Table of Content

15 December 2012, Volume 31 Issue 04

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A preliminary report on excavations at Shuidonggou Locality 2 in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, North China

CHEN Fu-you; LI Feng; WANG Hui-min; PEI Shu-wen; FENG Xing-wu; ZHANG Shuang-quan; ZHANG Yue; LIU De-cheng; ZHANG Xiao-ling; GUAN Ying; GAO Xing

2012, 31(04):  317-333. 

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Shuidonggou Locality 2 as one of the Shuidonggou Site cluster was first found in 1923 by E. Licent and P. Teilhard de Chardin. The site complex is located in North China, 18km east of Yellow River on the margins of the Ordos Desert. Locality 2 is situated at the left side of a tributary named Biangou River of Yellow River opposite to Locality 1. As an important researched locality of Shuidonggou multi-disciplinary project directed by Prof. Gao Xing from IVPP, China, Shuidonggou Locality 2 was excavated in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2007. Two units up to 100m2 were exposed and seven archaeological layers were identified. Features and large assemblages were yielded from the archaeological deposit including hearths, lithic artifacts, mammal fossils, ostrich eggshell beads and bone needle fragments. A suite of AMS14C and OSL dates from Shuidonggou Locality 2 indicates that the entire suite of Paleolithic assemblages spans a period from roughly 41,000 to 21,000 calendar years BP.
In terms of common technological features, Shuidonggou Locality 2 sequence documents two broad technological systems. Assemblages from CL7 show typical large blade technology in character which fall within the Initial Upper Paleolithic in Eurasia, whereas layers from CL6 to CL1 demonstrate flake technological features which are common within Late Paleolithic in North China. The assemblage from CL7 is consistent with general technological features in Shuidonggou Locality 1, but is different to the assemblages from CL6 to CL1 at Locality 2. The similarity between locality 1 and CL7 at locality 2 suggests some relations between these two localities. These new findings cast light on the age and spread of macroblade technology in northeast Asia and the relations between large blade technology and flake technology.
The technological features from CL6 to CL1 are similar but not identical. Some variations considering raw material procurement and exploitation are observed throughout the sequence. Especially in CL2, transported raw materials from distant sources indicate certain raw material use and mobility pattern changes which should be studied in future. The changes of raw material economy throughout the sequence will provide some details about human adaptation patterns in Shuidonggou area.

A preliminary study of the polished bone tools unearthed in 1979 from the Chuandong site in Puding County, Guizhou

MAO Yong-qin; CAO Ze-tian

2012, 31(04):  335-343. 

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The Chuandong site is situated about 4km west of the city of Puding County, Guizhou Province. It was discovered in the spring of 1978 and excavated from April to May 1979. More than 200 bone tools were excavated in this site, so it is a very important prehistoric one in southwestern China, especially in Guizhou Province. Polished bone tools described preliminarily here are the dominant ones among the bone artifacts, and their possible functions and fabrication processes are also discussed. Polished bone tools include awls(n=155), spades(n=116), forks(n=6), slubs(n=3) and a needle(n=1), and awls and spades are the main types in polished bone? artifacts.? These? tools? are? made? of? bone? splinters,? but? it? is? now? difficult? to? determine? what? animal? bones? were? used? in? tool-making.? However,? These? finely? manufactured? bone? tools? show? that they had been used widely at that time, and they have important clues for researching the cultural diversity of the Upper Paleolithic in China.
In addition, the division of cultural stages and the period of the site are also discussed. The industry found in the Chuandong prehistoric site can be subdivided into two stages, namely the early and the late stages. The layers from 5 to 10 represent the early stage, while the layers from 2 to 4 represent the late stage. All the polished bone tools in this study were excavated from the late stage.
According to the 14C dating, the early stage is dated to about 16000 BP, while the late stage is dated to 8080±100 BP (Layer 3), 8670±100 BP (Layer 4). Therefore, the early stage belongs to the upper Pleistocene or late Paleolithic and the late stage belongs to early Holocene or to early Neolithic in China. There is no evidence to show that these bone artifacts belong to early Neolithic culture, it is inferred that these polished bone tools represent the late Paleolithic culture relics. We hope that there are more dating data to support our conclusions in the future.

A preliminary report on the excavation of the Beitaishanmiao Paleolithic site 2 at Danjiangkou, Hubei Province

FANG Qi; CHEN Quan-jia; LU Yue

2012, 31(04):  344-354. 

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In order to assist Middle Route of South-to-North Water Transfer Project, a salvage excavation had been carried out by Research Center of Chinese Frontier Archaeology of Jilin University on the Beitaishanmiao paleolithic site 2 in the Danjiangkou Reservior Region, March- May, 2010. The excavation exposed an area of 500m2 with 3 layers. The layer 1 is the arable land and black brown clay, where yielded 90 stone artifacts. The layer 2 is yellowish-brown clay. This layer yielded 21 stone artifacts. The stone assemblage includes cores, flakes, chunks and tools. Tools are few, and only 3 scrapers are identified; half of the stone artifacts are chunks. The layer 3 is bronzing clay. And this layer yielded 48 stone artifacts. The stone assemblage includes cores, flakes, chunks and tools. Tool types are rich, including scrapers , choppers, hand-axes, and picks and so forth. Dominant raw material of the Beitaishanmiao Paleolithic site 2 is quartz. The characters of the stone industries are that the blanks are based on the gravels and big flakes; and the major type is the heavy tool. According to the geological section and the stone artifacts, the layer 3 and 2 can be dated from Middle Pleistocene to Late Pleistocene.

A preliminary analysis on the terminology, classification, and function speculation of spheroids

YI Ming-jie; GAO Xing; PEI Shu-wen

2012, 31(04):  355-363. 

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As one of the interesting and enigmatic artifact forms at some Paleolithic sites and localities, Spheroid have received special attention on its classification, manufacture procedure, and function among the archaeologists in the world. The author presents here a general review of the terminology, archaeological discoveries, and experimental investigation of the Spheroid. To start with the dynamic typology and the roughly exterior shape, the manufacture procedure of spheroid can be classified in to four different stages of manuports, spherical stones, subspheroids, and spheroids. Furthermore, after given a brief consideration of the possible function of the spheroids which proposed by the archaeologists in the past, an approach on the using patterns as the hunting tools of the spheroids is also proposed by the author in the current paper.

Discussion of the formation mechanism of a black substance on the surface of fossil bones at the Bailong Cave site in Yunxi County, Hubei Province

ZHENG Li-ping; WU Xian-zhu; JIN Pu-jun; CHANG Yun-ping

2012, 31(04):  364-370. 

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Compositional analysis of materials adhering to fossil bones is a very complex type of research. In this work, a layer of black covered the surface of fossil bones from a red clay stratum at the Bailong Cave Site in Yunxi County, Hubei Province. The result of this research showed that this substance was composed of Ca10(PO4)3(CO3)3(OH)2, CaCO3, FeCO3, Fe2O3 and Fe25(PO4)14(OH)24 by spectral analysis using SEM/EDS, FIR and XRD. The color phases that were associated were minerals of FeCO3, Fe2O3 and Fe25(PO4)14(OH)24. The form of the black substance was related to CO32-and Fe in the adhering soil. It is noted that presence of the black substance stopped the strong corrosion of comparatively complete fossil bones in this high- energy chemical environment.

Perikymata and crown formation time of anterior teeth of fossil orangutan from South China

HU Rong; ZHAO Ling-xia

2012, 31(04):  371-380. 

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Perikymata are typical enamel growth markings of anterior teeth, and their spacing pattern and total counts can provide helpful information on dental development and life history. In the present study, we observed and analyzed perikymata spacing pattern and counts of anterior teeth of fossil orangutans from South China by scanning electron microscopy, and estimated crown formation times of incisors and canines. By dividing tooth crown into three equal parts: cuspal, middle and cervical, the density of perikymata in cuspal third is lower than 10/mm, and there? is? no? significant? difference? between? the? middle? and? cervical? third,? counting? about? 10-15/ mm. Total numbers of perikymata counts are more in the upper central incisor than in the upper lateral incisor, more in canines than in incisors, and more in male canines than in female canines. Referring to the cuspal enamel formation time of anterior teeth in extant apes, we estimated that these formation times in incisors and canines of fossil orangutans were 0.5 year and 1.0 year, respectively. Lateral enamel formation time equals perikymata counts multiplied by nine- day periodicity of the Retzius line (which is very popular in our section analysis on molars). According to cuspal and lateral enamel formation times, we estimated that the incisor crown formation time was about 2.97-6.66 years. Canine crown formation times of male orangutans from South China were longer than that of females, and estimated between 6.25-11.31 years and 4.28-7.29 years, respectively.
Compared with some fossil large apes, Australopithecus and Paranthropus, early Homo, Homo sapiens and extant apes, perikymata spacing of anterior teeth of orangutans from South China is more dense than that of Australopithecus and Paranthropus, and less than that of African apes, Homo sapiens and Lufengpithecus lufengensis. Except for the upper lateral incisor, perikymata counts of anterior teeth of fossil orangutan are similar to extant great apes, and greater than Australopithecus, Paranthropus, and early Homo. Crown formation times of these orangutan teeth was much longer than Proconsul, Australopithecus and Paranthropus, and closer to extant African apes, Lufengpithecus lufengensis and modern orangutan, especially.

The latest Pleistocene Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis from the Three Gorges area and re-evaluation of Pleistocene rhinos in Southern China

CHEN Shao-kun; HUANG Wan-bo; PEI Jian; HE Cun-ding; QIN Li; WEI Guang-biao; LENG Jing

2012, 31(04):  381-394. 

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Migong Cave in Wushan County, Chongqing, is an important late Late Pleistocene paleoanthropological site, with an absolute age dated to 13150±190 BP. The rhino fossils from this? site,? containing? cranial? fragments,? mandibles,? teeth? and ?some? postcranial ?bones,? are ?identified? as Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis, which is the latest and southernmost record of this species on Earth. S. kirchbergensis, which adapted to a temperate climate, migrated to the Yangtze River Valley during the Mid-Late Pleistocene probably because of the cold climate of the Ice Age. Based on materials of S. kirchbergensis from Migong Cave and other localities in the Yangtze River Valley, obvious distinctions are found among S. kirchbergensis from northern and southern China, and Europe. As a result, this species is divided into three types. Pleistocene rhinos from southern China, especially Rhinoceros sinensis,?are ?also? clarified.?

Craniometric variation of ancient skulls from the Hami Tianshan North Road cemetery

WEI Dong; ZHAO Yong-sheng; CHANG Xi-en; ZHU Hong

2012, 31(04):  395-406. 

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This study examines within-group variation based on craniometric data obtained from a sample of 24 Bronze Age skeletal human remains recently excavated along the Tianshan North Road, Hami region, Xinjiang. Statistical analysis was applied to 77 craniometric variables of both male and female groups. Morphological affinities showed evidence of a marked biological dissimilarity between the Tianshan North Road group and control groups, and also a considerable distance within Tianshan North Road male group. According to a review of previous archaeological and genetic research in this region, this result could indicate the skeletal population from the Tianshan North Road cemetery has its own unique morphological characteristics and was a group of people living in a transitional area occupied by both eastern and western ancestors.

Stable isotope analysis of human bones from Nalintaohai cemetery, Baiyanaoer, Inner Mongolia

ZHANG Quan-chao; HU Yan-chun; WEI Jian; ZHU Hong

2012, 31(04):  407-414. 

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The Nalintaohai ancient site, located along a bend in the Yellow River in Bayanaoer, Inner Mongolia, is very important site of the Han Dynasty. In this study, we examine Nalintaohai human paleodiet using stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen found in bone collagen. Nitrogen isotopic ratios of bone collagen show that the Nalintaohai inhabitants ate plenty of animal products and some plants. Carbon isotopic ratios show that the human diet is composed of C4 plants. It is clear that these inhabitants tried to establish stock raising and farming, which created a large degree of social wealth. By comparing stable isotopic data from different times and sites throughout the southern part of central Inner Mongolia, C4 consumption still played a minor ?role ?in ?human ?diets,? while? Han ?Dynasty ?human ?δ15N values are higher than from other periods.

Archaeoparasitological report on abdominal burial soil from the Zhengzhou Jinshui and Xinzheng Lihe cemeteries

WEI Yuan-yi; WENG Yi; ZHANG Ju-zhong; FAN Wen-quan; XIN Ying-jun

2012, 31(04):  415-423. 

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This? paper? reports? on? a? preliminary? archaeoparasitological? research? of? abdominal? burial ?soil? from? Zhengzhou ?Jinshui ?and ?Xinzheng ?Lihe ?cemeteries. ?Five ?tombs ?were ?successfully? excavated? with? the? extraction? of? 34? Ascaris? eggs? from? two? cemeteries? including? 18? fertilized? eggs ?and ?16 ?unfertilized ?eggs.? Studies? shows? that ?the? Zhengzhou ?region? is? an? Ascaris prevalent area ?as ?early ?as ?the ?Chun-Qiu? Period,? and ?that ?this ?region ?reflects ?the? natural ?living? environment? and? social? condition? of? ordinary? residents.? In? addition,? this? study? has? successfully? improved? experimental? methods? and? extraction? techniques,? reducing? damage? of? the? parasitic? eggs.? These? methods? will? provide ?an ?important? approach ?in ?the? field ?of ?the? archaeoparasitological? research ?of? abdominal burial soils in China.

Technological and item standards in dermatoglyphics research

ZHANG Hai-guo

2012, 31(04):  424-432. 

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The Chinese Dermatoglyphics Association uses American Dermatoglyphics Association ADA standards, CDA edition and CDA standards, for method and project specification analysis. This CDA edition and CDA standards are inherited from the ADA standards system and its complements.
According to the CDA, fingerprint analysis follows three systems of law, ridge-line tracking and other criteria, including sample model swatchs, and ink print sample requirements.