大汶口文化时期贝丘遗址生业方式试析——北阡遗址人骨跪距面的启示

Subsistence Strategies of a Coastal Shellmidden Site during the Dawenkou Period-Indicators from the Kneeling Facets at the Beiqian Site

骨骼职业应力标志通常指频繁而长期的活动在个体骨骼上留下的痕迹,这种非特异性痕迹对个体生前所经常从事的活动有一定的指示意义。跪距面作为职业应力标志的其中一种,通常是足部跖趾关节由于频繁的超背屈姿势而在跖骨远端上侧留下的小平面,严重时甚至会发展成关节炎。在北阡遗址大汶口文化时期的10座二次葬的56个个体中,在至少能代表8个个体的足骨上发现有跪距面痕迹。结合其他多学科手段对北阡遗址社会发展程度及其生业模式的综合研究成果,笔者推测史前时期北阡遗址的跪距面有可能与加工食物和打渔相关,与历史时期在社会高阶层社会群体中普遍流行的跪踞现象并非同一种原因造成。

Skeletal occupational markers are traces left on the skeleton by long-term repetitive motions.To an extent,such markers indicate the activities an individual engaged in on a regular basis when he/she was alive.Kneeling facets are a kind of skeletal occupational markers on the distal metatarsal bones resulting from hyperdorsiflexion of the metatarsophalangeal joints.In this study on the Dawenkou period burials at the Beiqian site,kneeling facets were found on a MNI of 8 individuals among 56 individuals from 10 secondary commingled burials.Combining the archaeological context with results from prior studies,the authors propose that the relatively prevalent kneeling facets analyzed here were likely resulted from food processing or fishing.They differ from the kneeling facets in later periods which were probably caused by etiquette related activities.