关键词: 石制品;动物群;中更新世晚期;石镇金盆洞;芜湖

Abstract: Within the framework of the program “The Late Pleistocene human origin and evolution in China and its environmental background”an investigation and excavation were carried out from October 7th to November 12th, 2002 at Jinpendong (31°13.2′N, 118°23′E), 16km north to Wuhu City in Anhui Province of China.The deposits excavated are cave-fissure fillings and composed of four main layers. The fossil bearing layer is the fourth counted from the top to bottom. More than ten pieces of artifacts and more than three thousands pieces of mammal fossil were collected. The latter can be attributed into 8 orders, 18 families, 23 genera and 27 species. The fauna is closest to that from the Longtandong at Hexian associated with Homo erectus and very similar to that from Huludong at Tangshan also associated with Homo erectus. Judging from the fauna as a whole the age of Jinpendong is suggested to be the late stage of the Middle Pleistocene. The investigation revealed stratigraphic details of the site and clarified the distribution of fossil bearing layers for further excavation. The discovery of the artifacts proves that there were human activities at Wuhu during the Middle. It proves that the karstic cave-fissure de-posits along the lower reaches of the Yangtze River bear great potential for prehistory research.

Key words: Lithic artifacts; Fauna; Late mid-pleistocene; Jinpendong; Wuhu