The onset of sedentism on the Tibetan Plateau is often presumed to be associated with the dispersal of agriculture or farmers from archaeological sites located in the low elevation margins of the plateau. Previous studies of the plateau assumed that all foragers were probably mobile, but few systematic excavations at forager sites have been conducted to inform us about their settlement patterns. Here we report the world’s highest elevation sedentary way of living exhibited by the Mabu Co site at 4,446 metres above sea level, deep in the interior of the Tibetan Plateau 4,400–4,000 years ago. Our interdisciplinary study indicates that the site was occupied by Indigenous inhabitants of the plateau, representing the earliest known DNA evidence of foragers who predominantly harbour the southern plateau ancestry. The evidence shows that they had a sedentary lifestyle primarily supported by fishing at nearby lakes, supplemented by mammal and bird hunting, as well as small-scale exchanges of millet and rice crops.

藏传高原定居的开始通常被认为与位于高原低海拔边缘的考古遗址的农业或农民的分散有关。以前对高原的研究假设所有觅食者都可能是移动的，但在觅食者地点进行的系统挖掘很少告诉我们它们的定居模式。在这里，我们报道了海拔 4,446 米的 Mabu Co 遗址所展示的世界上海拔最高的定居生活方式，位于 4,400-4,000 年前青藏高原内部深处。我们的跨学科研究表明，该地点被高原的土著居民占据，这代表了已知最早的 DNA 证据，表明主要拥有南部高原血统的觅食者。证据表明，他们过着久坐不动的生活方式，主要靠在附近的湖泊捕鱼，以捕食哺乳动物和鸟类为辅，以及小米和水稻作物的小规模交换。