Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia 39 (1) 2011

Annotation:  Three Scenarios of the Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition. Scenario 2: The Middle to Upper Paleo Chronology and Periodization of the Neolithic in the Upper and Middle Kama Region Paleolithic Art of the Carpathian-Dniester Region Raw Materials and Paste from Wheel-Thrown Ceramics from the Gnezdovo Burial Ground The Origins of Lead Archaeological Artifacts Using Mass Spectrometry Analysis Kelteminar Arrowheads from the Altai Dagger from the Late Bronze Age Settlement on the Lyuskus River The Archekas Celt and the Issue of the Seima-Turbino Period in the Kuznetsk Basin and in the Achins Bone Anthropomorphic Sculpture from the Ust-Polui Sanctuary Images in Bronze from the Sarovka Ritual Complex: Reconstructing Semantics Information-Theoretical Database Management System in the Context of Monuments Dating to the Pre-Sc Ritual Complexes of the Bolshoye Storozhevoye Fortifi ed Settlement in the Middle Don Area Erlik Khan in the Traditional Worldview of the Khakas Copper Casting in the Daily Life and Ritual Practices of Komi Old Believers Dogs in the Traditional Worldview of the Chuvash People A Proximal Pedal Phalanx of a Paleolithic Hominin from Denisova Cave, Altai Secular Dental Changes in the Populations of the Armenian Highland: Evolutionary and Ecological Asp A Nonmetric Cranial Study of the Andronovo Series from the Altai   

Three Scenarios of the Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition. Scenario 2: The Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition in Continental East Asia

A.P. Derevianko.

The paper describes a model of the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition in East and Southeast Asia. Lithic industries of the Lower and Middle Paleolithic reported from the Sino-Malayan zone demonstrate features clearly different from those noted in other regions of Eurasia and Africa. Lithic assemblages from archaeological sites in China and Korea suggest the autochthonous development of fl ake-based industries throughout the Lower and Middle Paleolithic. The appearance of bifaces and “Levallois” points in East and Southeast Asia suggesting an infl uence exerted by the second wave of immigrants to this region can be explained by the parallel development of lithic industries and changes in human adaptation strategies. Blades and microblades have been recorded in Upper Paleolithic technocomplexes of the Sino-Malayan zone from 30–20 ka BP. Their emergence was associated with the expansion of human populations from South Siberia and Mongolia. The autochthonous population was not displaced by the immigrants. Rather, acculturation occurred, as demonstrated by skeletal data suggesting the in situ evolution of anatomically modern humans in East and Southeast Asia.

Keywords: Pleistocene, Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition, convergence, adaptation, acculturation, China, Korean Peninsula.