连续与断裂:重新认识下川遗址在中国旧石器文化研究上的意义

CONTINUITY AND BREAK: RETHINKING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF XIACHUAN SITE IN CHINESE PALEOLITHIC RESEARCH

2014~2017年,北京师范大学历史学院和山西省考古研究院组织联合考古队,对下川遗址富益河圪梁地点、小白桦圪梁地点、牛路地点、水井背地点、流水腰地点进行了考古发掘。确认下川遗址包含了旧石器中期简单石核-石片文化(大约相当于MIS5)、旧石器晚期早段简单石核-石片文化(4.4~3.0万年)、旧石器晚期中段石叶-细石叶文化(2.7~2.5万年)和旧石器晚期晚段石叶-细石叶文化(1.7~1.6万年)共4个文化发展阶段。经历了3次文化转变,即从旧石器中期向晚期的转变;简单的石核-石片技术向石叶-细石叶技术的转变以及末次冰盛期前后石叶-细石叶技术的变化;在这些转变过程中,并没有表现出完全、持续的连续性;无论在时间上还是技术上,都存在明显的断裂现象;深入研究这些现象,将为中国北方现代人出现和演化提供新的解释。

The Xiachuan site( 35°26’22″N,112°00’43″E) is located in Qinshui County,Shanxi Province. In the 1970 s,two large-scale archaeological investigations and excavations were carried out. It has been suggested that the Xiachuan site represents the earliest microlithic culture in China and may also be where the earliest millet farming originated. From 2014 to 2017,a joint team organized by the School of History of Beijing Normal University and the Institute of Archaeology of Shanxi Province successively conducted excavations at five localities, i. e.Fuyihergeliang,Xiaobaihugeliang,Niulu,shuijingbei and Liushuiyao,which contain 4 stages of development from the Middle Paleolithic to the Upper Paleolithic.Middle paleolithic culture( MIS5)At present,the Middle Paleolithic culture of the Xiachuan basin is only found in Loc. Fuyihegeliang. Although there is no absolute dating of this cultural layer at present,by comparing the age of equivalent layers with similar contents,the age of the Middle Paleolithic cultural layer of the Xiachuan basin was estimated the last interglacial.The raw materials that stone artifacts are predominantly made from are quartz sandstone that can be easily found in the Fuyihe River. Nevertheless,some little black flints also seem to be transported through long-distances. The flaking technique is through direct hard hammer chipping. The excavation in 2017 did not reveal any tools,but according to the materials collected in the past,the stone tool technology of this site is mostly likely to belong to the simple core-flake-scraper tradition in North China.Initial and early Upper Paleolithic Culture( 44000 ~ 30000 a B. P.)All five sites that were excavated contain the cultural layers belonging to this stage. The date of the Fuyihegeliang site is 43000 ~ 30000 a B. P.,that of loc. Xiaobaihuageliang is 30000 a B. P.,that of Loc. Shuijingbei is 44000 ~ 33000 a B. P.,and that of Loc. Liushuiyao is 39000 ~ 36000 a B. P. In this period,people in Xiachuan mostly chose black flint as main raw material. So far,we haven’ t found the origin location of this kind of raw material in the Xiachuan basin,which may indicate that these materials came via long distance transportation.Hard hammering flaking and unprepared platforms are still the major flaking technique in this period. The number of efficient multiple-platform cores and discoid cores is small,while the number of inefficient singleplatform cores and double-platform cores has an absolute advantage. In addition to the common scrapers and points,wedge-shaped separators,backed knives,trapezoids and endscrapers are the most common characteristics of Xiachuan culture at this stage.Middle Upper Paleolithic Culture( 27000 ~ 25000 a B. P.)The archaeological remains of this stage are mainly found in three localities: Fuyihegeliang,Xiaobaihuageliang and Shuijingbei. At Loc. Niulu,few remains exist in this stage. Comparing to the previous period,where blade cores,various microblade cores,burins and ends-crapers are the most distinctive features of the culture. The situations of Loc. Xiaobaihuageliang and Loc. Shuijingbei of this period are similar. So far,there are more than 20 examples of dating data collected for this period,all this data suggests the time period of the culture concentrates between 27000 ~ 25000 a B. P.Late Upper Paleolithic Culture( after 17000 ~ 16000 a B. P.)The stone artifacts belonging to this stage are widely distributed in Southeast Shanxi and its adjacent areas.They are also mainly distributed on the surface of the site,and are often significantly disturbed by modern farming activities. Only at Loc. Liushuiyao,the original cultural layer of this stage has been preserved.From the perspective of the stone products unearthed at Loc. Liushuiyao,the late Upper Paleolithic culture here,obviously inherited the cultural characteristics of the previous stage. Although no blade cores were discovered,the tools made by blades indicated that blade technology existed. The processing techniques of producing various microblade cores,burins and end-scrapers are not significantly different from those of the previous stage. The newly emerged bifacial retouching technology and standardized adze-shaped tools are the representative of the typical artifacts of this period.As can be seen,through the analyses of the archaeological materials from Xiachuan site derived from 2014 ~2017 excavation,significant new understandings about this site were revealed—it is obvious that the Xiachuan site was not the place where Chinese microlithic cultures originated. Instead,it is more likely that the late Upper Paleolithic culture here is a product of the adjustment of the imported culture to the local environments. In addition,it does not necessarily have any relationship with the origins of millet cultivation,rather,it is more probable that this is a producing place of red iron powder.Based on the preliminary analysis of the three cultural changes recorded in Xiachuan site,the simple stone core-flake technique during the first change and the blade/microblade technique during the third change both showed some new developments in cultural content and there are obvious discontinuities between the dates,although the producing techniques of the stone tools did not evolve much;the second change,nevertheless showed significant discontinuity both in the technology and dates. To explore the causes of these cultural continuities and discontinuities will provide new explanations for the appearance and evolution of modern humans and their behaviours in North China,which should be the direction of the future works in this area.