Technological strategy and mobility of Middle Holocene hunter-gatherers in the high-altitude Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau: a case study from Tshem gzhung kha thog

Microblade technology occupies an important position for understanding the process of peopling of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau; however, the region’s specific technological behaviour has been unclear due to a lack of research. Here, we introduce the newly excavated site of Tshem gzhung kha thog (TGKT, in Chinese is Canxionggashuo), located at 4016 m above sea level on the northeast Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, with a focus on its lithic assemblage. Following the approach of chaîne opératoire , we reconstruct the reduction sequence, and, from the perspective of the organization of technology, we explore the technology’s implications for hunter-gatherer mobility in this area. Combining the lithic assemblage and the chronological sequence, we hypothesize that TGKT was a workshop occupied by logistically organized hunter-gatherers who used high-quality siliceous rocks found near the site to produce microblades, primarily, to adapt to a limited stay in this high-elevation area. The gradual climatic warming during the Holocene provided better conditions for peopling the high-elevation area; however, considering the distance between the higher and lower elevation areas, we hypothesize that TGKT was not used logistically by lower-elevation foragers but by foragers whose residential base was located elsewhere in the region near the TGKT.