In the wake of the last glacial retreat, the Amur River Basin became a mosaic of braided channels, wetlands and boreal forests. Radiocarbon-dated human remains from the basin cluster between 9442 and 8475 BCE, placing these people firmly in the Mesolithic phase of northeastern China. Archaeological data indicates repeated seasonal use of river margins and islands, where fish, waterfowl and migratory game concentrated after deglaciation. Limited evidence suggests lithic assemblages characterized by small flaked tools and polished bone implements adapted to woodworking and fishing.
Cinematic landscapes of low-lying floodplains and fog-bound river mouths likely shaped mobility and social networks: camps clustered near tributaries, and resource-rich wintering spots supported small, flexible bands. While regional environmental reconstructions point to an expansion of wetland habitats around the Amur, direct stratified sequences tying technological changes to climatic shifts remain sparse. Genetic samples are few (n=5); therefore any model of population continuity or migration must be treated as provisional. Nevertheless, the convergence of riverine archaeology and new ancient-DNA results opens a window onto how early Holocene communities rooted themselves in northeastern Asia's waterways.
