On the beginning of the Japanese Upper Paleolithic:A review of recent archaeological and anthropological evidence

The beginning of the Japanese Upper Paleolithic has mainly been examined using two major models:the Middle Paleolithic evolutionary model within the archipelago and the continental Upper Paleolithic diffusion/migration model.However,recent archeological data from Japan and nearby countries are challenging such simple models.This paper critically reviews previous chronology of the Japanese Paleolithic,including possible Lower and Middle Paleolithic(LP/MP),and attempts to show an alternative model of the beginning of the Japanese Upper Paleolithic.This paper suggests several possible specimens of LP/MP and recommends further geoarchaeological investigation to understand the reliability and cultural relationship between possible LP/MP specimens and the Early Upper Paleolithic(EUP).The start of the Japanese EUP is presently characterized by a flake industry with trapezoids and denticulates around 39-37 kaBP cal on Paleo-Honshu Island,which has partial resemblance with contemporary assemblages in China and the Korean Peninsula,although trapezoids are endemic only to the Japanese EUP and may have derived from the ancestral lithic tradition.Blade technology appeared earliest on Central Paleo-Honshu Island,about 1000 years later than the earliest flake technology.Although blade technology may have originated from the elongated flake technology of the previous period,the sudden simultaneous emergence implies that it diffused from the Korean Peninsula.This paper proposes that blade technology from the Korean Peninsula arrived on the northeastern Paleo-Honshu Island,including the Japan Sea coastal region of western Honshu,rather than the southwest,where flake technology long prospered,due to differences in ecological settings and adaptation strategies between the two regions.

Selenga River human dispersal path in Initial Upper Paleolithic

Here,we consider earlier Upper Paleolithic sites in the Selenga River Basin,the main fluvial input of Lake Baikal that flows through northern Mongolia and the southwestern Transbaikal region of Russia.Lithic industries from these sites can be attributed to the laminar Initial Upper Paleolithic(IUP)technocomplex,widespread in southern Siberia and Central Asia.IUP industries appear in the Selenga Basin about 45 kaBP cal.Aspects of regional typological variability and the transport of exotic raw materials over long distances indicate that these populations participated in developed exchange networks and employed high mobility targeting the acquisition of necessary raw materials.Two site types are present:quarry-workshops in northern Mongolia and generalized activity settlements in the southwestern Transbaikal.Although faunal data are limited,we interpret available information as indicating a specialization on hunting,focusing on migrating steppe game species.The distribution of sites in the mid-altitudes and landscapes of the Selenga-Orkhon geographical region and the geomorphological homogeneity of this territory also supported interregional human moves during the IUP.

Stratigraphy and TL Dating of Paleolithic Sites in the Luonan Basin,China

Between 1995 and 1999 the Longyadong cave site and 50 open air Paleolithic sites were investigated and excavated in the Luonan Basin of China. A total of 1?751 stone artifacts were collected from open air sites, and fossils from about 20 animal species as well as 65?000 lithic artifacts were excavated from the cave site. This paper provides a preliminary study of site lithic stratigraphics in their geological context as well as the results of thermoluminescence (TL) dating. The TL dates of five soil samples place the sites into the middle to late period of the Middle Pleistocene (Q 2 2—3 ). Upon further taking into account strata relationships, three cultural periods were identified in Longyadong cave. When compared with the TL dates and stratigraphy from Zhoukoudian Locality 1, loess deposits in Shaanxi Luochuan, red earth in Anhui and deep sea records, Longyadong is in the range of 500—250 kyr, approximately the same timeframe as Zhoukoudian Locality 1.

《PALAEOANTHROPOLOGY AND PALEOLITHIC ARCHAEOLOGY IN THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA》

This excellent volume fills a much needed gap in making available to western scholarsmany of the important developments in paleoanthropology in the People’s Republic of China.Discoveries in other parts of the world such as Europe and particularly Africa have often over-shadowed the valuable contributions stemming from work in China since the end of the CulturalRevolution.The editors of this volume must be congratulated for their efforts and particularlyfor providing in Chapter 1,a review chapter,an extensive and very useful bibliography.

ZKD: A major paleoanthropological and paleolithic site

Zhoukoudian (ZKD), a tiny village, is about 50 kilometers southwest of downtown Beijing. Since ancient times, it has been noted for its abundant trove of mammal fossils, as the hilly area in the vicinity is at the end of a dismembered branch of the Taihang Mountains, where they meet the North China Plain. There are a lot of well-developed and well-preserved Pleistocene sediments with valuable fossilized records in this area. Its great value for the study of human ancestry was first discovered by Western scholars in 1921.

New dating indicates intermittent human occupation of the Nwya Devu Paleolithic site on the high-altitude central Tibetan Plateau during the past 45,000 years

The timing and mechanisms of the human occupation of the demanding high-altitude Tibetan Plateau environment are of great interest.Here,we report on our reinvestigations and dating of the Nwya Devu site,located nearly 4600 meters above sea level on the central Tibetan Plateau.A new microblade techno-complex was identified on a lower lake shore at this site,distinct from the previously reported blade tool assemblage.These two lithic assemblages were dated to 45.6±2.6 and10.3±0.5 ka using optically stimulated luminescence and accelerator mass spectrometry^(14)C methods.They represent,respectively,the earliest known Paleolithic and microlithic sites on the interior Tibetan Plateau,indicating multiple occupation episodes of hunter-gatherers during the past 45 ka.Our studies reveal that relatively stable depositional conditions and a paleoenvironment characterized by a comparatively warm climate facilitated these multiple occupations at Nwya Devu.The contemporaneous occurrence of the Upper Paleolithic blade technology on the Tibetan Plateau and most of Eurasia between 50 and 40 ka indicates rapid,large-scale dispersals of humans that profoundly affected human demography on a large scale.Combining new archaeological evidence and previously reported genetic data,we conclude that the Tibetan Plateau provided a relatively stable habitat for Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherers,which may have contributed to the complex and multiple-origin gene pool of present-day Tibetans.

Paleomagnetic dating of the Cenjiawan Paleolithic site in the Nihewan Basin, northern China

Rock magnetic and magnetostratigraphic investigations on a lacustrine sequence in the Nihewan Basin, northern China, which bears the Cenjiawan Paleolithic site, indicate that the dominant magnetic mineral and remanence carrier contained in the sediments is magnetite. While hematite co-exists with magnetite in some portions of the Cenjiawan sequence, where characteristic remanent magnetizations are carried by both magnetite and hematite. Measurements of anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility confirm that the Cenjiawan sequence has preserved the original sedimentary features and is suitable for magnetostratigraphic study. Paleomagnetic results indicate that the Cenjiawan Paleolithic site is formed just posterior to the Punaruu normal event, which is dated at about 1.1 Ma. Combined with the paleomagnetic results of the Donggutuo, Xiaochangliang and Majuangou sections, it is concluded that early humans were occupying the Nihewan Basin around 1.6, 1.3 and 1.1 Ma. This integrated result is significant to understanding the ability of migration and adaptation to the envi- ronment of early humans.

Relationship between the temporal-spatial distribution of archaeological sites and natural environment from the Paleolithic Age to the Tang and Song Dynasties in the Three Gorges Reservoir of Chongqing area

The temporal-spatial distribution features including time distribution,horizontal and vertical spatial distribution of archaeological sites from the Paleolithic Age to the Tang and Song Dynasties in the Three Gorges Reservoir of Chongqing area are analyzed based on GIS spatial analysis.The successive pollen record of deposited peat stratum since the Paleolithic Age in the Dajiuhu Basin of Shennongjia is used in combination with the research of the historical environmental evolution to reconstruct the Paleoenvironment in the Three Gorges Reservoir of Chongqing area.Through the comparison of the temporal-spatial distribution of the archaeological sites and the natural environment,the relation between the distribution of the archaeological sites and the natural environment evolution and disaster changes from the Neolithic Age to the Tang and Song Dynasties has been discussed.Study shows that 677 archaeological sites from the Paleolithic Age to the Tang and Song Dynasties in the Three Gorges Reservoir of Chongqing area increase gradually from west to east and from high land to low land.Most of the sites are distributed along the river and aggregated at the confluence.Obviously,the altitudes of archaeological sites in the Paleolithic Age and the Neolithic Age are much higher than those of historical sites.The analysis suggests:(1)the human beings of every times would like to choose the first or the second river terrace as living sites which are nearer to the water source and are easier to with- stand flood.The pre-historical sites of earlier ages are often located at the higher altitude place because of the tectonic uplift and downcutting of rivers since Holocene.(2)Due to the rugged terrain in Chongqing area,most of the sites are located along the river sides,for example,the wide river valley and terrace,which could provide wider living space caused by the lateral erosion and deposition of the river course.(3)The early residents mainly relied on fishing,hunting and agriculture,and the rugged terrain of the mountainous area restricted the development of farming.However,in the confluence region,the fertilized plain provided an ideal location for farming and fishing.(4)The temporal-spatial distribution of archeological sites in this area is significantly affected by the climate condition.

Cosmogenic nuclide burial dating of Liuwan Paleolithic site in the Luonan Basin, Central China

The Luonan Basin is a key region of early human settlement in Central China with more than 300 discovered Paleolithic sites. Artifact layer 1 of the Liuwan site was dated to approximately 0.6 million years (Ma) based on correlation with the well-dated loess-paleosol sequence of the central Chinese Loess Plateau. This study reassessed the age of the Liuwan artifact layer via an absolute dating method, namely, 26Al/10Be burial dating. We determined the burial age of artifact layer 1, which was most likely at least 0.60 ± 0.12 Ma (1ơ), using three simple burial ages. The new burial age confirmed the previous estimated age and provided a considerably accurate age range. Therefore, we suggest the use of the 26Al/10Be burial dating method in thin loess-covered Paleolithic sites around the Qinling Mountain Range is helpful to understand the early human behavior.

A zooarchaeological study of bone assemblages from the Ma'anshan Paleolithic site

Ten thousands of bone fragments were recovered from the Ma’anshan Paleolithic site, of which 4358 pieces can be identified to skeletal elements or species. In this research, the bone assemblages are quantified based on elements of MNI, MNE, and MAU. Then bone surface modifications and skeletal element profiles of the bone assemblages are studied to understand shlepping behaviors and reveal the technique of disarticulating and defleshing the animals’ bodies, etc. Based on the analyses of bone assemblages and the comparative study with the ethnoarchaeological as well as experimental data, it is assumed that later hominids at the site made fuller use of the game animals than the earlier hominids. Incorporating the lines of evidence from chronological dating, paleoenvironment, and polished bone tools between the two cultural layers, here we propose three hypotheses suggesting that the changes of environment, the migrations of the hominids from the North, or the demographic pulses may cause such a behavioral difference. However, it is yet to be determined which hypothesis can better explain the changes.

Magnetostratigraphic dating of the Hougou Paleolithic site in the Nihewan Basin,North China

The fluvio-lacustrine sedimentary sequences in the Nihewan Basin, northern China, are important for studying Quaternary land mammal evolution and Paleolithic settlements in the high-latitude temperate East Asia. Here we report new magnetostrati- graphic results that constrain age of the Hougou Paleolithic site in this basin. Magnetite and hematite were identified as carriers of the characteristic remanent magnetizations, with the former being dominant. Magnetic polarity stratigraphy shows that the Hougou sequence recorded the very late Matuyama reverse chron and the Brunhes normal chron. The age of the Hougou Paleolithic site was estimated to be 395 ka based on an averaged rate of sediment accumulation. The combination of our mag- netostratigraphy and previously published chronological data for early Paleolithic or human sites in the high-latitude northern China may document a persistent colonization of the hostile high-latitude areas of the eastern Old World during the mid- die-early Pleistocene.

The depositional Environment at Shuidonggou Locality 2 in Northwest China at ～72-18 kaBP

Shuidonggou site has abundant Paleolithic remains of Late Pleistocene deposition. Studying the evolution of depositional environments is essential to the comprehensive understanding of the living conditions of ancient populations. To reconstruct the depositional environment at Shuidonggou, we carried out archaeological excavations and collected systematic deposition samples at the key position of Shuidonggou Locality 2 for grain size analysis and sporopollen statistics. The environmental evolution around the Shuidonggou site generally underwent four stages at ~72-18 kaBP. During the first stage （~72-41 kaBP）, the river developed with gravel and sand stratums. During the second stage （41-34 kaBP）, a swamp with numerous aquatic plants formed. In the third stage （34-29 kaBP）, site formation was characterized by shallow lake depositional conditions; the climate was relatively warm and humid. The marginal bank depositional conditions deteriorated during the fourth stage （29-18 kaBP）, and the site underwent several dry events; the climate also became drier and colder.

The Basic Principles of Kin Sociality and Eusociality: Human Evolution

The paper posits that kin sociality and eusociality are derived from the handicap-care principles based on the need-based care to the handicappers from the caregivers for the self-interest of the caregivers. In this paper, handicap is defined as the difficulty to survive and reproduce independently. Kin sociality is derived from the childhood handicap-care principle where the children are the handicapped children who receive the care from the kin caregivers in the inclusive kin group to survive. The caregiver gives care for its self-interest to reproduce its gene. The individual’s gene of kin sociality contains the handicapped childhood and the caregiving adulthood. Eusociality is derived from the adulthood handicap-care principle where responsible adults are the handicapped adults who give care and receive care at the same time in the interdependent eusocial group to survive and reproduce its gene. Queen bees reproduce, but must receive care from worker bees that work but must rely on queen bees to reproduce. A caregiver gives care for its self-interest to survive and reproduce its gene. The individual’s gene of eusociality contains the handicapped childhood-adulthood and the caregiving adulthood. The chronological sequence of the sociality evolution is individual sociality without handicap, kin sociality with handicapped childhood, and eusociality with handicapped adulthood. Eusociality in humans is derived from bipedalism and the mixed habitat. The chronological sequence of the eusocial human evolution is 1) the eusocial early hominins with bipedalism and the mixed habitat, 2) the eusocial early Homo species with bipedalism, the larger brain, and the open habitat, 3) the eusocial late Homo species with bipedalism, the largest brain, and the unstable habitat, and 4) extended eusocial Homo sapiens with bipedalism, the shrinking brain, omnipresent imagination, and the harsh habitat. The omnipresence of imagination in human culture converts eusociality into extended eusociality with both perception and omnipresent imagination.

石器分类中的多重划分原则

近几年来，在我国旧古器考古学界出现了非常喜人的新局面。随着改革开放的发展和中外学术交流的加强，西方的类型学体系和类型学思想被逐渐大量介绍进来（陈淳，１９９４；林圣龙，１９９３、１９９４、１９９６；黄慰文，１９９３）①②③④⑤，同时我国学术界就我国和我...

The path to cultural modernity and behavioral hyperplasticity: A synthesis of a lecture series at the IVPP, Beijing

This paper provides a schematic summary of the topics during the lecture series by Professor Nicholas J. Conard at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, focusing on the methodological issues and researches at four topics:1) Schoningen, 2) Sibudu and other Middle Stone Age(MSA) sites in South Africa, 3) excavations at Tonchesberg, Wallertheim and other Neanderthal sites, 4) the caves of the Swabian Jura and the origins of art and music. Knowledge of excavation methods of his team, archaeological material in a broader context, and research achievements based upon the sites he is working on were shared by the lecture series. The lectures were also intended to foster international cooperation in teaching and research in future.

Discovery and Analysis of the Fossilised Yuling-Man Skull

A fossilised paleoanthropological skull was discovered in November 1987, in the guily-head cliff on the east bank of Wenyu River near Xinza village, Yuling - town (hence the name Yuling-Man), Lingbao country, Henan Province, China. The skull, dated to an absolute U-isotope (U234 to U238 ) age of B. P. 156000 ± 13000 years, was found in the upper portion of the alluvial statum of the mid-Pleistocens Series, together with pateoliths of the Kehe Cutture System in the mid-late Paleolithic Periods. Although much research has been nomied out in this area, this is the first fossilised paleoanthropological skull in have been found. Therefore, this project, funded by the Natural Science Foundation/Henan Scientific Committee, is making new contributions to paleoanthropological research in China.

Pleistocene Birds of Gruta Nova da Columbeira(Bombarral-Portugal):A Paleontological and Paleoenvironmental Aproach

Discovered in 1962,the Columbeira cave has a Mousterian sequence dated between 101 and 35 Ka(U-series)and between 28,900 and 18,000 BP 14C.Excavations recovered abundant lithic implements and provided rich assemblage of vertebrates,including mammals,reptiles,birds and a remain of Homo neanderthalensis.In this work,authors present the taxonomy at the level of genus and species of the bird assemblage and its possible relationship with the paleoenvironments in which they lived.Thirteen species of birds have been identified out of 283 bones.Most of these bones are very fragmented and unsuitable for identification down to species or the genus level.Nevertheless,it is possible to say that the species vary through the sequence and that the assemblage is dominated by Pyrrhocorax,Corvus,Columba Turdus and Alectoris.

Primitive Mammoth Hunters and the Earliest Breed of Dog

Primitive man have managed to survive in the rigorous climatic conditions of the arctic regions in northeast Asia owing to the hunting for mammoth, bison, wooly rhinoceros and other Pleistocene mammals with the assistance of the laika, a domesticated wolf. This is how the colonization of the Arctic began. The domestic dog appeared in this region about 25 - 30 thousand years ago as a result of the severe climatic conditions in which both hunting tribes and the ancestors of the domestic dog had to live. A wolf is a predator, an able hunter. Therefore, most likely wolves were originally trained to hunt with humans—the leaders of the hunting pack. Thus, in northeast Asia, there was a direct relationship between man’s colonization of the Arctic, the appearance of the hunting dog, and a decrease in the number of mammoth, bison, and other large animals in the region, as a result of hunting when whole herds were killed.

The broad-spectrum adaptations of hominins in the later period of Late Pleistocene of China—Perspectives from the zooarchaeological studies

During the climatic fluctuations in the late Late Pleistocene, hominins in China had experienced some significant changes and adaptations in terms of subsistence strategies. Based on the zooarchaeological analyses of the faunal remains from the Shuidougou site of North China and the Ma'anshan site of South China, the present study demonstratively indicates that the broad-spectrum diet and its closely-related resource intensification for hominins were already at their places roughly at 33–35 cal ka BP. Compared to hominins of earlier period, who would have preferentially exploited large and medium-sized ungulates, hunter-gathers at later period had otherwise incorporated more small-sized animals(especially the quick ones, such as birds and hares) into their diet. Meanwhile, hominins of the later time had also greatly accelerated extractions and exploitations of the nutritional yields from the large and medium-sized animals. However, it seems clear from the current study that there was significant difference regarding the potential mechanisms for the broad-spectrum adaptations of hominins in the late Late Pleistocene of China.

Relationship between archaeological sites distribution and environment from 1.15 Ma BP to 278 BC in Hubei Province

A total of 1362 archaeological sites from the Paleolithic Age to the Warring States time in Hubei Province increase gradually from west to east and from high land to low land.The number of Paleolithic sites with altitude of 50-500 m account for 78% of the whole,while 71%-95% of sites from the Neolithic Age to the Warring States time mainly distribute at the areas of 0-200 m.The temporal-spatial distribution of archeological sites in this area is affected by two factors.For one thing,the human beings of every period need to choose the first or the second terrace as living sites which are near water source and are easy to withstand flood.Additionally,affecting by the regional tectonic uplift since the Holocene,down cutting of rivers can form new river valley,and lateral erosion and accumulation of river in stable time of tectonic movement can result in increasing of many new terraces.So,the human beings migrated to adapt to the change of terrace location,leading to the sites increase gradually in the lower areas of the central and eastern parts of this province.For other things,the temporal-spatial distribution of archeological sites in this area is affected by the climate condition.The Paleolithic sites mostly distribute in the Hanshui River Valley in northeastern Shiyan,southeast of Jinzhou and east of Jinmen,which is because rivers distributed in higher areas in this period.During the Chengbeixi Culture period,the sites are rare in the quondam Paleolithic sites distribution area,but increase obviously along the Yangtze River near the southwest Yichang.The spore-pollen record of Dajiuhu Basin indicates that only 23 Chengbeixi cultural sites may be related to more precipitation and flood during the Holocene wet and hot period.The Daxi Culture,Qujialing Culture and Shijiahe Culture are corresponding to middle and top of the Dajiuhu spore-pollen Zone Ⅳ,during which the climate is in order as a whole and is propitious to agricultural development.In the Qujialing Culture period,32 of original 34 Daxi cultural sites disappeared,while 90 sites increase abruptly in the higher highlands in the north of Xiangfan-Jinmen-Xiaogan,which may respect with enlarging of water areas.The Chu Culture period is corresponding to Dajiuhu spore-pollen Zone V,which is in warm and dry Holocene phase,but it seems that the climate condition is still propitious to agricultural cultivation and the number of archeological sites increase heavily to 593.In addition,there are the least archaeological sites in the lake areas of southeast Hubei Province because of low-lying topography with altitude of 0-50 m and the severest flood.