Spatial analysis of intra-site use at a Late Paleolithic site at Shuidonggou, Northwest China

Intra-site spatial analysis provides an alternative perspective for understanding the functions of a site, and the occupational organization of early human living and activities associated with it. We examined features and cultural remains recovered from Locality 2 at Shuidonggou, a Late Paleolithic site, focusing on early occupants' survival behaviors and settlement patterns, as indicated by evidence regarding the functional organization of the site. Three-dimensional data from unearthed remains (including lithic assemblages, faunal remains, ornaments, etc) were used to reconstruct intra-site use patterns of Cultural Layer 2, which yielded seven earth-pit hearths and tens of thousands of artifacts and bones. We discuss the population size and group composition, as well as the functions of the living spaces, based on the analysis of the hearth patterns and the ostrich eggshell ornaments surround the hearths. In conclusion, Cultural Layer 2 of SDG Locality 2 appears to have functioned as a base camp for ancient foragers, where occupants produced tools, as well as preparing and consuming food.

An engraved artifact from Shuidonggou,an Early Late Paleolithic Site in Northwest China

Cognition and symbolic thinking are viewed as important features of modern human behavior.Engraved objects are seen as a hallmark of cognition and symbolism,and even as evidence for language.Accumulated evidences including engraved bones,ochre,ostrich eggshells and stone artifacts were unearthed from Africa,Europe,Levant even Siberia Paleolithic sites.But the archaeological evidence for this,including beads,ornaments,burials,performed objects and engraved objects,is rarely discovered in the Pleistocene of East Asia.The present paper reports an engraved stone object unearthed in the Early Late Paleolithic levels about 30 ka BP at the Shuidonggou site(SDG) in northwestern China.It was unearthed in the 1980's excavation from Lower culture unit of SDG1 but was identified in 2011 when the first author of this article observed the collection from the 1980's excavations stored in the Institute of Archaeology of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region for further detailed lithic analysis.This lithic artifact is the first engraved non-organic object of the Paleolithic period found in China.In order to clarify the details of the incisions and to document the human intentional modifications,we used a KEYENCE VHX-600 Digital Microscope to measure and observe all the incisions in 3-dimensional perspective.Comparing the natural cracks and analyzing many details of the incisions,we argue that incisions on this stone artifact are the result of intentional behaviors by ancient humans.Also,we exclude the possible other causes including animal-induced damages,post-depositional phenomenon and unintentional by-products.Combining all these features,we suggest that the incisions were made by an intentional behavior and were probably of a non-utilitarian character.Because the nature of most other engraved objects in China is debate,we cannot get a clear scenario of the emergence and progress of modern human behavior in North China.But we infer the possible existence of a counting or recording system,or other symbolic behaviors,which reflect considerably evolved cognitive capacities or modern human behavior in the Early Late Paleolithic of East Asia.

Analysis of sedimentary-geomorphologic variation and the living environment of hominids at the Shuidonggou Paleolithic site

Shuidonggou is one of the most important Upper Paleolithic sites in North China. Due to the presence of rich human remains,animal fossils,abundant sporopollen and unique geological sequence,it is the type site for Late Pleistocene to Holocene human occupation and environmental change in the Ningxia-Inner Mongolia region. Many scholars suggest that the site should be named the "Shuidong-gou Formation" of Late Pleistocene in North China. Dating results indicate that ancient human activities at the site took place 30―24 ka (Marine Isotope Stage MIS 3). The climate at that time was warmer and moister than present day,and adequate precipitation led to the formation of water pack depressions where broad-leaf trees and sparse forest vegetations,as well as herbivorous animals flourished,mak-ing the area suitable for early human hunting,gathering and survival. The Neolithic human occupation happened 9―5 ka at the site,while similar environmental conditions with MIS3 occurred. The absence of human activity record in the region during the Last Glacial Maximum (MIS2) suggests that the envi-ronment was too harsh for humans to live there.

宁夏水洞沟遗址第2地点发掘报告

水洞沟第2地点是水洞沟遗址群的重要遗址之一,自2003年来共进行了4次发掘,揭露面积约100m2,发现7个文化层,包含用火遗迹、石制品、动物化石、串珠装饰品和磨制骨针等。本文观察和研究的石制品1万余件,总体上显示中国北方石片石器工业的技术特征,但最下部第7文化层出土1件具有水洞沟第1地点特征的石叶石核。动物化石比较破碎,集中分布于火塘内部或周围,反映了古人类围绕火塘进行肉类资源利用的行为。综合水洞沟第2地点的AMS14C及光释光测年数据,该地点主要文化层年龄集中在距今41ka-20ka BP之间。

宁夏水洞沟遗址第7地点发掘报告

水洞沟遗址第7地点发现于2002年，位于水洞沟遗址核心区，2003年至2005年共进行三次系统发掘，揭露35个水平层，面积25m^2，出土包含石制品、动物化石、鸵鸟皮及装饰品等文化遗物上万件。遗址埋藏在边沟河左岸第二级基座阶地，文化层为灰白一灰黄一灰绿色粉砂及黏土质粉砂，厚度在3m以上，遗址堆积后期局部受到小规模水流改造，但石制品组合基本保留了制作完成后的总体面貌。石制品原料取自附近的河流和湖泊成因的砾石；石制品是一个包含石核、废片、石器、砸击品和打制工具但以废片为主体的组合，个体以小型居多；锤击法为剥片的基本方法，砸击法被偶尔使用，刮削器为石器的主要类型，石器为锤击法简单修理而成。石器工业总体显示北方小型石片石器传统。光释光年代初步测定表明古人类在该遗址活动的时间大致发生在27-25kaBP，属旧石器时代晚期。

水洞沟遗址第7地点动物化石初步研究

水洞沟遗址第7地点2003～2005年发掘出土动物化石2000余件。初步鉴定包括蒙古野驴（Equus hemionus）、披毛犀（Coelodonta antiquitatis）、普氏原羚（Procapra przewalskii）、水牛（Bubalussp．）等十多个动物属种。该遗址出土的动物骨骼标本表面少见食肉类啃咬痕迹且未有啮齿类啃咬痕迹及水流磨蚀等现象，表明这一动物骨骼组合应当不是食肉类、啮齿类与水流等自然性营力带入遗址的。遗址动物群中一定比例的具切割痕骨骼标本的出现表明了古人类在动物群富集过程中的主导地位。动物考古学观察表明，处于旧石器时代晚期的该地点古人类主要对遗址附近的大中型食草类动物进行了猎捕与肢解、利用，这与相对更晚阶段的第12地点古人类以小型哺乳动物为主要猎食对象的生存策略形成了较为明显的对比。

水洞沟第12地点2007年出土石核研究

本文是对2007年发掘获得的水洞沟第12地点石核类石制品的系统分析,研究对象包括锤击石核46件、砸击石核82件、细石核95件。通过对石核的尺寸、技术特征分析发现,锤击石核是细石核的预制阶段;砸击技术的开发对象多是以燧石为代表的优质石料,尺寸小,不适于锤击及间接剥片技术的应用;细石叶技术是该遗址的核心剥片技术,其中以楔形石核的打制技术最成体系。这种以细石叶技术为主体的文化现象,在旧石器时代晚期末段的中国北方地区具有普遍性,是人类在气候波动的条件下实现适应生存的重要技术保证。

水洞沟旧石器考古研究的新进展与新认识

水洞沟遗址在中国旧石器考古学研究中倍受关注的同时也倍受争议。争议的核心是其旧石器遗存的技术特点、文化属性、来龙去脉和与西方旧石器文化的关系。争议缘起于对核心遗址——第1地点地层、时代和文化演替了解与认识的局限性与模糊性。本文在近年来对遗址区系统调查和多个地点系统发掘与研究的基础上,对水洞沟遗址群的旧石器时代文化及相关问题提出一系列新的认识,包括水洞沟是一个由多处地点构成的大型露天遗址群;先民生存活动不局限在一个时期,文化遗存至少分属7个时段,据此可建立4万年来区域人群演化序列;遗址保留的人类文化遗产丰富多样,除不同技术体系的石制品,还有骨器、装饰品、复杂用火遗存,以及对居址复杂利用、对石料热处理和采食植物性食材的诸多信息,反映古人群具有很强的生存能力和特定的行为方式;该地区在旧石器时代晚期不同时段存在不同技术体系的考古学文化组合,出现过勒瓦娄哇+石叶的技术体系与小石片技术体系的交替,反映末次冰期期间东北亚人群复杂、能动的适应、迁徙、交流过程;该地区的勒瓦娄哇+石叶的技术体系与本土传统石器工业不存在渊源关系,应是从西方—西北方向迁移过来的古人群的遗留,其出现的时间可能早于原先的认定,而且在消失后没有对本土文化产生明显的影响;石叶技术组合固然代表一支来自西方的早期现代人群的迁徙和扩散,但移居者没有对本土人群实现整体替代,反而被后者取代;后者在石器技术上保持固有的传统,但文化遗存中出现小型精制石器、装饰品、石料热处理等早期现代人的行为表征,反映出这里的现代人起源与扩散模式不是简单的外来移民替代,相反,本土人群连续演化是主旋律。因而,"连续进化附带杂交"理论在该地区有着更坚实的考古学基础。

宁夏红寺堡盆地萨拉乌苏组地层时代重新厘定及意义

以沉积旋回划分为基础,采用光释光和碳十四测年技术手段,将宁夏红寺堡盆地上更新统地层时代进行了重新划分与厘定。研究结果将红寺堡盆地原定为萨拉乌苏组的湖相沉积解体为上下两套,下部湖相沉积即为传统意义上的萨拉乌苏组,上部湖相沉积结合区域地层对比结果将其重新划归为水洞沟组,总体上反映了晚更新世青藏高原东北缘发育的两期重要的古大湖事件。在深海大洋氧同位素曲线上这两期古大湖事件分别相当于MIS3与MIS5段,代表了区域上两期温暖湿润的气候环境,也与该时期全球古气候环境的变迁基本一致。同时,在这两期古大湖发育期间,存在一期重要的构造隆升事件,表现为两套地层之间存在明显的区域不整合接触,可能是青藏高原晚更新世强烈隆升的响应。因此,针对青藏高原东北缘上更新统萨拉乌苏组湖相沉积层开展系统的年代学研究,对其地层时代进行重新划分与厘定,对于研究晚更新世古大湖形成与演化、古气候变迁以及青藏高原的隆升提供了重要的地质背景资料。

六盘山晚更新世以来抬升过程沉积响应及环境效应

六盘山构造带夹持于青藏高原与鄂尔多斯地块之间,记录了青藏高原抬升向东北方向推挤的远程效应。关于六盘山抬升过程的研究主要集中在白垩纪及新生代早期,而与人类活动密切相关的晚更新世的研究很少涉及。以盆山响应关系理论为指导,立足于与六盘山相邻的清水河盆地,开展系统的沉积学研究,查明清水河盆地晚更新世的地层序列、沉积充填过程,演绎了六盘山盆地晚更新世以来抬升的过程及其产生的环境效应。研究认为,清水河盆地晚更新世早中期发育2期古湖,以温暖湿润的气候环境为主,晚期由于相邻六盘山的快速抬升,湖水彻底退出了清水河流域,环境逐步开始恶化。晚更新世—全新世清水河流域发育了巨大的六盘山山前冲积扇,该扇体不断沿清水河河谷向东推移,有进一步阻隔清水河形成巨大堰塞湖的趋势。研究成果将为六盘山晚更新世抬升过程研究提供重要依据,为清水河流域的综合治理提供基础地质参考。