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Abstract

The microblade technique is an important technological innovation in the Late Pleistocene, and its geographical distribution and diffusion, as well as the relationship between technological changes and paleoclimatic variability in the Last Glacial Maximum, has given rise to heated debates. Northern China contains a large number and range of microblade sites, though the lack of a robust chronology for archeological sites is a limiting factor for ongoing research. Here, we report multidisciplinary investigations at Caodiaoniu (CDN19), a new microblade site in the Lvliang Mountains of the northern Chinese Loess Plateau. Radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating indicates that the depositional sequence spans from 31.5 to 15.9 thousand years ago (ka). The microblade technology dates to between 30.5 and 19.2 ka, representing one of the oldest microblade sites in northern China and one of the most complete Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2 cultural sequences. Human occupations at Caodiaoniu correspond with cold and dry environmental conditions. The evidence from Caodiaoniu is consistent with observations of wide-ranging cultural and technological exchanges between North China and the eastern Eurasian steppe.