China discovers over 90,000 Neolithic stone artifacts in Heilongjiang

In a new discovery, over 90,000 stone artifacts, dating back to the Neolithic period more than 5,000 years ago, have been uncovered in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. According to the Heilongjiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, these artifacts were found at the Shiren Cave site, located east of Shihe Village in Hailin City. This is reported by Xinhua News Agency, a partner of TV BRICS.

The excavation revealed a vast number of bifacial tools and their processing products, providing invaluable insight into early human craftsmanship and societal development. Using carbon-14 dating techniques, researchers have estimated that the cave was inhabited around 5,700 years ago, placing it within a crucial period of early human advancement.

Li Youqian, vice director of the Heilongjiang Institute and head of the archaeological team, highlighted the significance of these stone tools in understanding the transition from the Paleolithic Age to the Neolithic Age in northeast China. The Shiren Cave relic site has provided critical data on ancient stone-tool technology and early human life in the region.

This excavation provides foundational data for understanding the development of early Chinese society and civilisation.

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