“The population showed a preference for the coniferous tree species, with 70 percent of the wooden tools primarily crafted from pine wood,“ Gao said, adding that macroscopic and microscopic examinations revealed evidence of usage, such as cutting and scraping marks indicative of branch pruning and shaping, as well as polished streaks and fractures at the tips.

　　Associated cultural relics, including the small stone implements and bone and antler tools, were found to be further proof of the human-made nature of the wooden tools. Raw material and technical analysis showed that the wooden implements replaced stone tools due to a scarcity of raw materials for the latter near the site, and experimental simulations replicated the process of using stone tools as scrapers to process wooden tools.

　　Notably, the antler tools unearthed at the Paleolithic site were also the first of their kind in East Asia. Known as soft hammers in archaeology, they were used in tool processing, serving as a significant indicator of mature stone tool technology. This suggests that East Asian stone tool technology during the early and middle Paleolithic periods was not as far behind that of the West as previously believed, Gao said.

　　The study found that some tool tips retained soil residues containing plant starch grains, indicating that these wooden tools were mainly used for digging up underground plant foods. In contrast to the abundant evidence of people hunting mammals during the Paleolithic period, the discovery of plant consumption is rare. In addition, individuals of that era were already aware that the edible components of plants encompass not just leaves and seeds, but also roots and stems, and they crafted specialized digging tools for it.