泥河湾盆地板井子遗址2015年出土石制品的剥片技术

Core reduction technology of stone artifacts unearthed in 2015 from the Banjingzi site in Nihewan Basin

板井子是泥河湾盆地及中国北方晚更新世早期的重要遗址,目前光释光年代在距今9~8万年。本文重点分析了板井子遗址2015年出土石制品的剥片技术及相关的人类行为。遗址第4、5、6层出土石制品分别为61件、2563件、31件。石料皆以燧石为主,石英岩、白云岩等其他原料很少。主文化层即第5层石核毛坯以岩块、断块为主,皆硬锤直接打击。石核类型多样,包括试打片石核、简单石核、局部两面石核、盘状石核四类。多选择平整的面为台面,有零星修理台面的现象,剥片面无预制修整,利用剥片面棱脊的情况明显。普通石核倾向于对同一剥片面采用单向连续开发,台面与剥片面转换无明显的规律性与组织性。盘状石核有一定比例,是一种较独立的剥片方法,但并不十分典型规范。完整石片多为宽薄型,以长度在20~40 mm的居多。第4、6层标本零星,剥片情况与第5层基本一致。该遗址的石核剥片整体上属于中国北方石核-石片技术体系,与早、中更新世等泥河湾盆地更早时段遗址的剥片技术相比,表现出连续发展的特征。

Banjingzi site,located in the eastern margin of the Nihewan Basin,is considered one of the most significant occurrences that formed during the early Late Pleistocene in North China.Since its discovery in 1984,several excavations have been conducted at this site.In 2015,a new excavation project was organized by the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology,Chinese Academy of Sciences(IVPP),in collaboration with the Institute of Hebei Provincial Cultural Relics.This project uncovered an area of 36 m^(2),resulting in the discovery of 4417 specimens.These specimens include stone artifacts,animal bones(excluding sieved pieces),and natural pebbles(L≥50 mm)from layers 4,5,and 6.Analysis of site formation processes indicates that layer 5 was formed in the near primary context,while the other two layers were transported by waterflow from nearby areas.The archaeological materials were predominantly buried around 90-80 ka BP,as determined by the latest work on layer 5 using the OSL method.This paper presents a study on core reduction strategies of stone artifacts from three cultural layers uncovered in 2015.The findings of this study will enhance our understanding of lithic technology and the associated human behaviors that occurred during the early Late Pleistocene in North China.The excavation in 2015 yielded a total of 2655 lithics.Out of these,61 were found in layer 4,2563 in layer 5,and 31 in layer 6.The stone artifacts were made using different raw materials sourced from local ancient rock outcrops and gravel layers.Chert was the most common material found in the lithic assemblage,while others,such as quartzite,dolomite,were used less frequently.In layer 5,the lithic assemblage comprises 111 cores,419 flakes,786 chunks,1076 debris,162 retouched tools and 9 hammerstones.Cores were primarily knapped on rocks,chunks,pebbles and flakes using direct percussion with hard hammers.Four categories have been identified:test cores(n=23),casual cores(n=68),partial bifacial cores(n=5),and discoid cores(n=15).Most cores were chipped casually and did not show any special technological organization.They were mainly exploited through unidirectional flaking on the same knapping surface.Discoid cores,which were assigned to the bifacial centripetal recurrent method,are considered to be an independent and relatively stable technological system at Banjingzi site.There are no obvious traces indicating intentional preparation of the debitage surfaces of cores,although a few striking platforms were occasionally retouched.Techno-complexes found in layer 4 and layer 6 shared the same characteristics as layer 5,but only a few lithics,including 3 casual cores with unifacial flaking method,were unearthed.Overall,the core reduction strategies at Banjingzi exhibit the main attributes of core-flake industries commonly found in North China.