Acta Anthropologica Sinica ›› 1988, Vol. 7 ›› Issue (02): 106-111、192.

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Stone artifacts from Wutaishan

Zhang Yaping, Guo Junqing, Wei Qi   

  • Online:1988-06-15 Published:1988-06-15

Abstract: In the summer of 1984 a paleolithic locality was discovered in the center of the Wutaishan (The Five Platforms Mountains), in Wutai County, Shanxi (39°00'37″N, 113°35'39″E). This site is situated at an altitude of 1.730 meteres above sea-level and half a kilometer north of the town of Taihuai. The site has yielded a small assemblage of stone artifacts in association with fauna including Equus przewalskyi, Ovis ammon and Bos primigenins. This assemblage derives from the loess and gravel in the second terrace of the Qinshui He (river) and is thought to be late Pleistocene in age. The artifact assemblage includes quartzite cores, flakes, chopper, scrapers, and point. ln addition to artifacts which are obviously worked, unmodified quartzite blocks are also present.
Paleoenvironmental evidences suggest that the mean annual temperature during the formation of this site was approximately 60 lower than at present in the Wutaishan. The lower temperature and the high elevation of the site make it likely that this locality represents a seasonally exploited site which was utilized during the summer months.

Key words: Stone artifacts; Upper Pleistocene; Wutaishan