China

Nwya Devu

Paleolithic site in eastern Changtang, China

Location

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Historical Context

About

Nwya Devu (Chinese: 尼阿底; pinyin: Ní'ādǐ; Tibetan: ཉ་དེའུ་གནའ་ཤུལ།, Wylie: Nya-de'u gNa-shul) is a high-altitude archaeological site on the Tibetan Plateau located in the eastern Changtang region of Tibet. At around 4,600 m (15,092 ft) above sea level, Nwya Devu is the highest known archaeological site from the Paleolithic and provides evidence for one of the earliest known presences of humans at a high-altitude site, at around 40,000-30,000 BP.

Paleolithic
Mesolithic
Neolithic
Chalcolithic
Bronze Age
Iron Age
Classical Period
Post-Classical Period
Early Modern Period
Industrial Period
Contemporary Period
Temporal Epochs

Historical Timeline

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Holocene layer and AMS dates (Layer 1)

c. 13,000–4,000 BP; mollusc AMS c. 12,700–12,400 BP

Last Glacial Maximum deposits (Layer 2)

c. 25,000–18,000 BP

Earliest occupation (Layer 3)

c. 45,000–30,000 BP

Discovery

2013

Classification

Archaeological Features

Unique architectural and cultural elements found at this historical site

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Industrial and Craft Structures

WorkshopsToolmakers’ Areas
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Environmental and Natural Features

Soil Layers
Knowledge Base

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Reference

Details

Country

China

Coordinates

31.47° N, 88.80° E