Stone tools uncovered at the Lingjing archaeological site in central China have been dated to approximately 146,000 years ago, according to a statement released by the Field Museum in Chicago. This new dating places the tools about 20,000 years earlier than previously estimated.
The artifacts were analyzed using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, a technique that measures when quartz grains were last exposed to sunlight. The results suggest that early humans or hominins were present at the site much earlier than the previous estimate of around 125,000 years ago.
Researchers from the Field Museum and Chinese collaborators conducted the study, which was published in the journal Nature on May 12, 2026. The findings provide new insights into the timing of human occupation in East Asia during the Middle Pleistocene.
The Lingjing site, located in Henan Province, has yielded numerous stone tools and fossil remains over the years. The new dates indicate that the site was occupied during a period when the climate was relatively warm and humid, potentially attracting early humans to the region.
This discovery adds to the growing body of evidence that East Asia was inhabited by hominins earlier than some models suggest, challenging previous assumptions about human migration patterns.
