Discovery and preliminary study of the Shanduidong Paleolithic site in Nihewan Basin

doi:10.16359/j.1000-3193/AAS.2023.0049

Abstract

Abstract:

The Shanduidong paleolithic site, located at the east of Shandui Village in the south of Datianwa platform on the eastern edge of Nihewan Basin, was discovered by the research team of Hebei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology in 2014, an excavation was carried out at this site, the area is 8 m². During which 81 pieces of stone artifacts and 16 pieces of fossils were discovered. Chert is the main raw material of the stone artifacts, probably carried from Zhoujiashan which is four kilometers away from this site. Hammering is the main method for stripping, and there is also a small amount of stone artifacts is geared to bipolar technology. The stone artifacts are mainly in miniature and small size, and we divided them into different types, including stone hammer, cores, flakes, tools, fragments, chunks, and etc. There are a variety of tools in Shanduidong site. Such as scrapers, notches, points, borer, burin, chopper which pertain to the tradition of core-flake technology in northern China. The AMS ¹⁴C dating results were 43396~42271 BP cal, 41940~40737 BP cal and 36830~35885 BP cal, which are in the early period of the Upper Paleolithic Age and represent the continuation and development of core-flake technology in Nihewan Basin for millions of years. In the meantime, it provides important materials for exploring the continuation and development of the core-flake technology, the diversity of the stone technology tradition as well as the complexity of the evolution pattern of early modern human beings during the Upper Paleolithic Period in Nihewan Basin even Northern China. The unique natural environment provides a stable and comfortable circumstance for the range of behavioral and adaptive strategies of tool-making and tool-using as well as daily activity adopted by human beings in this region and even Northern China. We should carry through more comprehensive archaeological investigation and excavation in the future.

Key words: Nihewan, Stone artifact, Late Paleolithic, North China

CLC Number:

K871.11

HOU Jiaqi, WANG Fagang. Discovery and preliminary study of the Shanduidong Paleolithic site in Nihewan Basin[J]. Acta Anthropologica Sinica, 2023, 42(06): 742-750.

Figures/Tables 5

Fig.1 Geographic location of the Shanduidong paleolithic site

Fig.2 Prospect and stratigraphic profile of the Shanduidong paleolithic site

Tab.1 AMS 14C dating age for fossils from the Shanduidong paleolithic site

野外编号No.	实验室编号Lab No.	年龄Dating	校正后年龄（95.4%）Age calibrated	δ¹³C
2014SD:55	640725	39270±480 BP	41447-40322 BC cal; (43396-42271 cal BP)	-16.8 ‰
2014SD:42	636935	31960±200 BP	34881-33936 BC cal ; (36830-35885 cal BP)	-14.8‰
2014SD:73	636934	36320±370 BP	39991-38788 BC cal; (41490-40737 cal BP)	-15.4‰

Fig.3 Hammer, cores and flakes from the Shanduidong paleolithic site

Fig.4 Stone tools from the Shanduidong paleolithic site

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