The Paleolithic Mengxihe Site in Ziyang, Sichuan

Abstract From 2022 to 2023, the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, in collaboration with the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, conducted a salvage excavation at the Mengxihe site in Ziyang, Sichuan. Over 100,000 lithic artifacts and numerous animal and plant remains were recovered. The lithics—primarily medium-and small-sized tools made from silicified wood—are dominated by scrapers and produced through simple, expedient core-flake technology. This assemblage represents a rare example of a small-tool industry in southern China. Preliminary dating indicates that the main cultural layer dates to 70,000–50,000 BP. As the only known Middle Paleolithic site in China to yield well-preserved lithics, animal remains, and plant remains in association, Mengxihe offers critical new evidence for exploring Paleolithic lifeways, broad-spectrum resource use, and the emergence of behavioral complexity—contributing to broader discussions on the origins and dispersal of modern humans.