Abstract:

Although quantities of Acheulean large cutting tools discovered in different areas and sites in China have been insightfully analyzed, there have been few studies focusing on large flake production and large or giant core exploitation until now. In fact, producing large flakes with the expected morphology from giant or large cores through special percussion methods is a key criterion of Acheulean technology. During the 1980s-1990s, the Institute of Archaeology and Cultural Relics of Anhui Province conducted several Paleolithic investigations and excavations in the Chaohu Lake Region (CLR). A total of 319 stone artifacts embedded in red clay were discovered on the surface and in situ, among which 107 Large Flake Acheulean products could be identified. All of these artifacts were detached from quartzite river cobbles using free-hand stone hammer percussion technology. Traditionally, these artifacts were assigned to the Pebble Tool Industry. Based on lithic technological typological analysis, it can be deduced that hominins detached large flakes from large cores via the cobble-opening method and slab-slicing method, and further shaped them into large cutting tools (LCTs) such as bifaces, knives, cleavers, and picks—alongside Acheulean large tools, particularly massive scrapers and massive denticulates.

Based on the OSL dating results from the Wangjia'ao Locality (near Wangchenggang, the 1980s' and 1990s' work area), early humans occupied this site around 70 kaBP. Recently, two additional OSL dating analyses were conducted at the Liujia 2 Locality and Zhangjiawan Locality, both approximately 4.5 kilometers from the Wangjia'ao Locality. At the Liujia 2 Locality, hominins exploited large cores, detached large flakes, and further used these flakes as blanks to manufacture LCTs during two distinct periods: 225~70 kaBP and 70~30 kaBP. In contrast, the OSL dating result from the Zhangjiawan Locality indicated that early humans detached large flakes no later than 125 kaBP.

All the aforementioned OSL dating results from the CLR demonstrate that ancient humans in this region exhibited diverse adaptive behaviors, as they were capable of producing large flakes and manufacturing LCTs no later than Marine Isotope Stage 4 (MIS 4). A similar pattern has also been observed at the Wenquan Site in Henan Province, and an even earlier occurrence has been documented in the Luonan Basin and Bose Basin. This research holds great significance for studying the transition of lithic technology and the production of large flakes in Acheulean technology in South China from the late Middle Pleistocene to the Late Pleistocene.

Key words: Chaohu Lake Region, large flake, massive scrapers, massive denticulates, Pleistocene