The last glacial period was vital for the distribution and evolution of early modern humans in Asia. The Shuidonggou Late Paleolithic site, dated at 30-20 ka BP, accumulated cultural remains during the important late ...The last glacial period was vital for the distribution and evolution of early modern humans in Asia. The Shuidonggou Late Paleolithic site, dated at 30-20 ka BP, accumulated cultural remains during the important late stage of MIS 3 period in the last glacial. These remains represent characteristics of typical Late Paleolithic conditions in North China:high degree of standardization and morphological variability of tool types, exploitation of bone materials, systematic use of body decorations, extensive use of earth-pit hearths, distinct functional spatial organization within habitations, and conversion of subsistence patterns. These characteristics illustrate early modern human behaviors during the late MIS3 period, and provide clues and perspectives for the analysis of early modern human origins in China. At the same time, the conversion of subsistence patterns is considered to be a combination of multiple early modern human behaviors, as well as the result of the Broad Spectrum Revolution. In this paper, we argue for the dynamic mechanism of Broad Spectrum Revolution from a human behavioral and ecological perspective.展开更多
This paper presents the results of a detailed study of mortality profiles of the large herbivores from the Middle Palaeolithic (MP) bone assemblage of the Lingjing Xuchang Man Site, Henan Province. Based on the analys...This paper presents the results of a detailed study of mortality profiles of the large herbivores from the Middle Palaeolithic (MP) bone assemblage of the Lingjing Xuchang Man Site, Henan Province. Based on the analysis of the crown heights of fossil teeth from this assemblage, we come to a conclusion that aurochs (Bos primigenius) and horse (Equus caballus) are the major prey species in this assemblage and the age structures of these animals can be best described as the "prime-dominated pattern". This study confirmed the well-established notions at many Middle and Upper Palaeolithic sites across Eurasia and Africa that MSA/MP foragers were fully effective in hunting aggressive prey species, particularly aurochs and horse. This find indicates that the hunting behaviors and subsistence strategies were not significantly different between MP and UP (the Upper Palaeolithic) humans in East Asia and hence suggests the early emergence of the modern human behaviors in this area.展开更多
Unearthed artifacts and cultural relics from the Shuidonggou site revealed extensive information and insights regarding the activities of early modern humans.A series of experimental research and physical analysis sug...Unearthed artifacts and cultural relics from the Shuidonggou site revealed extensive information and insights regarding the activities of early modern humans.A series of experimental research and physical analysis suggest that stone artifacts from Locality 2 and Locality 12 have undergone heat treatment.The utilization ratio and knapping properties of raw materials were consequently enhanced.Heat treatment technology reflects the production capacities and the survival strategies in the Upper Paleolithic period.This discovery indicates the earliest existence of this technology in the East Asia and thus confirms a wider geographic distribution of this technology which provides new perspectives and evidence for understanding the associated early modern human behaviors.展开更多
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 incl...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.展开更多
基金supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDA05130303)the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(KZCX2-YW-Q1-04)the National Basic Research Program of China(2010CB950203)
文摘The last glacial period was vital for the distribution and evolution of early modern humans in Asia. The Shuidonggou Late Paleolithic site, dated at 30-20 ka BP, accumulated cultural remains during the important late stage of MIS 3 period in the last glacial. These remains represent characteristics of typical Late Paleolithic conditions in North China:high degree of standardization and morphological variability of tool types, exploitation of bone materials, systematic use of body decorations, extensive use of earth-pit hearths, distinct functional spatial organization within habitations, and conversion of subsistence patterns. These characteristics illustrate early modern human behaviors during the late MIS3 period, and provide clues and perspectives for the analysis of early modern human origins in China. At the same time, the conversion of subsistence patterns is considered to be a combination of multiple early modern human behaviors, as well as the result of the Broad Spectrum Revolution. In this paper, we argue for the dynamic mechanism of Broad Spectrum Revolution from a human behavioral and ecological perspective.
基金Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2006CB 806400)National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40602006 and 40872115)
文摘This paper presents the results of a detailed study of mortality profiles of the large herbivores from the Middle Palaeolithic (MP) bone assemblage of the Lingjing Xuchang Man Site, Henan Province. Based on the analysis of the crown heights of fossil teeth from this assemblage, we come to a conclusion that aurochs (Bos primigenius) and horse (Equus caballus) are the major prey species in this assemblage and the age structures of these animals can be best described as the "prime-dominated pattern". This study confirmed the well-established notions at many Middle and Upper Palaeolithic sites across Eurasia and Africa that MSA/MP foragers were fully effective in hunting aggressive prey species, particularly aurochs and horse. This find indicates that the hunting behaviors and subsistence strategies were not significantly different between MP and UP (the Upper Palaeolithic) humans in East Asia and hence suggests the early emergence of the modern human behaviors in this area.
基金supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA05130301XDA05130303)Specific Basic Research Program of Ministry of Sciences and Technology of China (2007FY110200)
文摘Unearthed artifacts and cultural relics from the Shuidonggou site revealed extensive information and insights regarding the activities of early modern humans.A series of experimental research and physical analysis suggest that stone artifacts from Locality 2 and Locality 12 have undergone heat treatment.The utilization ratio and knapping properties of raw materials were consequently enhanced.Heat treatment technology reflects the production capacities and the survival strategies in the Upper Paleolithic period.This discovery indicates the earliest existence of this technology in the East Asia and thus confirms a wider geographic distribution of this technology which provides new perspectives and evidence for understanding the associated early modern human behaviors.
基金supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDA05130202)the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(KZCX2-YW-Q1-04)+1 种基金the Special Basic Research Project(2007FY110200)the National Basic Research Program of China(2010CB950203)
文摘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.
