四川资阳市濛溪河旧石器时代遗址

Sciences,Mengxihe:A Paleolithic Site in Ziyang City,Sichuan

一、遗址概况川中丘陵是由侏罗系和白垩系红色砂岩与泥岩组成广阔的丘顶夷平面,丘顶大致齐平,主要地貌为浅丘和丘间沉积平原,丘陵内部广大的河间地区分布着大量第四系沉积物,主要分布在一些封闭或半封闭洼地内。自1951年发现资阳人头骨化石以来,以资阳、简阳等地为代表的川中丘陵地区陆续发现资阳人B地点、鲤鱼桥、龙垭等旧石器时代遗址。已有的年代数据表明晚更新世这一地区已有古人类活动。

From 2022 to 2023,the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology,in collaboration with the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences et al.,conducted a salvage excavation of the Mengxihe site in Ziyang,Sichuan.Over 100,000 stone artifacts and many faunal and floral remains were unearthed.Stone artifacts,primarily made of silicified wood,are mostly medium to small in size,with scrapers as the predominant tool type.This represents a rare,small tool assemblage in southern China.Preliminary dating indicates that the main cultural layer dates to 70,000-50,000 years ago.The Mengxihe site is therefore an exceptionally rare Paleolithic site globally,as a substantial number of stone artifacts and faunal and floral remains have been discovered together.The site provides critical material for exploring major issues of international concern,such as the development of human technology and cognitive abilities,as well as the emergence and dispersal of modern humans.