An engraved stone artifact found at the Shuidonggou Paleolithic site, northwest China

This is the engraved stone artifact. Science China Press.

The origin and dispersal of modern humans and modern human behavior are key interests in Paleolithic archaeology and anthropology. Engraved objects are usually seen as a hallmark of cognition and symbolism, which are viewed as important features of modern human behavior. In recent years, engraved ochre, bones and ostrich eggs unearthed from various Paleolithic sites in Africa, the Near East and Europe have attracted the attention of many scholars. However, such items are rarely encountered at Paleolithic sites in East Asia. Here, we report a very important discovery of such a cultural relic. Professor Gao Xing and Dr. Peng Fei from the Laboratory of Human Evolution, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences found an engraved stone artifact in a stone tool assemblage unearthed at the famous Shuidonggou (SDG) Paleolithic site. This site is in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of northwest China. This new discovery was announced in the Chinese Science Bulletin, 2012, No.26.

Dr. Peng Fei, Postdoctoral Research Fellow of the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and first author, described the finding: "This engraved stone artifact was a recent accidental discovery during our technological analysis of the stone tool assemblage unearthed at the Shuidonggou site in 1980. It is the first engraved non-organic artifact from the entire Paleolithic of China. However, it is not just a coincidence. We were aware that when analyzing the materials unearthed from the site during excavations in the 1920s, French archaeologist Henry Breuil observed parallel incisions on the surface of siliceous pebbles. Unfortunately, he did not provide details on those incised pebbles. So during our lithic analysis, we paid special attention to the possible existence of engraved objects." [...] eurekalert.org/

Link 2 (Article is published with open access).
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Actualización 03-12-12. Hallan el primer artefacto grabado en China con una datación de 30.000 años
Este artefacto de piedra grabado fue accidentalmente descubierto durante nuestro reciente análisis del conjunto de herramientas líticas descubiertas en la zona de Shuidonggou en 1980", explicó el Dr. Fei Peng (izquierda), investigador postdoctoral en la Universidad de Graduados de la Academia de Ciencias de China, y autor principal de un artículo que informa sobre el hallazgo en el Boletín de Ciencias de China.

"Es el primer grabado en un artefacto no orgánico de todo el Paleolítico de China. Sin embargo, no es sólo una coincidencia. Éramos conscientes de que en el análisis de los materiales hallados en el sitio durante las excavaciones en la década de 1920, el arqueólogo francés Henry Breuil había observado incisiones paralelas en la superficie de guijarros silíceos. Por desgracia, no dio detalles sobre aquellas piedras incisas. Así que, durante el análisis lítico, hemos prestado especial atención a la posible existencia de objetos grabados", dijo el Dr. Peng...