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.

广东西樵山40—50 ka B P地质遗迹与古人类活动新发现

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。

泥河湾盆地东谷坨遗址2016-2019年发掘简报

泥河湾盆地内埋藏有诸多旧石器时代早期遗址,是研究古人类扩散、适应和技术演化的重要区域。东谷坨遗址位于泥河湾盆地的东缘,丰富的文化遗物为研究石器技术和人类行为提供了重要证据。在2016-2019年的发掘中,发掘团队将原来的6A-6E五个文化层进一步划为八个文化层,共出土编号石制品6800余件、化石4100余件。本文重点对6A2和6C1两个主要文化层的出土标本进行初步报道。石制品原料均以遗址周边分布的燧石为主,质量相对较高的石料被优选。锤击石核与石片、砸击石核均有发现;尝试石核和多面多向剥片的石核是主要类型。石器以刮削器为主,多为单刃。两个文化层的石制品类型与技术存在一定差异,如:6A2层石核转向频率更高、双刃石器比例更高,而6C1层锯齿刃器比例高于6A2层等,但总体上呈现了旧石器时代早期相对简单的剥片与加工模式。可鉴定动物化石种类不多,少量骨骼上有疑似人工砍砸的痕迹。本次发掘出土的材料为解释盆地内早更新世人类的石器技术和行为演化等提供了丰富的信息,同时也为理解早期人类对原料资源的利用方式、流动性组织等提供了重要素材。

江西上湖遗址的石英光释光年代及其信号晒退研究

可靠的年代学框架是考古学研究的基础,然而考古遗址的沉积过程通常比较复杂,这可能会对光释光测年造成很大的问题。本研究利用石英单片再生剂量法对江西上湖遗址的6个样品进行了光释光年代测定,通过不同粒径石英测年结果的对比分析上湖遗址样品的释光特性和晒退程度,并为遗址文化层提供初步的年代结果。(1)基于三个样品进行了不同粒径(大测片)石英光释光测年结果对比,可知4~11、38~63和63~90μm三个组分的光释光年龄范围分别在50~63、67~78和71~94 ka。(2)对所有样品的粗颗粒(63~90μm)进行的小测片测试结果非常离散,这表明样品存在晒退不均匀的问题;据最小年龄模型计算得到SH01-06的年龄结果分别为:4.1±0.9、6.8±1.9、32±4、47±8、28±4和28±4 ka,比不同粒径的大测片结果更加年轻,表明所有粒径组分均存在信号晒退问题。(3)研究初步确立了上湖遗址古人类活动的时间在距今30 ka左右,晚于47 ka,但该年龄结果仍然可能被高估。

河北泥河湾盆地西白马营遗址1985-1986年出土的石制品

西白马营遗址位于泥河湾盆地中部,于1985年调查发现并进行了试掘;次年正式发掘并获取了石制品、骨制品、动物化石等丰富的文化遗物。铀系法测年遗址距今约1.8万年,推测为临时石器加工场所。石器技术属于中国北方的小型石片石器传统。新的田野工作和测年数据表明,遗址属旧石器时代晚期早段。我们对1985年试掘及1986年正式发掘出土的石制品进行了类型划分及技术分析,并结合最新的年代测定结果,对遗址文化面貌及属性进行了重新厘定及研究成果重要性的讨论。

河南灵宝旧石器考古调查报告

2016年以来,河南省文物考古研究院等单位在河南三门峡地区进行旧石器考古调查,在灵宝窄口水库周边发现旧石器地点8处、石制品74件及少量动物化石;石制品中有47件出自地层。石制品主要埋藏在黄土堆积和河流相堆积中,原料以石英岩为主,类型包括石器、石核、石片、断块等。石核包括单台面石核、双台面石核、盘状石核和多台面石核;石片以锤击石片为主;石器主要为刮削器和砍砸器,也有似手斧和凹缺器等。从技术和类型上判断,该地区的石器工业属于中国北方旧石器时代早期普遍存在的石核-石片工业。石制品多出自黄土-古土壤条带L11~S5之间,年代范围为0.99~0.48 MaBP,属旧石器时代早期。本次调查成果表明,该地区具有发现更多、更重要旧石器时代遗址并开展深入考古发掘与研究的潜力。

泥河湾盆地旧石器时代人类活动与环境关系的研究进展

泥河湾盆地是中国北方旧石器时代古人类遗存数量最多、分布最密集、年代序列最为完整的区域。本文根据已公开发表的泥河湾盆地阳原和蔚县地区65处旧石器遗址的相关数据和信息,探讨了更新世不同时期泥河湾盆地古人类活动与环境变化之间的关系。研究结果显示:1)早更新世时期遗址主要分布在岑家湾台地北部边缘区,年代在1.8-1.0 MaBP;中更新世之后,遗址分布范围明显扩大,晚更新世时期,遗址分布模式改为集中分布于河流两岸阶地。2)在早-中更新世,80%以上遗址处在低地球轨道偏心率期,70%以上处在温暖的间冰期。3)遗址的植被多为以蒿属、藜科占优的草原或森林草原。4)晚更新世时期,随着古人类环境适应能力的提高、石器技术的进步和火的使用,在寒冷的冰期时段,古人类也可以在泥河湾盆地很好地生存。

陕西旧石器时代考古的百年探索与成就

本文系统梳理了百年以来陕西旧石器时代考古的发展历程,将其划分为初创期、开拓期、发展期和深化期四个阶段。经过几代学者的不懈努力,陕西地区已发现10处古人类化石地点和600余处旧石器遗址及地点,基本构建起自直立人以来比较完整的古人类演化链条和旧石器文化发展脉络,在古人类生存环境与适应策略方面也进行了比较深入的探索。这些工作极大地拓展了中国古人类生存演化的时空框架,更加有力地实证了中国百万年以上的人类演化史和旧石器文化发展史。

吉林长白山地区鸭绿江上游新发现的含打制石器遗址

2021年,吉林省文物考古研究所等单位对吉林省鸭绿江上游地区临江市、长白朝鲜族自治县两地开展了旧石器考古专项调查,共发现仅含打制石器遗址12处,采集石制品188件。石制品类型包括细石核、石叶、雕刻器小片、似勒瓦娄哇石片以及端刮器、雕刻器、尖状器、两面器等。其中吴家营遗址Ⅰ地点石制品类型丰富,技术较为复杂,表现出似勒瓦娄哇、石叶、细石叶技术混合的特征;其他地点石制品发现较少,仅有岗头村等5处地点反映出吉林东部石叶—细石叶遗存的一般特征。根据采集石制品初步判断吴家营遗址Ⅰ地点等6处遗址应为旧石器时代晚期遗存,其余地点年代暂时无法判断。

泥河湾盆地火山角砾岩原料的热处理实验

泥河湾盆地内发现了众多以精致楔形细石核为特色的细石器遗址。在以往的研究中,研究者对此类石制品组合进行了技术、类型等方面的研究,但其石料来源、石料是否经过热处理等问题仍未得到妥善解决。本文开展了盆地内旧石器时代晚期晚段常用原料火山角砾岩的调查和热处理实验研究。研究表明,泥河湾盆地六棱山基岩中的火山角砾岩,直接使用时,难以满足楔形细石核压制剥片对原料品质的要求;经过600°C的热处理后,其抗力性降低、延展性提高,剥片性能显著提高,可很好地进行楔形细石核的系统压制剥片。基于实验观察,同时借鉴其他学者的研究成果,本文对下卜庄遗址的相关材料进行了初步分析,发现了石料热处理行为的线索。对泥河湾盆地旧石器时代晚期遗址开展系统的石料热处理研究,有望揭示盆地内古人类对石料热处理的复杂行为。

河北阳原马鞍山遗址1997-1998年发掘基本材料与初步认识

马鞍山遗址位于泥河湾盆地桑干河北岸二级阶地,是虎头梁遗址群的重要组成部分。1997-1998年发掘获得多层古人类活动面,石制品和动物化石数以万计,编号标本3549件,遗迹包括十余处火塘和一个可能为储藏坑的遗迹。^(14)C测年的贝叶斯模型显示,遗址校正后的年代大致距今1.7-1.5万年。石制品以火山角砾岩为主要原料,以楔形细石核技法为主要特征,石器类型多样;动物化石数量较少,主要为羊、马、牛等大中型偶蹄动物,还有少量鸵鸟蛋皮串珠和1件骨锥。这些发现为认识泥河湾盆地与东北亚地区在更新世末期的人群交流与文化互动提供了重要线索,也是探讨华北北部地区旧石器-新石器过渡阶段历史过程的关键材料。

四川资阳市濛溪河旧石器时代遗址

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。

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.