On the 8th, it was learned from the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology that archaeologists have discovered and excavated Paleolithic sites for the first time in the Shichuan River Basin in Shaanxi Province, tracing the history of ancient human activities in the area from around 7000 years ago to over 600000 years ago. It is reported that from 2022 to 2024, 12 new Paleolithic sites were found in the Shichuan River basin (Fuping section), a primary tributary of the north bank of the Weihe River, in the middle of Shaanxi Province, by the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the College of Geography and Marine Sciences of Nanjing University, the Weinan Museum, and the Fuping County Culture and Tourism Bureau. The stone products from eight sites on the right bank of the Ishikawa River, including Zhoujiapo and Miaogou, are mainly buried in the S6 paleosol layer to L1 loess layer covering the third terrace. According to the loess paleosol sequence, their ages are estimated to be between 600000 to 30000 years ago. The four sites on the left bank of the Ishikawa River are all located on the second terrace, with the Zhuhuangbao site being the most representative. The site has excavated more than 900 square meters and discovered three ancient human fire relics. Over 26000 stone artifacts and 500 animal fossils have been unearthed; According to the comparison of loess paleosol sequences and photoluminescence dating, it is known that the absolute age of its Paleolithic remains is around 300000 to 40000 years ago. The main raw material for stone products in the Fuping Ishikawa River Basin, dating back 600000 to 300000 years ago, is quartzite, followed by quartz; Peeling is often done using a hard hammer method; The main types of stone tools are flaky stone tools, often with small and medium-sized scrapers and concave tools, which are easy to repair. The raw material composition of stone products from around 300000 to 70000 years ago is basically the same as the previous stage, and the peeling technology has made significant progress, with the emergence of more standardized disc-shaped stone cores and single table oriented peeling funnel-shaped stone cores; Stone tools are mainly made up of small and medium-sized scrapers, with many concave tools, pointed tools, and stone cones, as well as a small number of heavy tools such as chopping tools, hand axes, and pickaxes. Stone tool repairs are mostly delicate. The number of stone products around 70000 to 30000 years ago is relatively small, basically continuing the technical appearance of the previous stage, and showing the characteristics of gradual miniaturization and refinement, showing the transition from the middle to the late Paleolithic era. Experts say that the discovery of the Paleolithic site group in the Shichuan River Basin of Fuping has significant academic value, filling the gap in the distribution of Paleolithic remains in the Shichuan River Basin and the central region of Weibei; A large number of distinctive small stone tool industrial systems have been unearthed, and important relics such as disc-shaped stone cores and hand axes buried in situ have been discovered for the first time in the Weibei area. The rich human cultural relics provide valuable new information for the scientific research on the evolution of ancient human stone tool technology and human behavior adaptation in the Weibei and even the middle reaches of the Yellow River region; Through solid geological burial and chronological evidence, a preliminary sequence of Paleolithic cultures that have been continuously developing for over 600000 years since the early Middle Pleistocene in the Weibei region has been established, providing stronger evidence for the continuous development and evolution of ancient Chinese humans and their cultures. (New Society)