Comparison of bone artifacts from the Schöningen site in Germany and the Lingjing site in China

doi:10.16359/j.1000-3193/AAS.2024.0022

Abstract

Abstract:

Similarities play an important role in the reconstruction of human physical, cultural and technological evolution. The two sites presented in this paper, the Middle Palaeolithic site Lingjing in China Layer 10 and 11 and the Lower Palaeolithic site Schöningen 13 II-4, the so-called Schöningen Spear Horizon in Germany, show striking similarities. The archaeological record of both sites includes lithic artifacts as well as a very large assemblage of fossil bones. The preservation of the material at both sites is excellent and the faunas encountered at both sites show many similarities. The faunal lists of both sites include a diverse carnivore guild, an elephant species, two different rhinoceros species, two different equids, different cervids and large bovids. Both sites also yielded bone retouchers as well as a unique record of bone hammers that show identical, unusual flaking and percussion damage.

These similarities are remarkable if one takes into account the difference in age (ca 200 kaBP) and the geographical distance between the two sites of ca 8000 km. Therefore, we do not assume a close cultural link between the hominin populations active at both sites. The authors assume that the observed similarities show more or less identical, opportunistic hominin behaviour at both sites located in a comparable environment with more or less similar taphonomic conditions.

Key words: Palaeolithic, open-air sites, bone tools, Asia, Europe

CLC Number:

K871.11

WANG Hua, LI Zhanyang, Thijs van KOLFSCHOTEN. Comparison of bone artifacts from the Schöningen site in Germany and the Lingjing site in China[J]. Acta Anthropologica Sinica, 2024, 43(02): 214-232.

Figures/Tables 8

Fig.1 The Lower Palaeolithic site Schö 13 II-4 a. Location of Schöningen in Northern Germany. Green, light blue, red, and dark blue lines indicate the maximum extent of the glacial ice sheets (E = Elsterian; D = Saalian Drenthe; WA = Saalian Warthe; WE = Weichselian; modified from Lang et al[12];b. Reinsdorf Interglacial silting cycles of the Schöningen palaeolake, Schöningen 13 II-1 to II-4, with calcareous mud grading into an overlaying dark organic mud (May 2012)[20] Photo: Jordi Serangeli; c. Simplified, schematic sequence at Schöningen 13 II (after Stahlschmidt et al[59]). 1 and 2) Elsterian glaciolacustrine deposits; 3) Lacustrine deposits; 4-7) Reinsdorf Interglacial shallowing cycles of the lake Schöningen 13 II-1 to II-4, with calcareous mud grading into an overlaying dark organic mud: 4) cycle 1; 5) cycle 2; 6) cycle 3; 7) cycle 4; note the location of Schöningen 13 II-4 in cycle 4 and 13 II-2 and II-3 in cycles 2 and 3; 8) 5th shallowing cycle, composed of sandy silt and an overlaying dark organic mud; 9 and 10) Glaciolacustrine deposits; 11) Lacustrine deposits and loess.

Tab.1 List of larger mammalian taxa, including number of identified specimens (NISP), in the faunal assemblage from the Schö 13 II-4 locality (combined data from van Kolfschoten et al[21] and García-Moreno et al[32]) and in the Lingjing Layer 10 and 11 faunal assemblage (data from Wang et al[51] )

Taxa	Name	Common name	Schö 13 II-4	Lingjing
Carnivora	cf. Panthera leo spelaea	Eurasian cave lion	1
	Panthera tigris	Tiger		19
	Homotherium latidens	Saber-toothed cat	1
	Crocuta crocuta	Spotted hyena		10 (+ copr.)*
	Canis cf. lupus	Wolf	7	5
	Nyctereutes cf. procyonoides	Raccoon dog		2
	Vulpes cf. vulpes	Red fox	3	17
	Ursus sp.	Bear		5
	Meles cf. meles	Badger	5	7
	Mustela sp. (large mustelid)	Large mustelid	5
Proboscidea	Palaeoloxodon sp.	Straight-tusked elephant	1	2
Perissodactyla	Equus mosbachensis	Extinct horse	8890
	Equus cf. przewalskii	Przewalski's horse		378**
	Equus hemionus	Onager		378**
	Equus hydruntinus	European wild ass	8
	Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis	Merck's rhinoceros	1	3***
	Stephanorhinus hemitoechus	Narrow-nosed rhinoceros	1
	Coelodonta antiquitatis	Woolly rhinoceros		101***
Artiodactyla	Sus lydekkeri	wild boar		29
	Hydropotes pleistocenica	extinct water deer		3
	Capreolus capreolus	Roe deer	7
	Cervus (E.) elaphus	Red deer	340	89
	Cervus nippon	Sika deer		4
	Elaphurus davidianus	Père David's deer		1
	Megaloceros giganteus	Giant deer	7
	Sinomegaceros ordosianus	East Asian giant deer		6
	Bos primigenius	Aurochs	78	432****
	Bison priscus	Bison	59
	Bos/Bison indet		145
	Procapra przewalskii	Przewalski's gazelle		45

Fig.2 The dimensions of a Bison radius A) used as retoucher compared with the dimensions of a scraper and flint microdebitage B) from the Spear Horizon. The radius shows long scrape marks and knapping damage on the anterior face (modified by Silvia Bello, NHM London, after van Kolfschoten et al[10]).

Fig.3 Knapping tools from Schöningen 13 II-4 arranged by taxon and anatomical element (not to scale) The arrows indicate multiple knapping areas on the same bone (van Kolfschoten et al[10])

Fig.4 Metapodial hammers by taxon and anatomical element (not to scale) (van Kolfschoten et al[10])

Fig.5 The Lingjing site in Henan of China A) Location of Lingjing (Henan, China); B) stratigraphy indicating the geological and cultural layers (after Doyon et al[42])

Fig.6 Metatarsal bone (10L361) assigned to Equus hemionus, with flaking, chipping and crushing damage at both the lateral and medial side of the epiphyse and crushing damage at medial ridge indicating the use as bone hammer

Fig.7 Metatarsal bone (10L3152) of an Aurochs Bos primigenius with obvious battering damage The outer edge of medial epiphyse show chipping and crushing damage and the lateral epiphyse is broken off.Left: anterior view; Right: distal view

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