Microblade assemblages are among the most common prehistoric archaeological materials found on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and are thought to indicate large scale migration to and settlement of the TP. Few microblade sites, however, have been systematically excavated, especially in the remotest, highest-elevation regions of the TP. The timing of the large-scale arrival, spread, and permanent settlement of people on the TP therefore remains controversial. In this paper, we report on a recently excavated site, Locality 3 of the Nwya Devu Site (ND3), located at 4600 meters above sea level (masl), near the shore of Ngoin Lake, on the interior TP. Our analyses reveal a fairly typical microblade technological orientation and two types of microblade cores: wedge-shaped and semi-conical, which are similar to those found throughout North China. Using Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating and AMS 14C dating, the age of ND3 ranges from 11 to 10 ka. This date range indicates ND3 is the oldest microblade site yet recorded in the remote, high-elevation regions of the TP and thus provides important information about when and how hunter-gatherers using microblades began exploiting the higher altitudes of the TP. Taken together, studies at ND3 and throughout the TP suggest that a microblade adaptation is associated with the first prolonged human occupation of the plateau and that microblades played a significant role in mediating the risks and facilitating the mobility necessary to permanently inhabit the TP.

细石叶技术产品是青藏高原发现最丰富的史前人类文化遗物,代表了早期人类在高原的大规模迁徙.然而,经过系统发掘、具有可靠年代数据的细石叶技术遗址在青藏高原发现较少,高原腹地更为缺乏,这对理解细石叶技术人群在高原大规模迁徙扩散的时间和过程带来了诸多障碍.本文研究报道了青藏高原腹地海拔4600m处新发现的细石叶技术遗址——尼阿底遗址第3地点.技术-类型学分析结果显示,尼阿底遗址第3地点细石叶的生产主要包括楔形石核和半锥形石核两种技术,与旧石器时代晚期中国华北地区的细石叶技术特征接近.光释光测年（OSL）和碳十四测年( 14 C)的结果表明,尼阿底遗址第3地点的年代为11000～10000a BP.尼阿底遗址第3地点作为目前青藏高原腹地发现的最早的细石叶技术遗址,为了解拥有细石叶技术的狩猎采集者到达高原腹地的时间及其可能的扩散路线提供了重要信息.另外,通过对整个高原细石叶技术发展的分析,结合分子生物学的成果对比显示,细石叶技术人群迁移进入高原可能与人类对高原的长期占领以及现代藏族人的形成有密切联系.

Lithic artifacts are crucial for elucidation of the temporal and spatial patterns of prehistoric human occupation of the Tibetan Plateau. Core-and-flake technology is particularly noteworthy, as it is distinguished by its broad temporal span and widespread distribution across the plateau. In this study, we present the results of a reassessment of the lithic assemblage from the Su-re site in Tingri County, Shigatse City, Xizang Autonomous Region, China. Its resemblance to lithic assemblages from Southwestern China implies a close relationship between the plateau and its southeastern vicinity, contributing to the diversification of technology and prehistoric humans on the Tibetan Plateau. Moreover, gneissic pebbles transported by glacial meltwater in the Tingri Graben—the most suitable raw material available in the vicinity—explains the presence of prehistoric humans in the inhospitable Qomolangma region.

The lack of archaeological work has long impeded our understanding of prehistoric and historical human inhabitation and East-West interactions on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau (TP). In this study, we conducted a series of systematic archaeological investigations in the Nyingchi region, on the southeastern TP. We examined archaeological stratigraphies from 10 sites and collected charred seeds and charcoals for accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dating. The 26 radiocarbon dates show that the earliest inhabitation in the Nyingchi region can be traced back to as early as the fifth millennium BP. In addition, results of summed probability distribution (SPD) of radiocarbon dates suggest that intensive human activities occurred between c. 2700 and 2000 cal. yr BP. Together with the pottery net sinkers found in previous investigation, the newly identified archaeobotanical assemblages, including crops such as barley (Hordeum vulgare), naked barley (Hordeum vulgare var. nudum), wheat (Triticum aestivum) and pea (Pisum sativum), also confirm that cultivation and fishing were important subsistence strategies for people living in the prehistoric Nyingchi. The discoveries of domesticated crops from Southwest Asia also suggest that the southeastern TP, represented by the Nyingchi region, was part of the early communication network between the East and the West, predating historical Highland Silk Road.