News Archaeology

Hunter-gatherers were possibly first to call Tibetan Plateau home

High-altitude foragers moved in long before farmers, new dates indicate

Tibetan Plateau

HUNTER-GATHERER HANGOUT  New dates for hand- and footprints on a rock slab suggest that foragers lived year-round on the Tibetan Plateau, shown here, well before farmers did. Much about initial settlement of this high-altitude region remains unclear, though.

Mark Aldenderfer

By Bruce Bower

- More than 2 years ago

People hunted and foraged year-round in the thin air of China’s Tibetan Plateau at least 7,400 to 8,400 years ago, a new study suggests.