Technology diffusion and population migration reflected in blade technologies in northern China in the Late Pleistocene

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• 作者：Feng Li ; FuYou Chen ; YingHua Wang ; Xing Gao
• 刊名：Science China Earth Sciences
• 出版年：2016
• 出版时间：August 2016
• 年：2016
• 卷：59
• 期：8
• 页码：1540-1553
• 全文大小：2,189 KB
• 刊物主题：Earth Sciences, general;
• 出版者：Springer Berlin Heidelberg
• ISSN：1869-1897
• 卷排序：59

文摘

In recent years, the origin and evolution of modern human behaviors have become a common topic of research in Paleolithic archaeology. One important part of modern human behavior, blade technology, was once thought to be unique to modern humans. Recent studies have suggested that variations in blade technology do not fully correspond to modern populations. However, the standardization, diversity, discontinuity in terms of time distribution, and differences in spatial distribution of blade technology give it an important role in discussions of modes of adaptation, diffusion of technology, and population migration of hominins. By categorizing the major blade assemblages in China, we show that there were two blade reduction methods in northern China: the Levallois method and the prismatic method. Dating back 30000–40000 years, the Levallois and prismatic blade method combined to form the characteristics of the early stage of the Upper Paleolithic. Artifacts bearing such characteristics are located in Northwest China, Northeast China, and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The unearthed blades are similar in technological organization and are connected geographically with those discovered in Siberia and Mongolia, which also indicates a distinct border from those discovered in northern China. This fact is suggestive of population immigration. About 25000–29000 years ago, a combination of prismatic blades and microblades was developed in the hinterland of China; however whether it can be regarded as the representative of population migration or only a technological adaption remains undetermined. We suggest that the system of production of different blades should be distinguished in the study of blade assemblages and that different blade methods should not be integrated into a single technical system to discuss technology diffusion and population dispersal.KeywordsNorth ChinaLate PleistoceneBlade technologyTechnology diffusionHuman migration