New discoveries of the Huangniliang site and cultural diversity in North China during early MIS 3

The Huangniliang site, located in the coastal province of Shandong, in North China, was excavated in 2013. Optically stimulated luminescence results show that the age of the deposits ranges from 59 to 54 ka, corresponding to the initial part of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3. This study introduces the detailed analyses of the stone artefacts from the site, and provides a review of the major Paleolithic sites dated to early MIS 3 in North China. Analyses of the Huangniliang lithic assemblage show that the principal flaking technique was direct hard-hammer percussion, but core preparations and systematic percussion are also present. A series of assemblages in North China show a diversified scenario before the Late Paleolithic (LP). Dominated by the simple flake-core tradition, lithic industries in northern China dated to 35-60 ka occasionally include a Mousterian-like industry, a macroblade technology, Acheulian-type large cutting tools, systematic percussion and diversified toolkits. Lithic technological organization expressed by systematic percussion and incipient organization on the land-use expressed by the organized acquisition of raw materials during early MIS 3 are indicators of behavioral complexity.