on such a scale at this time in ancient East Asia.
“It’s a fascinating site because the way the tools are placed, it’s almost like they were simply dropped and everyone left,” he said.
“We found a number of these stone tools, bone fragments, and a hearth where a fire would have been built, but most extraordinary is the ochre-processing area, which is unique in many ways.”
So much ochre had been processed, it permanently impregnated the area, but Professor Petraglia said despite that, it appeared to have only been used for a short period of time before being abandoned.
“There is evidence of huge amounts of production, but only for a limited time, and then it was buried quickly, which is why we can see this ochre-processing feature,” he said.
“It’s almost Pompeii-like in a way. It was used for a limited time and then seems to have been buried very quickly, so it got preserved. It doesn’t seem like the site was repeatedly occupied over time.”
‘Almost Pompeii-like’: Stone Age ‘factory floor’ opens window on ancient culture
Source: Philippines Alive
