Chinese archaeologists have announced a significant historical discovery indicating that humans inhabited the Tibetan Plateau more than 10,000 years ago, much earlier than previously documented.
The findings were presented at a joint archaeological work report conference in Beijing, according to Tibet’s online news service tb[.]Tibet[.]cn.
The research involved collaboration between China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration, the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) Cultural Heritage Administration, and the TAR Cultural Heritage Protection Research Institute.
Between 2021 and 2024, researchers conducted 34 archaeological excavations across 17 ancient sites in Tibet. The most compelling evidence came from two locations: the Zangkargang site in Toelung Dechen County near Lhasa and the Melong Tagphuk cave in Gegyai County of Ngari Prefecture. These sites yielded stone tools and animal fossils that, through scientific dating methods, were determined to be approximately 10,000 years old.
The findings suggest that prehistoric humans had developed remarkable adaptations to survive in Tibet’s challenging high-altitude environment, which averages over 4,500 meters above sea level.
Chinese officials note that the discovery supports their view that Tibet has historically been “an important part of the multi-faceted structure of the Chinese people.”
The conference included representatives from 12 scientific research institutions who will continue analyzing the artifacts to better understand how early humans lived and adapted to the extreme conditions of the Tibetan Plateau.
The research team plans to expand excavations in the coming year to potentially uncover additional evidence of these ancient settlements.
