Comparison of bone artifacts from the Schöningen site in Germany and the Lingjing site in China

Similarities play an important role in the reconstruction of human physical,cultural and technological evolution.The two sites presented in this paper,the Middle Palaeolithic site Lingjing in China Layer 10 and 11 and the Lower Palaeolithic site Schöningen 13Ⅱ-4,the socalled Schöningen Spear Horizon in Germany,show striking similarities.The archaeological record of both sites includes lithic artifacts as well as a very large assemblage of fossil bones.The preservation of the material at both sites is excellent and the faunas encountered at both sites show many similarities.The faunal lists of both sites include a diverse carnivore guild,an elephant species,two different rhinoceros species,two different equids,different cervids and large bovids.Both sites also yielded bone retouchers as well as a unique record of bone hammers that show identical,unusual flaking and percussion damage.These similarities are remarkable if one takes into account the difference in age(ca 200 kaBP)and the geographical distance between the two sites of ca 8000 km.Therefore,we do not assume a close cultural link between the hominin populations active at both sites.The authors assume that the observed similarities show more or less identical,opportunistic hominin behaviour at both sites located in a comparable environment with more or less similar taphonomic conditions.

OSL chronology of a Palaeolithic site in a humid subtropical mountainous area of southeast China

The timing of Palaeolithic human activities in South China is still controversial because of the lack of a reliable chronology of archaeological sites.The Longdengshan Palaeolithic site(LPS),located close to the Wuyi Mountain of South China,represents the first discovered and scientifically excavated Middle Palaeolithic site in the Fujian Province.This site is of considerable significance for studying the diffusion and cultural connotation of early Homo sapiens in southern China.In this study,we present optically stimulated luminescence(OSL)ages obtained from medium-grained quartz collected at the LPS.The single-aliquot regenerative-dose measurements of red soil deposits collected at the same site yielded internally and stratigraphically consistent ages and similar errors,indicating a potential ability of the technique,and also reflecting the influence of various sedimentary facies on the test results.Our results indicate that the 38–63µm quartz grains were generally partially-bleached and had large values of over-dispersion in the palaeo-reticulated laterites of west Fujian.Some samples yielded unsatisfactory results,suggesting that the degree of bleaching of diluvial and alluvial deposits should be properly assessed before dating.We did not detect any enrichment/depletion of U,Th and radioactive disequilibrium.The effect of chemical weathering on the dose rate estimation was negligible.Therefore,we used a central age model and the maximum age model to calculate the age of two samples,respectively,and the minimum age model to calculate the ages of the rest of the samples.The OSL ages of the samples ranged from 27.09±2.30 ka to 54.65±7.39 ka for the 38–63µm quartz size fraction,and roughly corresponded to the Marine Isotope Stage 3.In addition,three ages out of five are based on the calculation of minimum ages in this research,which needs to be further verified by other dating methods.

Wholegrains: Emerging Concepts, Controversies and Alternatives

Intake of wholegrain foods has been associated in large prospective cohort studies with decreased rates of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, ischaemic heart disease and hypertension. Multiple mechanisms for the protectiveness of wholegrain foods have been reported. Health authorities in western countries recommend wholegrains as one of the major food sources in a healthy diet, otherwise rich in vegetables, legumes and low-fat dairy. However, the existing evidence for the intake of wholegrains is highly subject to confounding. Many of the results seen in the prospective cohort studies have not been borne out in randomised controlled trials or good-quality meta-analyses. The recommended intake of wholegrains suggested in some countries is well above what there is evidence for. Products labelled wholegrain have variable quantities of the intact grain and differ widely in their effect on blood glucose. Excessive quantities may add to glycaemic load, and anti-nutrients in wholegrains may have adverse health consequences. With the rate of diabetes and obesity increasing, some researchers have questioned the role of grains as part of a healthy diet. Palaeolithic diets, those that are more in keeping with our evolutionary legacy, contain no grains or dairy, but are rich in vegetables, meat, fish and eggs, with the inclusion of some tubers. Smaller trials in animals and humans comparing a palaeolithic diet to a grain-based diet show improved metabolic profiles in the former.

Revisiting the origin of modern humans in China and its implications for global human evolution

The debates over the origin of modern humans have long been centered on two competing theories:the "Out-of-Africa"(single-place origin) theory and the "Multi-regional Evolution" theory.China is an extremely important region where many ancient human fossils were collected along with numerous associated faunal remains and artefacts.These cultural remains,unearthed from different areas in the country and covering a long time span,will help clarify the controversy.The study of cultural materials in China is expected to shed important light on biological evolutionary patterns and social and technical developments of those early humans as well as their environmental conditions.Based on the analysis of Chinese fossils and associated materials,in conjunction with some genetic studies,this paper aims at evaluating each of the two theories in order to stimulate more discussions.Our study suggests that the evolutionary model of "Continuity with Hybridization" is most relevant in reflecting the current understanding of human evolutionary history in China.Furthermore,we propose that the concept of regional diversity of evolutionary models should be seriously considered to illustrate different evolutionary modes applied to different parts of the world.

Luminescence dating of reticulated red clay buried in Lanshanmiao Paleolithic site in Zhejiang Province,southern China

The Lanshanmiao(LSM) Palaeolithic site,which was excavated in the summer of 2017 by the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology,is the only excavated palaeolithic site in central Zhejiang Province to date.Luminescence dating methods,including optical stimulated luminescence(OSL) and thermal transfer OSL(TT-OSL) for quartz and post-infrared(IR) stimulated luminescence(p IRIR290) for feldspar,were used to determine the age of the LSM site.The results showed that the LSM section developed before 145.5 ± 12.5 ka and ended after 17.1 ± 1.0 ka.The TT-OSL dating of samples NJU2576 and NJU2615 showed that palaeolithic artifact-bearing layer was between 150 and 100 ka in age.The age range of the palaeolithic layer mainly corresponded to the transition between Marine Isotope Stage(MIS) 6 and MIS5.Our study showed that hominins prominently occupied the LSM site during the glacial and interglacial stages,when it exhibited a floodplain environment.

Origin of soft-sediment deformation structures in Nihewan Basin

The Nihewan Basin is a rift basin at the junction of northern Shanxi Province and northwestern Hebei Province in north China.The basin is known for its rich paleontological fossils and ancient human remains.There are also abundant soft-sediment deformation structures(SSDS)in the thick lacustrine sediments.Previously,most SSDS have been interpreted as ice-edge features or ignored entirely.Recently,the authors have carried out several field surveys in the Nihewan Basin and found that many SSDS are sandwiched between normal lacustrine strata at multiple sections.In the excavation pit at the 10th Locality of Maliang Site(ML10),10 horizontal SSDS layers and two vertically developed geological features have been identified.Based on genesis analysis and related criteria,these features are divided into two categories:cryoturbation-triggered SSDS and earthquake-triggered SSDS.Among them,a special type of ancient ice-wedge pseudomorph(SSDS-8)of ML10 is recognized in the basin for the first time.The other 9 horizontal SSDS are mainly caused by earthquake-triggered liquefaction and slumping.They can be further divided into 14 seismic event layers.These findings indicate that the tectonic activity in the Nihewan Basin is very strong and frequent,and there were cold periods in the geological history of the basin.At the same time,the SSDS with distinct morphological characteristics and stable horizontal distribution in the basin can be used as an important indicator of stratigraphic correlation.

Human exploitation of carnivores in Pleistocene China: A case study of the faunal remains from Shuidonggou Locality 7

Hominin-animal interactions at Pleistocene archaeological sites have been the main subject of research during human evolution. However, in contrast to that of ungulates, little is known about the evidence of human processing of carnivore species in this time interval of China. In this paper, we present the first case report of an interactive relationship between carnivore species and hunter-gathers in Pleistocene China, based mainly on a detailed taphonomic study of the faunal remains from Shuidonggou Locality 7. It seems highly probable that hominins butchered some individuals of carnivores and roasted bone elements with adhering meat at the site;whereas it’s equally feasible that these animals were exploited by hominins mainly for their pelt or fur. In either way, evidence from the site indicates novel strategies in adaptive behaviors adopted by Late Pleistocene foragers in harsh environments of Northwest China.

Discovery of a Pliocene stone tool at Yuxian, Hebei Province

The stone tool discovered at Danangou valley of Dongyaozitou village, Yuxian, is the earliest stone tool, the specimen is powerful evidence about the origin of the human culture and the historical age from the ancient ape to the human belng. According to the comprehensive studies about the strata, the age was considered to be of Pliocene (about 3 milllon years) and therefore, the discovery possessed great scientific and theoretical significance.

丝绸之路与欧亚酒文化遗产

一,引言从地理的角度来看,自远古以来欧亚是一个统一的大陆,是一个面积巨大、跨越万里、不可分裂的整体。史前人类的祖先早已遍及欧亚大陆,逐渐定居开垦殖民地,并组成原始社会团体和文明。在大约一万年以前新石器时代和人类文明启蒙期间,欧亚大陆各地之间已经开展了不同社会的物质和思想交流。这种文化交融促进了各个民族文明的发展,大力推动了精神创造力和创新成果。