Abstract:

As a key area to explore the origin and evolution of human beings in the world, Nihewan Basin is globally renowned for the continuity of Quaternary sediments and the richness of ancient human occupations. Huailai basin, which preserves fluvio-lacustrine deposits and Paleolithic cultural remains, is located in the eastern part of the Nihewan Basin (senso lato), serving as a crucial corridor for hominin migration and cultural exchange along the Sanggan River-Yongding River drainage system during the Pleistocene. Since 2014, a joint archaeological team organized by Hebei Normal University and other institutions has conducted systematic and continuous Paleolithic surveys, excavations, and multidisciplinary research in the Huailai Basin, yielding a series of important achievements that have preliminarily filled the Paleolithic archaeological gaps in this region.

In terms of archaeological survey, a total of 21 Paleolithic localities were discovered between 2014 and 2023, mainly distributed along the southwestern shore of the Guanting Reservoir and the northern piedmont of the basin. Systematic excavations were conducted at three key sites: Zhuwobu site, Xigouwan Locality 1, and Nanjiagou site, yielding a great number of lithic artifacts, animal fossils and other archaeological remains. Chronological studies using OSL and AMS¹⁴C dating placed Zhuwobu site at 280±13 ka BP (late Middle Pleistocene), Xigouwan Locality 1 at 47~41 ka BP (early Upper Paleolithic), and Nanjiagou site at 17~16 ka (terminal Late Pleistocene).

Raw materials were predominantly locally procured, with evidence of potential long-distance transport and heat treatment of volcanic breccia at Nanjiagou site. Systematic analysis on Lithic assemblages reveals a technological transition from simple core-and-flake technology at Zhuwobu site and Xigouwan Locality 1 to the coexistence of flake tool technology and microblade technology at Nanjiagou site. Zooarchaeological analysis indicates that hominins played a dominant role in Animal resource accumulation and exploitation. At Nanjiagou site, the findings of bone needles, ostrich eggshell beads with red ochre residues, and composite tools technology reflect intensified resource exploitation and behavior diversity during the Late Paleolithic. Paleoenvironmental reconstructions based on pollen, grain size, and magnetic susceptibility, integrated with chronological frameworks, show that cultural layer at Zhuwobu site corresponded to a warm and humid environment with sediments of shallow lacustrine phase, while human occupations at Xigouwan Locality 1 occurred during a relatively cool, humid interval between H5 and H4 (Heinrich events).

In summary, over a decade of systematic Paleolithic research in the Huailai Basin has established a preliminary chronological framework and lithic technological sequence spanning the past 300 ka, outlining the basic characteristics of hominin occupations and their subsistence and evolutionary trajectory from the late Middle Pleistocene to the terminal Late Pleistocene. These findings and studies provide essential data and perspectives for addressing key scientific issues in North China and East Asia, including hominin technological evolution, subsistence adaptation, behavioral diversity, and regional population interaction. Future work should strengthen multidisciplinary integration and regional comparative research to promote the continuous development of Paleolithic Archaeology in this area.

Key words: Nihewan Basin, Huailai Basin, Paleolithic, lithic technology, behavioral diversity