Table of Content

15 December 2013, Volume 32 Issue 04

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The origin of modern East Asians

Milford H Wolpoff; Rachel Caspari

2013, 32(04):  377-410. 

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With the development of paleogenetics in the past decade, it has become evident that modern humans do not have a phylogenetic origin in the appearance of a new species Homo sapiens; therefore, anatomical, behavioral and genetic aspects of modernity are not the consequence of the same, single event. In this paper, we examine the evidence for anatomical, behavioral and genetic modernity in East Asia. In each case, modernity can be understood as part of a multiregional evolutionary process, rather than as an entity. Although these three aspects of modernity are somewhat independent, each evolving at different times, they are linked through demographic changes that began in the late Pleistocene - increased survivorship and population expansions that changed the course of human evolution.

The lithic assemblage of the Lijiagou site

WANG Youp-ping; ZHANG Song-lin; GU Wan-fa; WANG Song-zhi; HE Jia-ning; ZHAO Jing-fang; QU Tong-li

2013, 32(04):  411-420. 

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This paper introduces a new lithic discovery from the Lijiagou site, which yields abundant cultural remains from the Upper Paleolithic to Neolithic. A preliminary study of these materials suggests that ?the ?assemblage? varies ?with ?time ?and ?is ?characterized ?by? flake? tools? from ?the ?early? phase ?of ?the ?Upper? Paleolithic and by microblade tools from the late phase of the Upper Paleolithic. In the early Neolithic and later, the knapped stone tools continued to be used in the Peiligang culture. According to this analysis, we propose that lithic technologies in central China changed gradually from Upper Paleolithic to Neolithic and present a long process of transition.
The main cultural layer is Layer 6 in the southern area dated to 10300-10500 BP. It produced a microblade assemblage together with animal remains, indicating a hunter-gatherer occupation. The microblades were knapped from boat-shaped and conical microcores. The microblade and microcore are quite small but exhibit clear evidence of standardized knapping techniques and document the skillful employment of microbalde technology. Tools include end-scraper, side-scraper and an arrow. Associated with the microblade assemblage is a partly polished adze and some pottery. A new complex of Neolithic culture? dated? to? 10000-9000? BP? is? identified? above? Layer? 6.? It? is? characterized? with? a? large? number? of? pottery? sherds,? grinding? stones? and? artificially ?transported ?rocks.? The ?cultural ?remains ?and ?anthropogenic? features of these objects points to the sedentary nature of the human population. The animal remains show that small-sized mammals were mainly hunted, and the use of pottery and grinding stone indicates plant food in human diet.

New discovered Paleolithic open-air sites at Shangdan Basin in the upper Danjiang River Valley, eastern Qinling Mountains, central China

WANG She-jiang; ZHANG Xiao-bing; LU Hua-yu; XING Lu-da; ZHANG Gai-ke

2013, 32(04):  421-431. 

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Between 2010 and 2012, Nine Paleolithic open-air sites were identified and 211 stone artifacts were collected in the Shangdan Basin (Shangluo-Danfeng Basin) in the eastern Qinling Mountains, central China. These newly discovered sites are distributed on the third terrace of the upper Danjiang River valley. The in situ lithic artifacts buried in the aeolian silt loess deposits with loess and paleosol alternations at the third terrace in the sites. Based on the analysis of loess stratigraphy, the age of buried lithic artifacts layer is no earlier than 780ka BP, it spans approximately from 780ka to 200ka BP.
The lithic assemblage analysis suggests that the stone artifacts were made of local raw materials which came from the pebbles/cobbles of the Danjiang River. They were procured, transported, and used by early hominines at these locations. Hominines selected a variety of raw materials for tool manufacture, however the preference was given to isotropic pebbles/cobbles such as quartz, quartzite, and greywacke. Sandstone, igneous rock, and silicon limestone were infrequently used for tool manufacture. The main percussion techniques that were used are direct hard hammer percussion? and ?bi-polar? techniques.? The ?core ?and ?flake ?platforms ?are? dominated? by ?cortical? surfaces.? The ?stone ?artifacts? consist ?of ?hammer? stones,? cores, ?flakes,? retouched ?tools? and? flaking ?debris.? Tools? include a variety of Mode I “chopper-chopping tools” such as choppers, spheroids and scrapers, In addition,? Mode ?II ?Acheulian-like ?stone? artifacts ?such? as ?hand-axes? and ?picks ?were ?identified? as? well.? The lithic artifacts morphology and tool composition in these open-air sites of the Shangdan Basin share some common features with the open-air sites in South China, such as the Luonan Basin in Shaanxi Province, and the Bose Basin in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It represents Acheulian-like lithic industry with presence of retouched heavy-duty and light-duty tools.

A report on dating of the Xujiacheng Paleolithic site in Gansu Province, North China

LI Feng; CHEN Fu-you; GAO Xing; LIU De-cheng; WANG Hui; ZHANG Dong-ju

2013, 32(04):  432-440. 

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The Xujiacheng site, buried in the Malan Loess overlying the second terrace of the Shuiluo River in Zhuanglang County, Gansu Province, is a significant Paleolithic site yielding plenty of archaeological materials. AMS14C dating and climatic comparisons with other sites indicate that the entire suite of assemblages date roughly from 46,000 to 25,000 calibrated radiocarbon years BP. Site formation processes such as sediment movement and trampling in relation to the stratigraphic position of cultural materials are important to understand when dating multi-level sites such as Xujiacheng. The AMS14C method was used to date this site. The four cultural layers (4A, 4B, 4C and 5) provide the following dates: (22,925±426) - (28,160±342), (41,488±378) - (42,822±451), (45,167±524) - (46,222±714), and older than 46,222±714, respectively. Comparison with climatic events as indicated by magnetic susceptibility at Xujiacheng, Zhuanglang 5, and the Dadiwan site shows that they have similar ages of the same events (such as H4 and A4) that were well dated in Hulu Cave record. With these agreements, there is more confidence in our AMS14C dates for the Xujiacheng site.
A complete high-resolution chronology is vital for accurate archaeological dating, and the Longxi Basin where the Xujiacheng site is located in is an ideal area for using different dating methods and the loess-paleosol sequence analysis. Future Paleolithic work in this area with solid control of chronology will make a significant contribution to our understanding of the interaction between human behavior and environmental change in Late Pleistocene in North China.

An analysis of the cores and their flaking technology of the Erdaogou locality of Dayao site

XU Ting; CHEN Fu-you; WANG Ying-hua

2013, 32(04):  441-453. 

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The Dayao Paleolithic site is located near Dayao village, northeastern Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and include eight gullies and some caves. In 2011, the Erdaogou Locality was discovered in the second gully and excavated from June 21 to September 1 in the same year by staff of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology and the Inner Mongolia Museum. An excavated area of about 50m2 was exposed. This paper examines one aspect of stone technology of the Erdaogou Locality, namely core reduction.
An analysis of cores, flakes, flake fragments and tools reveals that there exist three types of flaking? technique? at? the? EDG? Locality,? namely? direct? hammer? percussion,? systematic? knapping? technology and the microblade technology. Direct hard hammer percussion is the principal flaking technique, and three core reduction strategies by direct hammer percussion can be inferred from various cores forms, namely directional flaking, alternate flaking, and multi- directional ?flaking.? These ?three? flaking? strategies ?are? guessed ?to? be ?employed? to? exploit ?pebbles? with different initial shapes and sizes.

A study of flakes

WEI Qi; PEI Shu-wen

2013, 32(04):  454-469. 

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The flake, as one of the important components of stone artifact assemblage, is an absolutely necessary key to resolve the manufacture techniques on the making stone artifacts by early hominins. It is also a direct evidence of material object used to interpret the Paleolithic culture and the adaptive behavior of early human in the Old Stone Age. However, the observation and study of the flakes should be based on systematization, standardization, and simplification. Classifying stone flakes must adhere to the principle of logic differentiation and all the methodologies of studying flakes should be understandable and compatible each other.
It should be best for flakes to be classified based on characteristics of its platform and dorsal surface. The shape of the flake platform suggests the logic configuration of flaking anamnesis, and it is made up of the edges on butt, that is the geometry figure combined from beeline, flex line and arc line. The flake scar on the dorsal surface could provide a probability to explain the flake work process and it should be observed in the light of the scar quantity (single, double, many) and direction (single, double, many). It would be well-founded for the length and right- and-left sides to be observed on the dorsal surface. It is best for the flake size to be classified based on the human palm and finger in order for the flake form to be confirmed by the golden section of index of breadth/length and thickness/breadth.
The purpose of flake production and repair include hunting and making foods, as well as giving to leaders or friends as gifts, haircutting and shaving beards, scratching itch, cleaning up excreta and other behaviors.

A preliminary study of the Fenghuangshan locality near Zhoukoudian

WANG Bo; ZHANG Yue; GAO Li-hong; LI Xiao-li; FENG Xing-wu

2013, 32(04):  470-476. 

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The Fenghuangshan site located eight kilometers from Zhoukoudian Locality 1 is a cave site with two layers yielding fauna and ash. The upper layer is composed of brown red clay that came from an alluvial deposit outside of the cave, with the lower part of this layer containing a few fragmental animal bones identified to two species: Vulpes cf. chikushanensis and Antelopinae. Within the lower layer, there is an ash lens, with seven faunal species identified: Hyaenidae, Equus sameniensis, Rhinocerotidae, Sus lydekkeri, Megaloceros pachyosteus, Cervus (Sika) grayi and Bubalus sp. This faunal assemblage is very similar to Zhoukoudian Locality 1 and the Nanjing Man site, indicating that the age of Fenghuangshan site probably belongs to the Middle Pleistocene. The occurrence of ash and some long bone surface modification suggests that certain hominids might have lived in the vicinity.

New discovered Early Pleistocene mammal fossils and bone artifact in Hezhang of Guizhou Plateau

ZHAO Ling-xia; ZHANG Li-zhao; XU Chun-hua; WANG Xin-jin; CAI Hui-yang

2013, 32(04):  477-484. 

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Pleistocene mammal fossils were recently discovered in a quarry site near the Heizhai village? of ?Songlinpo,? Hezhang ?County ?in? western? Guizhou ?Province.? The ?fossil? site?(26°50.438′N? 104°53.950′E,? 1717m? altitude)? is? a? limestone? cave? deposit? site? (Fig.1-3).? The? morphological? measurements of fossil tapirs, one maxillae with two premolars and one mandibular fragment (Fig.4,?5;?Tab.1,?2), ?indicate ?its ?attribution ?to? Tapirus sanyuanensis that lived during Early Pleistocene in south China. Its premolar size is evidently larger than late Miocene Tapirus yunnanensis from Zhaotong, Yunnan, and is smaller than Tapirus sinensis and Megatapirus augustus that lived in the middle and late Pleistocene. It is very special that one fossil bone fragment? looks? particularly? like? a? bone? artifact? with? modified? point? and? multiple? scars? impling? human? activity? (Fig.6).? Up? to? now? there? is? no? fossil? human? evidence? of? Early? Pleistocene? discovered in Guizhou Province. This new evidence will provide helpful information for future field work ??in? Yunnan-Guizhou ?Plateau.

Late Pleistocene Bison priscus from Dabusu in Qian'an County, Jilin, China

TONG Hao-wen; WANG Xiao-min; CHEN Xi

2013, 32(04):  485-502. 

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The discovery of fossil bison in China has an almost one hundred year long history, during which bison fossils were reported occasionally, but no paper specially on the discoveries was published. Any fossil materials reported were poor and lacked complete skeletal materials. The present paper describes two almost complete crania and three semi-mandibles. These fossils were ?discovered ?in? the ?Dabusu? area ?in ?Qian’an? County,? Jilin? Province.? The? geological ?age ?of? the? fossil-bearing stratum is 20ka BP. Based on morphological characters and dimensions these bison fossils are referred to as the steppe bison, Bison priscus (Bojanus, 1827). In the last half-century, fossil bison from northeast China were included in the species Bison exiguus Matsumoto, 1915, which seems odd today because of historic disagreements in type locality, geological age and morphological characters. We propose that all Late Pleistocene bison fossils from the northeast China plain should be referred to the species Bison priscus that once roamed throughout the Holarctic region during the Middle and Late Pleistocene. Bison was among the most important element of the Mammuthus-Coelodonta fauna in northeast China.