Acta Anthropologica Sinica ›› 2021, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (01): 137-145.doi: 10.16359/j.cnki.cn11-1963/q.2019.0007

• Excavation/Investigation Reports • Previous Articles     Next Articles

New discoveries at the Jijitan site in the Nihewan Basin, North China

GUAN Ying1,2(), ZHOU Zhenyu3, WANG Xiaomin1,2, GE Junyi1,2, XIE Fei4, GAO Xing1,2   

  1. 1. Key laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins in the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044
    2. CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044
    3. Institute of Archaeology in Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing 100710
    4. Hebei Provincial Cultural Relics Institute, Shijiazhuang 050000
  • Received:2017-12-15 Revised:2018-04-16 Online:2021-02-15 Published:2021-02-25

Abstract:

Jijitan site, which is located in Nihewan Basin, Heibei Province in northern China, was discovered in the 1980s. Three localities were documented, among which Locality 2 (T2) yielded the most specimens, including lithic artifacts and animal bones. Due to modern dam construction, Locality 2 was totally destroyed and no archaeological deposits preserved. Localities 1 and 3 are partly preserved, although badly destroyed by natural agencies and modern human activities. In our project, Localities 1 and 3 are re-examined, and a high density of lithic artifacts unearthed. OSL and Radiocarbon dating indicate that the anthropogenic deposits of Localities 1 and 3 were accumulated from about 16000 years ago to the early Holocene, which overlaps with the Hutouliang site complex on the opposite side of the Sanggan River. This result indicates that, during this time period, ancient humans occupied a vast area along the Sanggan River, and the population was fairly large.

Key words: Nihewan Basin, Upper Paleolithic, Jijitan, Chronology

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