模拟打制实验及其在丁村角页岩石器研究中的应用

Brief Review of Lithic Experimental Replication and its Application to the Knapping of Hornfels Artefacts

模拟打制是史前考古研究中的重要实验考古方法之一,对于正确认识考古标本的类型和技术、解读当时人类的认知水平和知识积累具有不可取代的作用。本文简要回溯了模拟打制实验的发展史,并评述其应用现状。模拟打制实验在欧美有较长的发展与应用历史,但最终趋向了不同的发展方向。传统的模拟打制实验研究在欧洲得到了更加深入的继承和发展,而美国在上世纪90年代后期逐渐发展起了以定量控制、数理统计为核心的实验方法。本文以近期在山西丁村开展的角页岩模拟打制实验为例,介绍传统的模拟打制实验的基本流程和内容,包括实验的内容设计、实施及记录和分析等。本次实验结果肯定了硬锤锤击技术在丁村角页岩石核剥片和修理中的广泛应用,并在一定程度上否定了以往对使用碰砧法的推测。文章最后对模拟打制实验存在的问题和应用前景作了讨论和展望。

Experimental knapping is an essential method in the study of prehistoric lithics.It not only plays a fundamental role in typological and technological studies,but also helps us understand the development of hominid cognitive capacities and transmitted knowledge.This article looks at the development of experimental knapping,and reviews its modern application.Although experimental knapping work has a long history in both Europe and North America,this method has developed in two different directions.The traditional approach has been inherited and developed in Europe,while American scholars have introduced mechanically-controlled systems into knapping experiments.In this paper,recent knapping experiments of the Dingcun industry of Shanxi Province are introduced as an example,including the design of the experiment,the process and record of its results,and the conclusion of the experiments.Hornfels is not a rock commonly used in Paleolithic China,but it has a very high proportion among raw materials used at Dingcun（94.7%）.Knapping experiments can show what kind of characteristics a rock such as hornfels may have had causing it to be the site＇s principal raw material.The knapping technique used in the Dingcun industry is a long-standing controversy,as large wide fl akes（typical of Dingcun） were supposedly produced by the block-on-block method.By comparing experimental products and archaeological artifacts,the knapping experiment gives us two important clues about the techno-economic behaviors of the Dingcun industry.The first is the possibility of producing large fl akes by using hard-hammer percussion,and will help in resolving the debate about the block-on-block（or anvil） technique..When large flakes were first reported from Dingcun,it was believed that only the block-on-block method could produce such fl akes,but now it seems that hard-hammer percussion was more likely.The second clue is to show that soft-hammer percussion was not applied in the Dingcun industry：hard-hammer percussion is the main technique in both core reduction（débitage） and in the shaping（fa？onnage） process.But there are some limitations to this method.For instance,thee lack of high-quality raw materials has been regarded as one of the main factors that influenced the development of Paleolithic stone-working techniques in China.Knapping experiments can help solve these questions.Stone knapping is a skill that is not easy to learn or conduct,and usually involves a long training period.