Archaeologists in southwestern China have discovered wooden tools dating back approximately 300,000 years. The findings at the Gantangqing site, near Lake Fuxian in Yunnan Province, challenge previous assumptions about early human tool use. An international team uncovered 35 wooden digging sticks and pointed tools.
The Gantangqing site, excavated since 1989, also yielded stone implements, animal bones with cut marks, and antler billets. These artifacts suggest a complex lifestyle that included hunting and gathering. Use-wear analysis showed starch grains on the tools, indicating they were used to dig up plant roots.
The swampy environment at Gantangqing preserved the wooden tools, similar to sites in Israel and Germany. This discovery adds to evidence that early humans used organic materials for tools. The sophistication of these tools suggests a more resourceful adaptation to their environment by early East Asian Paleolithic societies.