History of Tibet - Prehistory

Prehistory

Some archaeological data suggests early man may have passed through Tibet at the time India was first inhabited, half a million years ago. Modern man first inhabited the Tibetan Plateau at least twenty one thousand years ago. This population was largely replaced around 3,000 BC by Neolithic immigrants from northern China. However there is a "partial genetic continuity between the Paleolithic inhabitants and the contemporary Tibetan populations".

Megalithic monuments dot the Tibetan Plateau and may have been used in ancestor worship. It is unknown whether these monuments were built by ancient Tibetans. Prehistoric Iron Age hill forts and burial complexes have recently been found on the Tibetan plateau but the remote high altitude location makes archaeological research difficult.