人类学学报 ›› 2002, Vol. 21 ›› Issue (02): 158-169.

• 人类学学报 • 上一篇    

从河流埋藏环境看丁村遗址群的文化性质——与张森水先生商榷

王益人   

  • 出版日期:2002-06-15 发布日期:2002-06-15

On cultral attributes in terms of alluvial taphonomic backgroud at the Dingcun sites--a controversial argument with Prof.Zhang Senshui

WANG Yi-ren   

  • Online:2002-06-15 Published:2002-06-15

摘要: 丁村遗址是我国旧石器时代中期文化的重要代表。晚近有一种观点将丁村 54∶1 0 0和 54∶1 0 2地点的石制品组合从丁村文化范畴中分离出来 ,归入以周口店第 1地点为代表的“中国北方旧石器时代工业”中 ,而将该遗址的其它地点划归“丁村文化B组工业”。本文认为丁村文化是一个不可分割的整体 ,而且丁村遗址是一个经过河流搬运埋藏的遗址群 ,各地点之间石制品大小和类型等特点的差异主要是由河流搬运埋藏的特点所造成的 ,并不是两种“工业”或两种文化传统的差异。

关键词: 丁村文化; 河流埋藏环境; 石制品大小; 文化性质

Abstract: Since the discovery of the Dingcun site in 1955, the cultural attributes of the Dingcun Culture have not been changed too much. The lithic assemblages unearthed from localities along the Fenhe River have been assigned to single culture. In 1990, Prof. Zhang Senshui took Loc.54∶100 out of the Dingcun Culture and assigned it into the Small Paleolithic Tradition in North China.
The article argues that adopting industry instead of the terms such as culture and tradition is totally irrelevant. Prof. Zhang invented the term main industries to establish Chinese Paleolithic frameworks. However, his understanding of industry is different from that used in western literatures. Such subjective or personally defined terminology will cause worse than better for scientific study, and produce tremendous confusion among colleagues.
Prof. Zhang' s framework for Chinese Paleolithic contains some substantial mistakes.
1. It is totally misleading to establish different industries or cultures merely based on dimensional measurements of lithic artifacts.
2. Dimensional attributes of a lithic assemblage might have been attributed to many elements such as raw material variation, lithic technology, utilization of tools, etc.The size of stone artifacts is determined more by their raw materials and functions rather than cultural traditions.
3. Dimensional variations between different localities at the Dingcun sites might have been caused by post-depositional dynamics rather than human behavior. Thus, lacking taphonomic analysis and relevant evidence, Prof. Zhang' s explanation is totally unacceptable.
4. Prof. Zhang regards his“separate studies paradigms” of the Dingcun sites as a big achievement for Paleolithic archaeology. He has treated various Dingcun sites individually, searching for their differences, assigning them into different traditions. Based on the perspective of settlement pattern, Prof. Zhang' s paradimgs is absolutely obsolete.
5. According to the concept of catchment analysis, ancient groups at the Dingcun site might have occupied a territory more than the space where the sites are presently located. It can not be imagined that during the Middle Pleistocene, there were different ethnic groups who adopted different lithic industries coexisting only 800 m apart without any cultural exchange along the Fenhe River !

Key words: The Dingcun Culture; Alluvial taphonomic background; Dimension of lithic artifacts; Cultural attributes