A preliminary study of the Bawuguri site in Ngari Prefecture of Xizang

doi:10.16359/j.1000-3193/AAS.2025.0038

Abstract

Abstract:

Bawuguri site, located in the Zanda Basin on the western Tibetan Plateau, is an open-air site on the right bank terrace of the upper reaches of the Xiangquan River (Glang chen gtsang po). It was first discovered in August 2019 while lithic artifacts and dating samples collection were conducted at the same time. A total of 336 stone artifacts were collected from the surface and unearthed from the upper layer of the test pit. Results of Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) show that the latest burial age of the lithics is dated to 9.8 ka BP. However, given that the unique depositional context of the lithics may lead to an underestimation of these dating results, it is suggested that the Bawuguri hunter-gatherer group was active in the upper reaches of the Xiangquan River earlier than 9.8 ka BP.

The lithic assemblage includes flake cores, blade cores, flakes, blades, bladelets, retouched tools and chunks, most of which were small in size. Low-quality grey siliceous rock collected from the nearby riverbeds was the main raw material. Utilized pebbles and flakes as blanks, flake cores were mainly produced by hard hammer and simply knapping from one single platform. In contrast, blade cores include prismatic cores and narrow-faced cores, including systematic preparation of platforms and flaking surfaces to guide sequential blade detachment. Along with blade cores were found crested blades, the typical by-products in prismatic blade flaking system. The only types of tools are scraper and notch, slightly retouched by direct hard hammer percussion from flake blanks. Bawuguri site exhibits typical blade technology products, whereas blade sites are exceptionally rare across the Tibetan Plateau.

Bawuguri site is the only early Holocene site ever found along the Xiangquan River, an important cultural exchange junction on the western Tibetan Plateau. The discovery of the Bawuguri site not only provides valuable materials for understanding early human adaptation and lithic technology communication, but is also important for exploring the migration of the blade technology populations as well as the dispersal routes of the blade technology across the Tibetan Plateau.

Key words: Bawuguri site, Early Holocene, Zanda Basin, lithic technology, Tibetan Plateau

CLC Number:

K871

TAN Yunyao, HE Wei, GE Junyi, JIN Yingshuai, YANG Ziyi, REN Yingye, WANG Shejiang, ZHANG Xiaoling. A preliminary study of the Bawuguri site in Ngari Prefecture of Xizang[J]. Acta Anthropologica Sinica, 2026, 45(04): 661-669.

Figures/Tables 6

References 11

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编号ID	深度Depth(m)	地层Layer	铀U (mg/kg)	钍Th (mg/kg)	钾K	剂量率Total dose rate	含水率Water content	等效剂量De(Gy.ka-1)	年代Age (ka BP)
HED-1286	0.07	1	3.32	15.40	1.67%	4.54	6%±2%	28.69	6.318
HED-1287	0.08	1	3.40	12.60	1.44%	4.16	6%±2%	30.19	7.265
HED-1288	0.09	1	2.93	13.40	1.61%	4.25	6%±2%	33.34	7.853
HED-1289	0.12	1	3.57	15.20	1.55%	4.57	6%±2%	44.82	9.81
HED-1290	0.15	2	2.38	11.10	1.46%	3.82	6%±2%	56.60	14.831
HED-654	0.27	2	2.04	9.17	1.60%	3.70	6%±2%	261.57	70.763
HED-655	0.55	3	2.50	10.69	1.68%	4.02	6%±2%	243.27	60.55
HED-656	0.8	4	2.66	10.60	1.54%	3.91	6%±2%	242.04	61.837

编号ID	深度Depth(m)	地层Layer	铀U (mg/kg)	钍Th (mg/kg)	钾K	剂量率Total dose rate	含水率Water content	等效剂量De(Gy.ka-1)	年代Age (ka BP)
HED-1286	0.07	1	3.32	15.40	1.67%	4.54	6%±2%	28.69	6.318
HED-1287	0.08	1	3.40	12.60	1.44%	4.16	6%±2%	30.19	7.265
HED-1288	0.09	1	2.93	13.40	1.61%	4.25	6%±2%	33.34	7.853
HED-1289	0.12	1	3.57	15.20	1.55%	4.57	6%±2%	44.82	9.81
HED-1290	0.15	2	2.38	11.10	1.46%	3.82	6%±2%	56.60	14.831
HED-654	0.27	2	2.04	9.17	1.60%	3.70	6%±2%	261.57	70.763
HED-655	0.55	3	2.50	10.69	1.68%	4.02	6%±2%	243.27	60.55
HED-656	0.8	4	2.66	10.60	1.54%	3.91	6%±2%	242.04	61.837

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