Rethinking the “Acheulean” in East Asia: Evidence from recent investigations in the Danjiangkou Reservoir Region, central China

Current research on Large Cutting Tools (LCTs) in East Asia, mainly China and South Korea, has provided some new interpretations for the “Acheulean” in this region. In one of the most influential interpretations, Norton and colleagues have argued that the Movius Line sensu stricto can be replaced by the Movius Line sensu lato based on several key observations, concluding that the presence of LCTs in East Asia is probably the result of short-term technological convergence. Here, the LCT materials from the Danjiangkou Reservoir Region provide us with a rare chance to test Norton et al.’s observations and conclusion, and meanwhile, to decode the probable human behaviours in the Early Palaeolithic of East Asia. The techno-economic behaviours present in the LCTs of Danjiangkou Reservoir Region would in fact support the existence of the true Acheulean techno-complex in East Asia, which explicitly shows the diversity and complexity of the Early Palaeolithic in this vast region. Moreover, the variability of the Acheulean techno-complex in East Asia is evident in the variable percentages, morphology and technology of LCTs, which could be explained as the effect of interconnected factors, such as raw material quality, landscape use strategies and population size. However, because of the relatively limited materials available, we suggest that it is still premature to decide on the emergence of LCTs in East Asia. The in-depth studies in this and the further investigations in other potential areas will shed light on our understanding of the LCT sites in East Asia.