Table of Content

15 March 2008, Volume 27 Issue 01

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A report of the third excavation of the Ranjialukou paleolithic site

GAO Xing, WEI Qi, LI Guohong

2008, 27(01):  1-12. 

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The Ranjialukou Paleolithic site (29°55′14″236″N ,107°44′11″256″E, 1702174 m a. s. l. ) is located in Dujiaba village, Fengdu County, Chongqing. The site was discovered in 1994 and excavated in 2000, 2001 and 2005. It is so far the largest and most important Paleolithic site found in the Three Gorges Region in central South China.
The site lies at the base of a gravel layer of the forth terrace on the left bank of the Changjiang ( Yangtze River) . The overlying sediment is more than a 20m thick laterite, comprised of silt2clay with many large, hard calcified nodules. Laterite seems to originate from gray sludge that poured into fissures of the red earth. White calcium nodules later would form in the fissures after the sediment cooled. This depositional history is unique to South China. Based on the presence of the terrace and its sediment, the geological age of the site is estimated to be late Middle Pleistocene.
Two hundred and two stone artifacts were excavated from the site in 2005. The lithic assemblage is comprised of cores, flakes, chunks and modified pieces. Among the lithic artifacts, cores and flakes produced by a technique of“throwing against an anvil”are noted. Raw materials used for this type of flake detachment are highly rounded flat quartzite cobbles locally available in the riverbed. These types of specimens are well known from Late Paleolithic and Early Neolithic sites in mainland South China, and similar artifacts were also found from sites in Taiwan. Here we propose a technical term—— Yangtze technique——for this type of flaking method , believing that it is an unique and efficient flaking technique applied to the highly rounded cobbles in South China where raw materials of this kind are numerous due to the strong river water energies, especially in the Yangtze River region.
The identification of this unique flaking technique is significant for the study of the development of prehistoric lithic technology in South China, the survival strategies adopted by human groups in certain environments , and human migrations and cultural influences in the vast region.

A preliminary report on the excavation of the Shangsong site

XIE Guangmao, LIN Qiang

2008, 27(01):  13-22. 

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The Shangsong site is one of the first sites discovered in Baise basin, western Guangxi, South China. An excavation of this site was carried out during the construction of the high way in 2002. An area of 1 000m2 was unearthed on the deposits of the fourth terrace near Shangsong village. The deposits, about 15220 meters in thick, can be divided into 4 layers from the top to the bottom, and only Layer 3 unearthed some stone artifacts and tektites.
A total of 185 stone artifacts and 106 tektites were unearthed from this site. Rawmaterialsfor tool making are mainly cobbles of sandstone, quartzite, quartz and silicified rock. All tools are simply worked unifacially, and there are cortexes on most of their surfaces. The stone tools include choppers, scrapers and picks. Choppers and scrapers are dominant in the assemblage. Technologically and typologically, the stone artifacts are similar to those found at other sites of the basin.
Tektites unearthed at the Shangsong site are the same as those found at other sites in the basin. They vary in form and size. Edges of many tektites are very sharp. They are all natural ones, and no traces caused by man on them.
The deposits of the excavated area of the site are secondary deposits which comes the forth terrace, which is themost typical terrace in theYoujiang valley. The tektites and stone artifacts are not in situ, either, but they werenpt transported for a long distance in that they have little abrasions on their surfaces. According to the stone artifacts and the dating of tektites from the forth terrace at other sites in the basin, the stone artifacts from the Shangsong site can be guessed for 800ka BP old.

A report on the excavation of the Huangyilong paleolithic site, Yongπan, Fujian

CHEN Ziwen, LI Jianjun

2008, 27(01):  23-32. 

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The Huangyilong Paleolithic Site is situated near Gongchuan town, to the northeast 18 km in distance of Yongπan city, Fujian Province, and its geographic coordinate is 26°5′10″N ;117°8′30″E. The site was discovered in May 2005 and excavated for twice during from December 2005 to January 2006 and from March to July 2006.
The deposits can be divided into 6 layers (from the top to the bottom): 1) Dark grey soil; 2) Yellowish brown sandy soil; 3) Reddish yellow salty clay; 4) Ultisoil; 5) Reticulated red clay; 6) Fundus , the weathering shuck of granite. The reticulated red clay layer can be subdivided into three layers.
A total of 133 pieces of stone artifacts was discovered from the lower cultural layer (namely, the gravel layer of the nethermost reticulated red clay) of this site, including cores (single platform cores , double platform cores and multi2platform cores), chunks, debris, flakes, scrapers (straight scrapers and double edge scrapers), choppers (end chopper and chopping tools) and picks. A total of 15 stone artifacts were unearthed from the upper cultural layer (namely, the upper and middle reticulated red clay). Most materials of artifacts from lower and upper cultural level are made by quartz, quartzite , sandstone, dolerite , tuff , and they were retouched by simple technology. Most of stone tools are very big. In summary, this stone assemblage can be attributed to the pebble stone tool tradition in South China and Southeast Asia , and its age can be guessed for the later stage of the Middle Pleistocene.

A preliminary report of the paleolithic site of Fulongguan from Yunxian, Hubei

WU Xianzhu, ZHOU Xingming, WANG Yunfu

2008, 27(01):  33-37. 

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The Fulongguan Paleolithic site in Yunxian, Hubei Province is located on the fourth terrace of the mid2upper Hanshui River. The stratigraphy of the Fulongguan site (from top to bottom) is divided into four distinct layers including red clay, yellow clay, white fine sand, and brown gravel. Mammalian fossils and stone artifacts are found in situ in the white fine sand. Mammalian fossils include Hystrix subcrstata, Cuon javanicus, Ursus thibetamus, Arctonyx collaris, Paguma larvata, Stegodon orientalis, Tapirus sinensis, Rhinoceros sinensis, Sus lyddekeri, Rusa yunnanensis, Naemorhedus goral, Bubalus sp and so on. The Fulongguan faunas belong to the Ailuropoda-Stegodon group. Stone artifacts include cores, flakes, and tools such as scrapers, choppers, and picks, with the latter two tools representing very important types at the site. The geological age of the site is comparable to the“Yun2xian man”site, and is attributed to the upper Lower Pleistocene. The lithic culture is attributed to the pebble stone tradition of the Changjiang River.

The paleolithic site survey in Lin'an county

XU Xinmin

2008, 27(01):  38-44. 

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There were twenty two artifacts found in five Paleolithic sites in Lin
an county in 2004, one of which was excavated from the Xia Shu loess, and the others were collected from the surface. The proportion of tools made of thick flakes is much higher than that of Xi Tiao River region. The artifact from Xia Shu Tu layer belongs to upper Paleolithic, and the ones with reticulate marks belong to middle to lower Paleolithic, while the ones without reticulate marks are no earlier than the age of reticulate red earth.

Paleolithic artifacts of the pebble-tool tradition discovered in Lixin Site in Antu, Yanbian

CHEN Quanjia, ZHAO Hailong, FANG Qi, CHENG Xinmin, WANG Fagang, ZHENG Zhongren

2008, 27(01):  45-50. 

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Lixin site situated at the fourth terrace of the Fuer River, to the northeast of Lixin village, Yongqing town, Antu city, Jilin province was discovered in 2006. More than 70 stone artifacts were collected from the site, including cores, stone hammers, choppers, hand-axe, points, flakes, microblades, used flakes, scrapers and so on. Six of them were discovered from the loess strata. The stone assemblage is mainly composed of medium-scale and large-scale ones, and the materials are mainly cobbles which can be found from the local river bed. The stone artifacts present the characteristics of pebble-tool tradition. According to the characteristics of the deposits ( no polish on the stone artifacts, and no pottery), the strata yielding the stone artifacts and the microblade excavated from the strata, we guess that the site is probably Late Paleolithic. Of course, the pebble-tools present aboriginality, and the time maybe much earlier.

A brief review of lithic technological study in France

LI Yinghua, HOU Yamei, Erika BODIN

2008, 27(01):  51-65. 

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As a branch of prehistory and anthropology research, lithic technological study has been initiated in France since 1940s. Based on the concept "chane opratoire"some improved theoretical system and methods have been well established so far. According to many representative French researchers' work in this field, the authors divide the history of technological study in France into three phases of foundation, development and achievement in a brief review of sixty years. Among them the concept / cha ne op ratoire0 proposed by Andr LEROI-GOURHAN became the cornerstone of lithic technology study, then the two concepts / d bitage0 and / fa onnage0 have been defined and differentiated by Jacques TIXIER etc. in the second phase. They both further perfected the connotation of / cha ne op ratoire0. Then the concept / operational scheme0 presented and applied by Eric BO. DA in the last phase is an important symbol as a new method of study for discussing technological logic and rules of lithic production and for the study of lithic techno-function. Finally combining with the history and actual situation of Chinese Paleolithic research, the authors make a short discussion here about the possibility of how to apply the current French technological theory and methods to the Chinese materials.

Some stone artifacts discovered in Changjiang, Hainan

LI Chaorong, LI Zhao, WANG Daxin, HAO Side, WANG Mingzhong, JIANG Bin, HUANG Zhaoxue, FANG Xiaoling

2008, 27(01):  66-69. 

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The Yanwoling and Hun Yaling Paleolithic sites were discovered in Summer, 2006. Two sites are situated at the Changjiang County, Hainan Province. Three stone artifacts were discovered from the primary deposits of the Yanwoling and Hunyaling Paleolithartifactic sites. The stone artifacts include cores and chopping-tools. According to the study of stratigraphy and stone artifacts, the age of two sites probably belongs to upper Pleistocene or late Paleolithic. It provides new material to study Paleolithic culture in South China.

Analysis of the cave deposits and the sediment environment on the Zhijidong paleolithic cave site, Henan Province

LIU Decheng, XIA Zhengkai, WANG Youping, BAO Wenbo

2008, 27(01):  71-78. 

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The phase of Marine oxygen Isotope Stage 3 (MIS3) is a warm interglacial step in the Last Glacial. Human activity was very active at that time. There were many of human sites and dramatic changing culture feature all over the world. It was just at the beginning of “later Paleolithic revolution”. Zhijidong cave site was one of cave deposits, which contains mainly late Paleolithic culture remains. Zhijidong strata can be divided into four parts. Its bottom contains a lot of stone tools, and it was called bottom culture layer, which belonged to late Pleistocene. The middle part of the deposits had no stone tools. There were a few stone tools in the upper profile, which was called as middle culture layer. It also belonged to late Pleistocene. It contained Peiligang and Qin to Han dynasty culture remains in the top part. The bottom culture layer had the most rich culture remains, and it was 40 ka BP to 50 ka BP. It was just at the phase of MIS 3. It showed us a relative warm-humid temperate grassland-sparse forest grassland climate in this area by spore2pollen statistics. Benign climate is suit for the ancientπs survival and breeding.

Applications of quantitative units in Zooarchaeology to the Ma
anshan faunal assemblage

ZHANG Yue, Christopher J. NORTON, ZHANG Shuangquan, GAO Xing

2008, 27(01):  79-90. 

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This manuscript reviews the various quantitative elements in zooarchaeology, and develops a firm understanding of how and when to employ different numerical classifiers by their applications to the Ma’anshan faunal assemblage.
The MNI is assigned to two distinct parts of the Ma’anshan deposit in order to identify quantitative differences in the archaeofauna because in previous research it was shown that stone artifacts and mammalian fossils in strata 7-8 were much larger than those in strata 3-6. There are 11 kinds of macromammalian bones found in the lower part, here the MNI is 32 with 18 ( about 56.25%) representing large animals ( mainly Rhinoceros sinensis, Bubalus sp. and Stegodon orientalis) . In the upper part, 16 kinds of macromammals belonging to 50 individuals, of which 19 ( about 38% ) are mediumsized ungulatesCervus unicolor. Therefore, it is assumed that in the early stage Ma’anshan hominids preyed on largesized game animals, while in the late stage they mainly hunted mediumsized ones.
The MNE, MAU, MAU% are applied to Class II animal bones of the upper strata to determine their relative skeletal part abundance ( figures 8 and 9) . From the skeletal element profile and data of deer bone density, meat and marrow return, and ethnoarchaeological observations, it is assumed that Ma
anshan hominids in the late stage tended to transport carcasses of class II animals selectively, taking only heads and legs ( with bone cavities containing much marrow ) to the base camp, while abandoning vertebrae, ribs and pelves with little marrow at the kill site. Scapulae, metapodials and podials were also taken to the camp as they were parts attached to the upper limbs.