Tongtian Cave Site

Tongtian Cave Site

The Tongtian Cave Site is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Tongtian Cave Site, located in Jeminay County, Xinjiang, has a history of tens of thousands of years.

During a cultural relics survey in 2014, scholars passing through the area discovered the Tongtian Cave Site, which was initially identified as a Bronze Age site. But as archaeological excavations continued, this cave gradually unveiled its mysteries. Because during the excavation, some traces from the Paleolithic Age were found, such as stone flakes and cores. That means there may have been human activity here tens of thousands of years ago.

Two years later, from July to September 2016, the Xinjiang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and the School of Archaeology and Museology at Peking University jointly conducted an active archaeological excavation at the Tongtian Cave Site in Jeminay County. More than 400 stone artifacts, mammalian fossils, pottery shards, bronze ware, and other relics were unearthed. Through the archaeological excavation, it was confirmed that the Tongtian Cave Site could date back to 40,000 years ago or even earlier. This marks the first discovery of a Paleolithic cultural relic with clear stratigraphic context in the Xinjiang region.

Since then, at many archaeological exchange events, people have described the Tongtian Cave as follows: this discovery fills a gap in the study of Paleolithic archaeology in Xinjiang and is also an important find in the field of Chinese Paleolithic archaeology. The excavation of this site provides significant material for studying early human migration between East and West, Paleolithic cultural exchanges, the origins of early modern humans in East Asia, population migration and human behavior, and ancient environmental changes. It holds high academic value.

On January 23, 2018, the head of the Culture, Sports, Radio, Television, and Tourism Bureau of Jeminay County stated that there are more than 20 other caves near the Tongtian Cave Site, and further excavations will continue in the area. On April 10, 2018, the Tongtian Cave Site was selected as one of the “Top Ten New Archaeological Discoveries of 2017.” On October 7, 2019, it was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units