A remarkable archaeological discovery at Gantangqing in Southwest China has unearthed the oldest known wooden tools in East Asia, dramatically altering our understanding of early human technology and adaptation in the region. Dated between approximately 361,000 and 250,000 years old, this collection of 35 sophisticated wooden implements provides the first concrete evidence challenging long-held assumptions about tool use by early humans (hominins) in Pleistocene East Asia.

Prior to this discovery, confirmed wooden tools from the Early and Middle Pleistocene epoch (roughly 2.6 million to 126,000 years ago) were exceptionally rare and found only in Africa and Western Eurasia. The "Bamboo Hypothesis" suggested early humans in resource-rich East and Southeast Asia relied primarily on bamboo, leaving little archaeological trace. The Gantangqing find shatters this theory, proving wood was a crucial material.

The assemblage, recovered during excavations between 2014-2019, includes well-crafted digging sticks and small, complete, hand-held pointed toolsThe design and construction of these tools demonstrate a significant level of skill, contrasting with perceptions of simpler stone tool technology in the region.

 Found alongside stone tools, antler hammers, and bones bearing cut marks, the wooden tools indicate they were vital for hominin subsistence – likely for foraging plant foods, particularly underground storage organs (like roots and tubers).·

The Gantangqing site, located on the shores of Lake Fuxian in Yunnan Province at an altitude of 1836 meters, was first identified in 1984. The recent excavations in four trenches uncovered the wooden artifacts within well-defined geological layers alongside other archaeological materials.

This finding significantly widens the known geographical and technological range of early wooden tool use. It highlights the adaptability of Middle Pleistocene hominins in diverse environments and underscores the critical, yet often perishable, role wooden implements played in human evolution long before the advent of agriculture.

The study entitled “300,000-year-old wooden tools from Gantangqing, southwest China” was published in Science. It was accomplished by a team of scientists from many institutions. Researchers (LI  Shufeng and LIU Jia) from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden participated in the work.