We present a new database of more than 400 archaeological sites with spindle whorls across East Asia, including China, southeast Asia, the Himalayas, and eastern parts of the Silk Road routes. Hand spindles and their associated whorls were used to produce yarn in quantity, and they are associated worldwide with the emergence of loom-woven textiles. We show that spindle whorls emerged in three distinct zones in central China, corresponding with the regions where rice and millet agriculture made their first appearances, and we trace the subsequent lines of spread of this technology to regions to the north, south and west. We introduce a novel workflow for the analysis of spindle whorl data, based upon moment of inertia, and we demonstrate its application, identifying differing trends in moment of inertia in the north versus the south. We show that small whorls used for making fine yarns are markers of the Liangzhu culture in the lower Yangtze river, chronicling the emergence and collapse of this early stratified culture. We review the usefulness of spindle whorl shapes as cultural markers and comment on the opportunities and limitations of this approach. We discuss how the timings and spread of spindle whorls, as well as the implied presence of terms for spinning and loom components in proto-Sino-Tibetan, provide further support for the hypothesis that this major language grouping originated from the Upper Yellow River valley region in the early Neolithic.
The Xinghuashan Yuanren Paleolithic locality, located in Nanzhao County, Henan Province, is an open-air Paleolithic site associated with the Xinghuashan Ape-man Cave site. In February 2021, an archaeological team composed of the School of Archaeology of Jilin University and the Nanzhao County Administration of Cultural Relics conducted a survey of the Ape-man Cave site and its surrounding area, discovering and collecting 15 lithic artifacts in total, including one core and fourteen tools. The tools include scrapers, points, notched tools, and heavy-duty tools. The assemblage is dominated by tools, produced mainly by hard-hammer percussion with a simple flaking technology, and includes a heavy-duty component made on cobbles and large flakes. Based on analyses of the lithic assemblage composition, raw material utilization, and flaking technology, together with the spatial relationship with the Ape-man Cave site, it is tentatively inferred that the locality is associated with the Ape-man Cave site, that its cultural aspect tends toward the Lower Paleolithic, and that its geological age most likely corresponds to the Middle Pleistocene, although this age inference remains tentative in the absence of primary stratigraphic and dating evidence.
This study applies ancient DNA analysis to eight highly fragmented faunal remains recovered from the Shandun site in Anji, Zhejiang Province, for which conventional morphological identification was largely inconclusive because of poor preservation and the lack of diagnostic features. Of the eight specimens analyzed, only two yielded informative genetic data, which also reflects the difficulty of biomolecular preservation in the humid environment of the lower Yangtze region. Specimen AJSD03 was assigned to the genus Bos (Bos taurus/Bos indicus) and showed characteristic ancient DNA damage patterns, especially elevated terminal C-to-T substitutions, supporting the authenticity of the sequences and confirming its ancient origin. In contrast, specimen AJSD08 was identified as Gallus gallus, but it lacked the damage patterns typically expected in authentic ancient DNA. This result suggests that the specimen is most likely modern intrusive material introduced into earlier archaeological deposits through later stratigraphic disturbance. These findings show that ancient DNA analysis can assist in the taxonomic identification of highly fragmented faunal remains when morphological methods alone are insufficient. The results also demonstrate the importance of authenticity assessment for distinguishing genuinely ancient remains from intrusive material in archaeologically disturbed contexts. As a preliminary molecular study of the Shandun assemblage, this research provides a useful case for zooarchaeological work in the lower Yangtze River region and highlights the value of ancient DNA analysis in the study of poorly preserved faunal materials.
Iterations of digital and intelligent technologies have reshaped the ecology and communication landscape of cultural heritage. As a new paradigm emerging from practice, virtual–physical symbiosis breaks free from the physical–digital binary and centres on the living reproductive process in which tangible remains, digital media and human practices are mutually coupled. Taking virtual–physical symbiosis as the core analytical lens, this paper draws on empirical cases of cultural heritage digitisation to interpret its generative logic, core connotations and the three-layer embedded system of “tangible heritage–digital media–human practice”. It analyses the holistic transformation of cultural heritage driven by digital technologies in communication carriers, narrative modes, participating stakeholders and communication fields, and unpacks the internal mechanisms of value reconfiguration across mnemonic, sociocultural, aesthetic and industrial-economic dimensions. The findings reveal that current physical-digital integrated communication faces practical contradictions: tech-centrism triggers cultural aphasia, digital resources remain fragmented, heritage authenticity is eroded, and digital ethics mechanisms are lacking. Accordingly, this study puts forward four principles — authenticity priority, structural coupling, user centricity and ethical governance — and develops optimisation pathways in five respects: digital infrastructure development, innovative physical-virtual integrated narratives, multi-stakeholder collaboration, institutional and ethical refinement, and linkage between online and offline fields. This study provides a theoretical reference for China’s practice of physical–digital integrated cultural heritage communication and offers a contextualised analytical perspective for international cultural heritage scholarship.
Understanding how hominins exploited animal resources during the Middle Pleistocene is essential for reconstructing their subsistence strategies and ecological adaptations. While zooarchaeological research in western Eurasia has produced substantial insights, comparable studies in East Asia remain relatively limited and uneven in analytical resolution. This review synthesizes published zooarchaeological evidence from China to evaluate patterns of carcass acquisition, processing, and utilization within a broader Eurasian comparative framework. The available evidence suggests several recurring patterns, including the exploitation of medium- to large-sized ungulates and the presence of systematic carcass processing involving soft tissue removal, marrow extraction, and, in some cases, the reuse of bone as expedient tools. We summarize these activities in a three-stage framework of carcass utilization. Shared processing practices coexist with regional variation in exploited taxa, habitat settings, and the use of osseous materials. The strongest evidence for detailed processing sequences comes from a small number of sites, particularly in northern China, whereas southern Chinese and Tibetan Plateau assemblages broaden the ecological range of the comparison. Interpretations remain constrained by sample size, uneven data collection, and inconsistencies in analytical protocols. The documented patterns therefore characterize the Chinese assemblages reviewed here and provide a basis for evaluating regional adaptations within East Asia.
