News Archaeology

Neandertal-like tools found in China present a mystery

A type of tool pioneered by European Neandertals may have traveled a continent away

Three chisled stone tools known as Quina scrapers, made by early human ancestors, are shown on a black background

Multipurpose stone tools such as this one, found at a 60,000- to 50,000-year-old Chinese site, closely resemble implements made by European and western Asian Neandertals.

Hao Li

By Bruce Bower

Stone tools traditionally attributed to European and western Asian Neandertals have turned up nearly a continent away in southern China.

Artifacts unearthed at a river valley site called Longtan include distinctive stone cutting and scraping implements and the rocks from which these items were struck.