中国发现的莫斯特遗存及旧石器时代中期的再思考

Mousterian Remains Discovered in China and Rethinking the Middle Paleolithic Period

莫斯特石制品组合,也称莫斯特石器工业(Mousterian Industry),是欧亚大陆西部旧石器时代中期常见的石制品组合,在石器技术演化阶段的划分、旧石器时代考古学理论方法、尼安德特人的扩散及其与现代人的关系等讨论中十分关键。长期以来,中国仅有少量石制品组合中的少量遗物被认为具有此类组合的特点,如宁夏水洞沟遗址、富源大河遗址等[2]。

Building upon a brief review of global discoveries of Mousterian remains and associated historical developments,this study summarizes Mousterian remains discovered in China and discusses their archaeological implications.The confirmation of Mousterian lithic remains in sites such as Jinsitai and Tongtiandong in the northern border regions of China indicates the diffusion of lithic technology from the western Eurasian continent.However,most regions of China have yet to yield mid-Paleolithic lithic remains characterized by western technological features.From the perspective of lithic technological evolution,the Paleolithic in China should be divided into early and late phases,facilitating a comprehensive understanding of developmental characteristics of lithic technology.Nevertheless,discoveries in regions like the northern border areas of China suggest the necessity of adopting a regional perspective when discussing Paleolithic cultural development in China.