Luosha Rock Site

Luosha Rock Site

The Luosha Rock Site is a cultural relic protection unit of Guangdong Province.

The Luosha Rock Site is located on the hill behind Miaobian Village, Hekou Town, Fengkai County, with the cave entrance facing northwest and situated 2 meters above the ground. It dates back to the middle to late Paleolithic Age. Discovered in August 1978, it was excavated twice between 1991 and 1993. The second layer of the site yielded one human tooth fossil belonging to a Late Homo sapiens; 24 stone artifacts made by percussion, made from andesite, with rodent bite marks on the surface, including scrapers and flakes; and a small number of animal fossils. Uranium-series dating determined their age to be 22,400 ± 1,600 years ago. The third layer produced seven stone artifacts made by percussion from quartz fine sandstone, including choppers; also a small number of animal fossils, dated to 48,000 ± 5,000 years ago through uranium-series dating. The fourth layer contained three human tooth fossils belonging to an Early Homo sapiens, along with abundant animal fossils, dated to 79,000 ± 15,000 years ago using uranium-series dating. A total of 44 species across 8 orders of animal fossils were found at the Luosha Rock Site. This site fills the gap in Paleolithic cultural records in Guangdong Province from 100,000 to 20,000 years ago and provides valuable data for studying the evolution of physical characteristics of Homo sapiens in the region.

In 2008, the People's Government of Guangdong Province listed it as part of the fifth batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units.

Miaobian Village: The Miaobian Village Committee governs 15 villager groups, with a total population of over 1,690.

The Miaobian Village Committee has 1,586 mu of paddy fields and 28 mu of woodland, with relatively weak geographical advantages. Located in a hilly area, the committee has gradually developed an agricultural model featuring fruit cultivation such as sugar orange and kumquat on the hillsides, and the planting of rice, peanuts, and flue-cured tobacco in the paddy fields. … More details about Miaobian Village++

Further reading:

· Fifth Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units