Abstract: The Taoshan Site (46°54.765’N, 128°12.643’E) is located in Taoshan village, Heilongjiang Province, Northeast China. The site is situated on the southern slope of Taoshan hill, approximately 500m west of the Hulan River, and 241m high in altitude. It was discovered in 2011, and excavated in 2013 and 2014 by a joint team guided by Prof. Hou Yamei from IVPP. The excavation exposed an area of 36m2 with three prehistoric layers. A total of 1943 stone artifacts, 12 pottery shards, 2 ornaments and 1 nut shell were uncovered during the 2014 field season. The stone artifacts include cores, flakes, microblades, crested blades, ski spalls, retouched tools, manuports and fragments. In addition, the cultural layers were well dated by the optically stimulated luminescence and the AMS14C dating methods. Only 248 stone artifacts were unearthed from Layer 4. High-quality tuff is the predominant raw material. Soft-hammer direct percussion was applied widely, technologically. The presence of microblades and related characteristic products indicates that pressure flaking was also applied. Layer 3 is the main cultural layer, and the archaeological remains include 1552 lithic artifacts and 23 ceramic shards. Raw materials derive from local sources. Tuff dominates, basalt and rhyolite come second, and chert, quartz sandstone, agate, quartz, granite and shale are in small numbers. The lithic assemblage is dominated by flakes and fragments, mainly produced by hard-hammer direct percussion. Pressure-flaked debitage is also used to remove microblades. Besides scrapers and denticulates, stone axes and adzes emerged as important tool types. In addition, ceramic technology started to appear. The assemblage shows characteristics of the transitional period between Late Upper Paleolithic and Neolithic, documenting the evolution of cultural changes in Northeast China and the dispersal, migration and communication of hunter-gatherers in northeastern Asia and North America. In addition, very limited archaeological remains are excavated from Layer 2, including 143 stone artifacts, 2 pottery shards, 2 ornaments and 1 nut shell.

Key words: Taoshan site; Lithic artifacts; Techno-typology; Terminal Late Pleistocene- Holocene; Pottery