Human activity on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau dates back 100,000 years

Archaeological discoveries released this year show that human activity on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau dates back as far as 100,000 years, officials in the Xizang autonomous region said at a news conference in Lhasa on Tuesday.

The regional cultural heritage bureau presented the findings as part of updates from the national Archaeological China program, which has reported major progress in Xizang since 2021.

Over that period, archaeologists carried out 42 excavations at 19 locations, covering about 8,100 square meters. These projects have achieved comprehensive coverage across different regions and eras, uncovering a tapestry of historical artifacts and sites.

The findings span various periods, including eight Paleolithic sites, four Neolithic sites, six early metal age sites and tombs, and one site from the Tubo period. They suggest that a human presence in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau goes as far back as 100,000 years ago. Researchers also found evidence that blade technology emerged in northern Xizang around 40,000 years ago, with microlithic tools becoming widespread about 10,000 years ago.

Most of the region entered the Neolithic period roughly 5,000 years ago, followed by the use of copper tools around 3,800 years ago and iron tools about 2,800 years ago. The rise of the Tubo kingdom around 1,400 years ago marked Xizang's entry into written history.

The briefing also marked the completion of Xizang's fourth national cultural relics survey. As of May 31, archaeologists had revisited more than 4,200 sites and identified 3,346 new ones, bringing the total number of documented cultural relic sites in the region to 7,623.

Xu Shaoguo, deputy head of the regional cultural heritage bureau, said Xizang is among the country's fastest-growing regions for newly identified relics, while recording relatively few losses.

"The cities of Shigatse, Lhokha, and the Ngari prefecture have each discovered over 500 new relic sites, and all the county-level survey units in the region have new discoveries," said Xu.