东谷坨旧石器初步观察

PALAEOLITHS FROM THE LOWER PLEISTOCENE OF THE NIHEWAN BEDS IN THE DONGGUTUO SITE

东谷坨的旧石器,小型而加工精细,如果单从石制品来看,简直使人不敢相信它是直立人的作品。但是,遗物确实发现在时代为早更新世的泥河湾层里,这意味着中国古文化很早就已经有了高度发展。

A large number of stone artifacts made by hunter-gatherers of the early pleistoce-ne some 1,000,000 years ago were discovered from the Nihewan (Nihowan) Beds of lower pleistocene at Xujiapo near the Donggutuo Village about 4 km. southwest of the Nihewan (Nihowan) Village in Yanigyuan County, Heibei Province. The artifacts consist of cores, flakes, stone and bone tools. The stone tools are classified as scrapers, points and chopper-chopping tools. Generally small in size, the implements were chiefly made on little flakes except a few of the chopper-chopping tools, and most of them were retouched in uniface. The scrapers of varied types made on flakes are most numerous. Some specimens are considerable fine. The Donggutuo industry is characterized by advanced stone artifacts which are generally known in the late pleistocene. Such advanced culture appeared in such old stratum is an interesting problem confronting palaeolithic archaeologists and quaternary geologists.