Acta Anthropologica Sinica ›› 1991, Vol. 10 ›› Issue (01): 50-57.

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Paleolith of Bianbian Cave at Bijie County, Guizhou Province

Cai Huiyang, Wang Xinjin, Xu Chunhua   

  • Online:1991-03-15 Published:1991-03-15

Abstract: The Paleolithic site of Bianbian Cave is sjtuated at the foot of Triassic limestone hill nearHaizijie town about 13km north-cast of Bijie County (105023'E, 27922N), and is about 1520 mabove sea level. The cave is 26 m long, 1.2 -12.4 m wide and 2 -4.2 m high. In the cave soneof the deposits were disturbed but main deposits were still kept in the depth of the cave, dividedinto 4 stratified layers from top to bottom (Chinese text figure 1). From this cave 75 piecesof stone artifacts and over 10 specics of mammalian fossils were discovcred during the survcyand excavation·
35 pieces of the stone artifacts were unearthed from layers 1, 3. and 4, the others werefound in the disturbed deposits. They may be divided into 5 groups: cores, flakes, blades, pit-ted pebbles and tools. The stone tools include scrapers, choppers and point, the former is themain type in the assemblage. The teclnology of flaking and retouch seems to bear closer relation to that of the Guanyindon Culture.
Fossil remains associated with the stone artifacts consist of Panthera tigris, Ursus thibe-tanus, Stegodon orientalis, Rhinoceros sinensis, Megaiapirus augustus and so on, belonging to' the Ailuropoda -Stegodon fauna. According to the fossil maimmals, the gcological age of theIncality is eonsidered. as the carly Latc Pleistocene or somewhat carlier, and Middle Paleoli-thic or a ittle earlier archaeologically.

Key words: Bianbian Cave of Bijie; Paleolith; Early Late Pleistocene or somewhat carlier