Northern Dispersal of Early Modern Humans into East Asia: progress and prospect

This 20th Anniversary Lecture is a hybrid event hosted by the International Centre for Chinese Heritage and Archaeology (ICCHA) and will take place in Room 209, second floor of the UCL Institute of Archaeology and also online via Zoom. Registration for the Zoom event is via the booking link above. This event is free and open to all. All welcome!

Abstract 

The dispersal of early modern humans (Homo sapiens) into eastern Eurasia has been widely debated, particularly concerning their migration routes. Southern and northern routes have been proposed based on various lines of evidence. For many years, scholars focused more on researching the southern route than the northern one. However, with the emergence of new data published in the past decade, particularly from Siberian Altai, northern Mongolia, and northern China, a northern dispersal into East Asia has become increasingly evident and has attracted significant attention. This presentation will primarily introduce recent studies on the northern dispersal route of early modern humans into East Asia, largely based on archaeological evidence. Additionally, some of the latest results from surveys in the Hexi Corridor and western Inner Mongolia will be presented. These new findings contribute to our understanding of early modern human dispersals and the dynamics of hominin migration in northern China.

About the Speaker

Dr Feng Li is a tenured Associate Professor (Research Professor) in the School of Archaeology and Museology at Peking University. His primary research interests include the technological evolution of chipped stone tools, behavioural adaptations, and social interactions in the Eastern Asian Paleolithic. Over the past decade, he has conducted fieldwork at several important Middle and Upper Paleolithic sites in northern China, such as the Jinsitai cave in Inner Mongolia, the Shuidonggou site in Ningxia, and the Banjingzi site in the Nihewan Basin. He is also enthusiastic about establishing international collaborations with colleagues from various countries to conduct multidisciplinary research on the topic of modern human dispersals. Recently, he has devoted himself to exploring the northern dispersal route(s) of early modern humans and their relationships with other hominin groups in East Asia from a technological perspective.