Taphonomic history of Beiguanbu site Loc. B at Yuxian, Nihewan Basin

doi:10.16359/j.1000-3193/AAS.2026.0028

Abstract

Abstract:

The relationship between the evolution of the Nihewan paleolake and early human activities has long been a focal issue in Paleolithic research. However, the preservation conditions and site formation processes of Paleolithic sites formed during the terminal stage of the lake development remain insufficiently understood. This study focuses on the newly discovered and excavated Paleolithic site of Beiguanbu Loc. B (BGB-B) and aims to decipher its taphonimic history. The BGB-B site is located in the Nuanquan Platform of Yuxian County, Hebei Province. The archaeological remains are preserved within silt deposits that were formed prior to the final extinction of the Nihewan paleolake. Geomorphorlogical and sedimentological evidence indicates that the BGB-B site is embedded within a fluvio-lacustrine sequence on the northern bank of the Huliu River. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating suggests that hominins occupation of the site at approximately 210 ka, placing it in the late Middle Pleistocene.

Various taphonomic indicators of remains (including edge abrasion, size distribution, and technological composition), together with kernel density surfaces of lithic remains and fabric analysis based on artifact orientations and eigenvectors, indicate that moderate-intensity hydraulic lakeshore sheetwash from northeast direction contributed to the formation processes of the BGB-B and reduced the overall integrity of the lithic technological record. The results suggest that during the late stage of Nihewan paleolake development, climatic fluctuations contributed to lake shrinkage, and lakeshore environments were increasingly modified by surface runoff. Early humans preferentially occupied relatively stable lakeshore landforms, and low-energy sheetwash processes played a role in the formation of the BGB-B assemblage. Further investigation of the site will provide important insights into the interpretation of human occupation behavior and subsistence strategies. As a result, it also can contribute to a better understanding of how hominins utilized lakeshore landscape during the terminal phase of paleolake evolution in the Nihewan Basin.

Key words: site formation processes, lake shore environment, late Middle Pleistocene, Beiguanbu, Nihewan Basin

CLC Number:

K871

LIU Ziyi, GENG Shuaijie, DING Xin, XU Jingyue, YE Zhi, NIU Dongwei, PEI Shuwen. Taphonomic history of Beiguanbu site Loc. B at Yuxian, Nihewan Basin[J]. Acta Anthropologica Sinica, 2026, 45(03): 556-569.

Figures/Tables 6

Fig.1 Geographical location of Beiguanbu site Loc. B

Fig.2 Stratigraphic section and OSL dating of Beiguanbu site Loc. B

Fig.3 3D spatial distribution and density feature of lithic remains from Beiguanbu site Loc. B

Fig.4 Spatial distributions and kernel density patterns of lithic remains from Beiguanbu site Loc. B

Fig.5 Technological attributes and preservation feature of lithics from Beiguanbu site Loc. B

Fig.6 Rose diagrams showing orientation and inclination, and the dip distributions (in degree) of remains from Beiguanbu site Loc. B

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