The Pleistocene deposits at Zhoukoudian, often referred to as the “Peking Man” site, contain dental remains from a diverse group of herbivores, including Equus sanmeniensis, Cervus elaphus, Cervus nippon, Megaloceros pachyosteus, Sus lydekkeri, and Dicerorhinus choukoutienensis. The carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions of structural carbonate within the enamel of these teeth are used to reconstruct the paleodiet and paleoenvironment of the mammals. The δ 13C values of enamel from Zhoukoudian range from −2.3‰ to −13.0‰, indicating that these mammals consumed between ∼25% and 100% C3 plants. The presence of significant amounts of C4 plants in the diets of some herbivore species indicates that at the onset of the Middle Pleistocene local habitats included mixed C3/C4 vegetation. By approximately 470,000 yr ago, C3 plants dominated the diets of herbivores studied, suggesting that the abundance of C4 flora had decreased in the area. For all deer analyzed in this study, the values of δ 13C and δ 18O decrease substantially from about 720,000 to 470,000 yr ago. This trend may be due to a strengthening of the winter monsoon during the Middle Pleistocene.

Archaeology can provide two bodies of information relevant to the understanding of the evolution of human cognition – the timing of developments, and the evolutionary context of these developments. The challenge is methodological. Archaeology must document attributes that have direct implications for underlying cognitive mechanisms. One example of such a cognitive archaeology is found in spatial cognition. The archaeological record documents an evolutionary sequence that begins with ape-equivalent spatial abilities 2.5 million years ago and ends with the appearance of modern abilities in the still remote past of 400,000 years ago. The timing of these developments reveals two major episodes in the evolution in spatial ability, one, 1.5 million years ago and the other, one million years later. The two episodes of development in spatial cognition had very different evolutionary contexts. The first was associated with the shift to an open country adaptive niche that occurred early in the time range of Homo erectus. The second was associated with no clear adaptive shift, though it does appear to have coincided with the invasion of more hostile environments and the appearance of systematic hunting of large mammals. Neither, however, occurred in a context of modern hunting and gathering.

The tuffaceous sandstones and siltstones of the Ola Bula Formation in central Flores. east Indonesia, contain many fossil sites. Here, excavations at Boa Lesa and Dozu Dhalu and the results of regional site surveys are described. Stone artefacts indicate that hominids had arrived on the island by 840,000 years ago, post-dating a major change in the Lower Pleistocene fauna. Since water crossings were required to reach Flores from mainland Southeast Asia, this evidence has implications for the intellectual, technological and linguistic capabilities of early hominids.