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.

Zooarchaeological perspective on the Broad Spectrum Revolution in the Pleistocene-Holocene transitional period,with evidence from Shuidonggou Locality 12,China

Based on optimal foraging theory,prey animals from the Shuidonggou Locality 12(SDG12) are divided into three types according to body size and defense traits:high-ranked large game,low-ranked slow small game,and low-ranked fast small game.Application of the Reciprocal of Simpson's Index to the three types of animals from SDG12 yields a relatively high level of evenness,which implies a broader meat diet of the SDG12 hominids.Compared to values of taxonomic evenness from Mediterranean sites,it is suggested that this dietary expansion probably resulted from the occurrence of the Broad Spectrum Revolution rather than from climatic changes in the Shuidonggou area.Comparative studies between the Natufian phases in Hayonim Cave and the SDG12 validate this argument.

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.