人类学学报 ›› 2023, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (01): 36-45.doi: 10.16359/j.1000-3193/AAS.2022.0009cstr: 32091.14.j.1000-3193/AAS.2022.0009

• 研究论文 • 上一篇    下一篇

软锤石片辨识的实验史及争议

曹彧(), 仪明洁()   

  1. 中国人民大学历史学院,北京 100872
  • 收稿日期:2021-05-16 修回日期:2021-10-21 出版日期:2023-02-15 发布日期:2023-02-20
  • 通讯作者: 仪明洁,副教授,主要从事石器分析、旧石器考古学术史研究。E-mail: yimingjie@ruc.edu.cn
  • 作者简介:曹彧,硕士研究生,主要从事石器分析研究。E-mail:caoyuruc@hotmail.com
  • 基金资助:
    北京市社会科学基金“京津冀地区旧石器晚期至新石器初期考古遗存综合研究”(20LSC020)

History of experiments and debates on the identification of soft-hammer flakes

CAO Yu(), YI Mingjie()   

  1. School of History, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872
  • Received:2021-05-16 Revised:2021-10-21 Online:2023-02-15 Published:2023-02-20

摘要:

在打制石器中,软锤法能够更有效地控制石片形态,是古人类认知与技术水平提升的一个重要标志。传统认为,使用软锤法打下的石片具有打击泡散漫、台面处有唇等特征。随着针对性实验的开展,上述石片特征已经不再被认为仅是软锤剥片所致,而是打制过程中如打击角度、背缘角等诸多因素共同作用的结果,通过石片特征区分软、硬锤存在很大争议。本文旨在梳理学术界对软锤法的认知过程和系统实验历史。根据国际上大量的实验可知,目前的实验以燧石、黑曜石为主要石料,根据石片特征区分软、硬锤尚存在很大争议,石片特征的产生可能受锤的质地、石料、打制者、打击角度等多种因素的影响,因此,不宜仅凭个别石片特征判断遗址中存在软锤剥片。在对具体考古材料的技术分析中,需综合考量整个石器打制过程中涉及到的多种因素,有必要建立一个汇集实验数据与遗址出土石片相关特征的数据库,为打制技术与技法分析提供更为丰富的对比材料。

关键词: 软锤法, 唇, 打击泡, 模拟打制实验

Abstract:

The soft-hammer technique refers to the method that removing flakes by direct percussion using indenters made of soft materials, usually involving wood, bones, antlers or soft stones. The use of soft-hammer technique is beneficial for controlling the morphology of flakes more effectively, which is considered to be an important sign of the progress of ancient human cognitive and technological level. Since the early 20th century, the principle of soft-hammer technique and the characteristics of soft-hammer flakes have been described by scholars during the observation of prehistoric lithic assemblages and knapping experiments. It was generally believed that flakes produced by soft-hammer percussion were usually with special attributes such as diffuse bulb of force and lipping, which were usually regarded as direct evidence. Due to the lack of soft hammer discovery in archaeological sites, these attributes usually act as the only evidence for the existence of soft-hammer technique. But with the development of targeted knapping experiments, the above-mentioned attributes have been proved to be the results of multiple factors during the percussion process, such as properties of raw materials, force angle, edge angle and even the style of different knappers and it is controversial to distinguish soft and hard hammer technique based on the characteristics of flakes. This paper reviews the process of recognizing of soft-hammer technique and the history of systematic experiments. It is suggested that the “attributes of soft-hammer flakes” should not be taken as the only evidence for the existence of soft-hammer technique, but need to take into account various factors involved in the whole percussion process. We call for the establishment of a database containing experimental and archaeological data to provide richer comparative materials for the lithic analysis.

Key words: soft-hammer technique, lip, bulb of force, knapping experiments

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