玉蟾岩遗址微体螺类对探讨古人类活动特征的指示意义

INDICATIVE SIGNIFICANCE OF TINY SPIRAL SHELLS FROM THE YUCHANYAN SITE

文章通过对玉蟾岩遗址出土的大量微体螺类的种类及生态类型研究,详细了解它们在不同文化层中生态类型及数量上的变化,找出它们在遗址中的分布和变化规律,并根据这种规律对生活在该洞穴的人类行为及其生活环境进行了综合研究。研究结果表明:1)玉蟾岩遗址不同时期的文化层中,同时具备淡水和陆生两种类型的微体螺类,而且陆生螺类在文化层中自下而上是连续存在的,说明该遗址包含陆生螺类的古土壤始终发育着。因此古人在此生活期间,洞穴中不具备静水沉积环境;而且文化层中发现的淡水螺类不是洞穴内固有的生物,是伴随着人类的活动从外面带入的。2)在遗址的西部,淡水螺类大量增加,该处是古人在此洞穴生活时经常聚集的场所。3)12000年的玉蟾岩遗址区,正处于末次冰期的升温期,温度不断上升,水域面积不断扩大,适宜大量的动植物繁殖,给古人类在此生息繁衍提供了良好的生活环境。

The Yuchanyan Site is a Paleolithic to Neolithic cave site, a typical site in the period of agricultural revolution, the first revolution of human beings. In the paper we studied the classification, ecotype, and distribution of a large number of tiny spiral shells collected from different layers of the site, to draw their changing rules in the site, based on which we tried to make a comprehensive understanding on activities and living environment of human beings of that time in that area. We have the following main results ： 1 ） The layers of different periods at the Yuchanyan Site yield both freshwater and terraneous tiny spiral shells, with the later continuously existing from bottom to top, which indicates that there was no standing water sedimentary environment in the cave during the period, with the freshwater spiral shells brought in by human activities. 2） At the west of the site, there is a remarkable increase of freshwater spiral shells, indicating that it might be a place where ancient human beings frequently gathered.