LR Binford’s taphonomic research on the Zhoukoudian site and theory building of Paleolithic archaeology

doi:10.16359/j.cnki.cn11-1963/q.2019.0066

Abstract

Abstract:

Based on the review of Lewis Binford’s visiting of China in 1985, it is argued that failure of this visit and proposed coordination between American and Chinese Paleolithic archaeologists were caused by epistemological and paradigmatic discrepancy between the two countries. The questioning of the Cave Home of Peking Man based on his taphonomic considerations represented new advance developed by processual archaeology and was characterized by his landmark works of Nunamiut Ethnoarchaeology and Bones: Ancient Men and Modern Myths. After introducing the endeavor of the Middle Range Theory and Frames of Reference Construction built by Binford, it is appealing to Chinese community of Paleolithic archaeology that we should shift our paradigm from classification and description to interpretation and reconstruction of human behavior. We should emphasize the analysis and inductive approach of archaeological data, put forward questions of research and methods to solve them, and then effectively eliminate natural transformation factors by using taphonomy and zooarchaeology to extract productive information of human behavior. With the help of combination of induction and deduction and of comprehensive frames of reference based on ethnoarchaeology and comparative studies, we can finally reconstruct cultural history, human lifeways and cultural process.

Key words: Taphonomy, the Zhoukoudian site, Lewis Binford, Paleolithic archaeology, Theory building

CLC Number:

K871.11

ZHANG Meng, CHEN Chun. LR Binford’s taphonomic research on the Zhoukoudian site and theory building of Paleolithic archaeology[J]. Acta Anthropologica Sinica, 2019, 38(04): 536-546.

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