AMS 14C dating of the hominin archaeological site Chuandong Cave in Guizhou Province, southwestern China

This study presents detailed AMS 14C dating of charcoals, burned and unburned bones, and teeth from the hominin archaeological site Chuandong Cave, located in Puding County, Guizhou Province, southwestern China. The charcoal samples were pretreated with either the acid−base−acid (ABA) or ORAU−XR method, the unburned bone and teeth samples with ABA-collagen pretreatment, and the burned bone samples with the ORAU−CB method. The AMS 14C ages of the charcoal samples provide the most reliable results in this study. The AMS 14C dates of the bone samples are generally younger, possibly due to posterior amino acid contamination. Based on the AMS 14C ages, we propose the following chronology for the site: Layers 3 to 5 formed between 11.5-12.5 ka BP (all 14C ages reported in this study are calibrated ages unless stated otherwise. A BP = years before 1950 CE), a period corresponding to the Younger Dryas; Layers 6 to 7 formed between 14-24 ka BP, a period including the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM); and Layers 8-9 likely formed before 34 ka BP corresponding to the late Pleistocene. According to the above chronology, the Chuandong humans (modern Homo sapiens) were present at 12 ka BP, i.e., the late Pleistocene. This conclusion differs from the previous estimate at ∼9 ka BP, i.e., the early Holocene. Furthermore, the Chuandong Culture likely began as early as 34 ka BP and survived in the region throughout the cold and dry LGM. Detailed studies on the hominin archaeological sites in Guizhou, including Chuandong Cave and Maomaodong Cave, are warranted to better understand hominin evolution in Asia.