Stone artifacts unearthed in 1985 and 1986 from the Xibaimaying site of the Nihewan Basin, Hebei Province
Received date: 2023-06-08
Online published: 2024-02-06
The Xibaimaying site was discovered in 1985 and first excavated from 1985 to 1986. The site was U-series dated to 18±1 kaBP and 15±1 kaBP based on two bovid teeth samples from the culture layer in 1989. When the site was re-dated using single-grain OSL methods in 2017, resulting ages indicated that the cultural layer was deposited 46±3 kaBP. With the differences in dates, the lithic assemblage needed to be reexamined. The representative tool assemblage included scrapers and points, which are widely found in Upper Paleolithic sites in northern China. Direct hard hammer percussion was the main flaking technique, with mostly unprepared platforms. It is believed that this assemblage represents the flake-tool tradition of the Upper Paleolithic in North China even though it has some unique characteristics. Retouching focused mostly on functional tool parts, such as scraper edges and the sharp corner of points to obtain effective functions in the most cost-effective way. There is a skill and maturity to the knapping and retouching technology. This assemblage shows that the cultural traditions of earlier sites such as at Xujiayao, Banjingzi and Xinmiaozhuang were inherited and developed at Xibaimaying.
Key words： Nihewan Basin; Upper Paleolithic; Xibaimaying site; Stone tools; Typology
Zhenyu ZHOU , Fagang WANG , Ying GUAN . Stone artifacts unearthed in 1985 and 1986 from the Xibaimaying site of the Nihewan Basin, Hebei Province[J]. Acta Anthropologica Sinica, 2024 , 43(01) : 55 -66 . DOI: 10.16359/j.1000-3193/AAS.2024.0003
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