Plant use activities during the Upper Paleolithic in East Eurasia: Evidence from the Shuidonggou Site, Northwest China

Starch grains, phytoliths and plant tissue fragments from Upper Paleolithic stone artifacts provide direct evidence of plant use activities in Northwest China during late MIS 3. These results demonstrate the considerable role of edible plants during the last glacial epoch. The chosen plant species can also help us understand the development of human plant exploitation, for which we have limited knowledge for the Paleolithic. This research also suggests the survival and adaptation patterns of ancient occupants in this cold and dry highland area of East Asia during the Upper Paleolithic.