Human settlement of the last glaciation on the Tibetan plateau

作者：D. D. Zhang, S. H. Li, Yan He, B. S. Li · 发表于：Current Science · 年份：2003 · 被引用次数：12 · 研究领域：Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology、Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies、Primate Behavior and Ecology

An archaeological site with 19 handprints and footprints of Homo sapiens and the remnant of a fireplace have been found on hot spring travertine at an elevation of 4200 m on the Tibetan plateau. The prints were pressed onsoft travertine by humans. The age of the prints and fireplace is estimated to be around 20,000 years using the optically stimulated luminescence method. The result suggests that humans came to the plateau much earlier than was previously thought. This evidence of human settlement implies that the Tibetans occupy high plateau much earlier than the Andeans and the ice sheet did not cover the entire Tibetan plateau during the Last Glacial Maximum.