New Chronological Evidence of Early Human Activities 8000 Years Ago in the Coastal Region of Fujian, Southern China

Coastal regions played a key role in the emergence of Early Neolithic cultures. Fluctuating sea levels shaped prehistoric human migration, settlement patterns, and adaptation strategies. The lower reaches of the Min River in Fujian were a major centre of activity. During the Middle to Late Neolithic, marine communities such as the Keqiutou (6500–5500 cal. a BP) and Tanshishan (5500–4300 cal. a BP) cultures flourished. However, the scarcity of earlier remains has limited understanding of Early Neolithic life before 8000 cal. a BP. We dated stratigraphic layers at the newly excavated Niutoushan site using radiocarbon dating and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL). OSL results indicate the site’s Neolithic culture layer between 9.3 ± 0.7 ka and 8.1 ± 0.5 ka, with radiocarbon dates clustering around 8300–7000 cal. a BP. Based on the younger bounds of the dating results and kernel density estimation, the Neolithic remains at the site are dated to approximately 8000–7000 cal. a BP, identifying Niutoushan as one of the earliest Neolithic sites in the region. Combined with sea-level reconstructions, the findings suggest that the rapid Early Holocene sea-level rise drove human migration along China’s eastern coast before 8000 cal. a BP. The Niutoushan culture was influenced by Neolithic cultures from northern coastal regions and potentially by those located to its south across the exposed Taiwan Strait from the Last Glacial Maximum to the Early Holocene. This points to complex interactions among Early Neolithic cultures in both northern and southern coastal China, warranting further investigation for validation.