1958—1999年,在广东省佛山市南海区西樵镇一带发现了众多记录了史前人类活动的石器地点,石器中包括双肩石器和细石器。迄今为止,“西樵山遗址”被认定是4—7 ka B P的大型新石器时期采石场和加工场。2011—2022年,笔者经多次地质遗迹...1958—1999年,在广东省佛山市南海区西樵镇一带发现了众多记录了史前人类活动的石器地点,石器中包括双肩石器和细石器。迄今为止,“西樵山遗址”被认定是4—7 ka B P的大型新石器时期采石场和加工场。2011—2022年,笔者经多次地质遗迹和地质环境调查,在西樵山东南麓富贤村北面发现了良好的第四纪地层剖面。地质探槽剖面测量和地质年代学研究表明:富贤地点存在2套原始沉积地层:上部为第四纪全新世沼泽相地层,AMS14C校正年龄为5052—5409 a B P;下部为第四纪晚更新世冲积-洪积相地层,AMS14C校正年龄为38420—40502 a B P,OSL (光释光)年龄为41.977—43.796 ka B P;在晚更新世地层中发现2层含旧石器层,下部A1层主要石器类型有较大型刮削器、尖刃器、舌型刃器及小型石片工具,如各类刮削器、锯齿刃器、凹缺器、石刀、使用石片、石核等,包括带铤斧型小石刀;上部A2层明显出现更多石刀类型且常常附带修背和修铤工作,其中一件用于生产细小长石片的原始楔形石核引人关注。据平均沉积速率计算,下部A1石器层年龄为46.511—47.325 ka B P,上部A2石器层年龄为41.977—42.167 ka B P;距今大于5 ka的全新世沉积物中的石制品数量虽少,但器物类型仍具有明显继承性与发展性特点。本文的发现更新并延伸了西樵山国家地质公园和“西樵山文化”的内涵,首次突破了珠江三角洲地区有确切年代的晚更新世旧石器遗存的纪录,追踪到大约40—50 ka现代人在华南沿海的足迹,揭示了同期石器工业的面貌及其文化内涵的发展特征和演变。研究表明,在MIS3间冰段相对湿热时期以及MIS2相对干冷阶段,富贤地点的古人类面临环境变化的挑战而开启了新的生计模式,这对于揭示现代人对全球和区域环境变化的响应与适应的科学问题具有重要意义。展开更多
Two hominid teeth recovered in Mohui cave are morphologically distinguished from Australopithecus in Af-rica, but close to Homo erectus in China. These teeth are therefore provisionally assigned to Homo erectus. The a...Two hominid teeth recovered in Mohui cave are morphologically distinguished from Australopithecus in Af-rica, but close to Homo erectus in China. These teeth are therefore provisionally assigned to Homo erectus. The associ-ated mammalian fauna include Gigantopithecus blacki, Nes-toritherium sp., Sus xiaozhu, Sus peii and Ailuropoda microta, which are typical early Pleistocene taxa in South China. The general characteristics of the Mohui faunal assemblage are similar to the Longgupo site, which is dated to 2 Ma, imply-ing a contemporaneity for the two sites. To date, compared with the discoveries in Africa, far fewer early Pleistocene hominid fossils have been recovered in Asia, and there are intensive controversies concerning their stratigraphic prove-nience and typological and temporal positions. The hominid fossils from Mohui cave, with their reliable biostratigraphic positions and distinct typological features, provide important evidence regarding the issue of early human origins and evo-lution.展开更多
Exploring and interpreting the mode of cognition and behavioral patterns of prehistoric hunter-gatherers is always one of the main goals of current Paleolithic research. In the 1940s, French prehistorians proposed the...Exploring and interpreting the mode of cognition and behavioral patterns of prehistoric hunter-gatherers is always one of the main goals of current Paleolithic research. In the 1940s, French prehistorians proposed the technological method for studying lithic assemblages which opened a brand-new perspective on the prehistoric domain. In the 1960s, French ethnographer and anthropologist André Leroi-Gourhan proposed the concept "chane opératoire" and established the theory of lithic technological study. After the 1980s, the concept "chane opératoire" was substituted for two different but complementary concepts: techno-cognition and techno-economy, which contributed not only to revealing the technical knowledge and know-how applied during lithic production but also to interpreting the technical behavior of prehistoric hunter-gatherers from social and economic viewpoints. The lithic technological study of the Guanyindong site, presented in this paper, was carried out for the first time by applying lithic technological method developed by French prehistorians to the Chinese materials. Our analytical results demonstrated that the débitage system of Guanyindong is quite distinct from the concept Levallois largely used in Europe, Near-East and Africa. The differentiation between these two débitage modes may contribute to exploring and interpreting the relationship in Middle Paleolithic between China and Europe, Near-East and Africa.展开更多
Recently found materials indicate that the steppe mammoth, Mammuthus trogontherii, survived in northern China into the late Pleistocene. East Asia is the key area of mammoth evolution after the initial radiation of ea...Recently found materials indicate that the steppe mammoth, Mammuthus trogontherii, survived in northern China into the late Pleistocene. East Asia is the key area of mammoth evolution after the initial radiation of early forms out of Africa and into Eurasia at the beginning of the late Pliocene (c. 3.5–3.0 Ma). M. rumanus, M. meridionalis, M. trogontherii, and M. primige- nius probably formed a continuous and transitional evolutionary lineage within the pan-Eurasian mammoth radiation in East Asia. Each speciation event of the Eurasian mammoths was followed by a rapid and large-scale dispersal event: out of East Asia. Allopatric speciation is the main speciation pattern of Mammuthus. The climatic vacillation was severe and frequent in East Asia from the early part of early Pleistocene (c. 2.6 Ma) onward, which probably brought about successive speciation in East Asia and the subsequent dispersal of the mammoths.展开更多
文摘1958—1999年,在广东省佛山市南海区西樵镇一带发现了众多记录了史前人类活动的石器地点,石器中包括双肩石器和细石器。迄今为止,“西樵山遗址”被认定是4—7 ka B P的大型新石器时期采石场和加工场。2011—2022年,笔者经多次地质遗迹和地质环境调查,在西樵山东南麓富贤村北面发现了良好的第四纪地层剖面。地质探槽剖面测量和地质年代学研究表明:富贤地点存在2套原始沉积地层:上部为第四纪全新世沼泽相地层,AMS14C校正年龄为5052—5409 a B P;下部为第四纪晚更新世冲积-洪积相地层,AMS14C校正年龄为38420—40502 a B P,OSL (光释光)年龄为41.977—43.796 ka B P;在晚更新世地层中发现2层含旧石器层,下部A1层主要石器类型有较大型刮削器、尖刃器、舌型刃器及小型石片工具,如各类刮削器、锯齿刃器、凹缺器、石刀、使用石片、石核等,包括带铤斧型小石刀;上部A2层明显出现更多石刀类型且常常附带修背和修铤工作,其中一件用于生产细小长石片的原始楔形石核引人关注。据平均沉积速率计算,下部A1石器层年龄为46.511—47.325 ka B P,上部A2石器层年龄为41.977—42.167 ka B P;距今大于5 ka的全新世沉积物中的石制品数量虽少,但器物类型仍具有明显继承性与发展性特点。本文的发现更新并延伸了西樵山国家地质公园和“西樵山文化”的内涵,首次突破了珠江三角洲地区有确切年代的晚更新世旧石器遗存的纪录,追踪到大约40—50 ka现代人在华南沿海的足迹,揭示了同期石器工业的面貌及其文化内涵的发展特征和演变。研究表明,在MIS3间冰段相对湿热时期以及MIS2相对干冷阶段,富贤地点的古人类面临环境变化的挑战而开启了新的生计模式,这对于揭示现代人对全球和区域环境变化的响应与适应的科学问题具有重要意义。
基金This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.40163001)the Emergency Excavation Fund from the National Culture Relics Bureau of China+1 种基金special funds of“Talents Project in the New Century”of the Guangxi Government(Grant No.2001216)the National Science Foundation,USA.
文摘Two hominid teeth recovered in Mohui cave are morphologically distinguished from Australopithecus in Af-rica, but close to Homo erectus in China. These teeth are therefore provisionally assigned to Homo erectus. The associ-ated mammalian fauna include Gigantopithecus blacki, Nes-toritherium sp., Sus xiaozhu, Sus peii and Ailuropoda microta, which are typical early Pleistocene taxa in South China. The general characteristics of the Mohui faunal assemblage are similar to the Longgupo site, which is dated to 2 Ma, imply-ing a contemporaneity for the two sites. To date, compared with the discoveries in Africa, far fewer early Pleistocene hominid fossils have been recovered in Asia, and there are intensive controversies concerning their stratigraphic prove-nience and typological and temporal positions. The hominid fossils from Mohui cave, with their reliable biostratigraphic positions and distinct typological features, provide important evidence regarding the issue of early human origins and evo-lution.
基金Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2006 CB806400)National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40872023 and J0630965)Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
文摘Exploring and interpreting the mode of cognition and behavioral patterns of prehistoric hunter-gatherers is always one of the main goals of current Paleolithic research. In the 1940s, French prehistorians proposed the technological method for studying lithic assemblages which opened a brand-new perspective on the prehistoric domain. In the 1960s, French ethnographer and anthropologist André Leroi-Gourhan proposed the concept "chane opératoire" and established the theory of lithic technological study. After the 1980s, the concept "chane opératoire" was substituted for two different but complementary concepts: techno-cognition and techno-economy, which contributed not only to revealing the technical knowledge and know-how applied during lithic production but also to interpreting the technical behavior of prehistoric hunter-gatherers from social and economic viewpoints. The lithic technological study of the Guanyindong site, presented in this paper, was carried out for the first time by applying lithic technological method developed by French prehistorians to the Chinese materials. Our analytical results demonstrated that the débitage system of Guanyindong is quite distinct from the concept Levallois largely used in Europe, Near-East and Africa. The differentiation between these two débitage modes may contribute to exploring and interpreting the relationship in Middle Paleolithic between China and Europe, Near-East and Africa.
基金supported by Key Knowledge Innovation Project of Chinese Academy of Sci-ences (Grant No. KJCX2-YW-106)National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2006CB806400)
文摘Recently found materials indicate that the steppe mammoth, Mammuthus trogontherii, survived in northern China into the late Pleistocene. East Asia is the key area of mammoth evolution after the initial radiation of early forms out of Africa and into Eurasia at the beginning of the late Pliocene (c. 3.5–3.0 Ma). M. rumanus, M. meridionalis, M. trogontherii, and M. primige- nius probably formed a continuous and transitional evolutionary lineage within the pan-Eurasian mammoth radiation in East Asia. Each speciation event of the Eurasian mammoths was followed by a rapid and large-scale dispersal event: out of East Asia. Allopatric speciation is the main speciation pattern of Mammuthus. The climatic vacillation was severe and frequent in East Asia from the early part of early Pleistocene (c. 2.6 Ma) onward, which probably brought about successive speciation in East Asia and the subsequent dispersal of the mammoths.
