Lanzhou University, collaborated with the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research and the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Peking University and other institutions, carried out the research on human bones, animal bones and plant remains unearthed at the Mabu Co site.
The findings published this time mainly studied the remains of the early culture of the site 4,400–4,000 years ago.
This research updates the hypothesis that the sedentism on the Tibetan Plateau is associated with the dispersal of agriculture or farmers. According to recent findings, there existed at least two modes of the initiation of sedentism on the Tibetan Plateau 5,000–4,000 years ago. Agriculture promoted the sedentism in the lower-altitude river valleys, but in the high-altitude areas, fishing and hunting resources might contribute to the development of sedentism as well.
The findings were published online in Nature Ecology & Evolution, entitled “Lake-centred sedentary lifestyle of early Tibetan Plateau Indigenous populations at high elevation 4,400 years ago” on September 16, 2024.
