New evidence on the subsistence of Middle Paleolithic from Tongtian cave, Northwestern China

This paper presents taphonomic and zooarchaeological analysis of the late Middle Paleolithic occupation layers at Tongtian cave in Xinjiang, northwestern China. The taphonomic history reflects that human and animals shared the cave and human occupations were short in duration. Hominids subsisted mainly on large game, but hunting target was comparatively broader with inclusion of small fauna. The subsistence strategy was suitable for small populations living with a higher mobility in the high-elevation mountainous environment. This work suggests a “broader-diet” strategy in the Middle Paleolithic before the emergence of modern humans, which is yet different with the broad-spectrum economy in the (late) Upper Paleolithic, and reveals an adaptive variety in northwestern China.