Guanyindong (Chinese: 观音洞; pinyin: Guānyīndòng) or Guanyin Cave is a Palaeolithic cave site, discovered in 1964 by archaeologist Pei Wenzhong in Qianxi County, Guizhou, China.

During several archaeological excavations in the 1960s and 1970s, most of the material remains were gathered from the cave entrance. About one-third of the artifacts were extracted from the upper layer which is called "Layer 2" or "Group A" by archaeologist Prof. Li Yanxian, and the rest of them were conducted from the lower layers- "Layers 4–8" or "Group B". According to Associate Professor Bo Li, besides a number of non-Levallois flakes, archaeologists examined more than 2000 stone artifacts from Guanyindong and revealed proof of Levallois concepts on 45 samples (including cores, flakes and tools).[1][2]

It contains the earliest evidence of stone artefacts made using the Levallois technique in China.[3][4] In November 2018, the discovery of these stones dated to approximately 170,000-80,000 years ago were announced by the University of Wollongong.[5][6]

The site has been on the List of Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Guizhou Qianxi Guanyin dong yizhi (黔西观音洞遗址) since 2001.

References

  1. ^ Marwick, Ben; Li, Bo; Yue, Hu. "New dates for ancient stone tools in China point to local invention of complex technology". The Conversation. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  2. ^ Barras, Colin. "Complex stone tools in China may re-write our species' ancient history". New Scientist. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  3. ^ Hu, Yue; Marwick, Ben; Zhang, Jia-Fu; Rui, Xue; Hou, Ya-Mei; Yue, Jian-Ping; Chen, Wen-Rong; Huang, Wei-Wen; Li, Bo (19 November 2018). "Late Middle Pleistocene Levallois stone-tool technology in southwest China". Nature. 565: 82–85. doi:10.1038/s41586-018-0710-1. PMID 30455423.
  4. ^ Hu, Yue; Marwick, Ben; Zhang, Jia-Fu; Rui, Xue; Hou, Ya-Mei; Yue, Jian-Ping; Chen, Wen-Rong; Huang, Wei-Wen; Li, Bo (21 November 2019). "Robust technological readings identify integrated structures typical of the Levallois concept in Guanyindong Cave, South China". National Science Review. doi:10.1093/nsr/nwz192. PMC 8291575.
  5. ^ Community, Nature Research Ecology & Evolution (2018-11-19). "Late Middle Pleistocene Levallois stone-tool technology in Southwest China". Nature Research Ecology & Evolution Community. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  6. ^ Li, Feng; Boëda, Eric; Li, Yinghua (2019). "A refutation of reported Levallois technology from Guanyindong Cave in south China". National Science Review. 6 (6): 1094–1096.

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Prehistoric cave sites, rock shelters and cave paintings
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