东谷坨遗址的动物考古学研究

The primary problem of the debate about the survival strategies of the Early Pleistocene hominid is their efficiency of procuring food from the surrounding environment. At present, most of the discussion of early hominid hunting ability and behavior are based on the materials from Africa and the Near East. The pointcut is the zooarchaeology, which focus on how to distinguish the order and methods of consuming the preys by hominid and other predators. That is to say, the hominids are hunters or scavengers. In China and even in East Asia, the early Pleistocene zooarchaeology are scarce, despite of few bone assemblages statements in Nihewan Basin. The ability and patterns of using animal resources by early hominid were unknown, and relevant studies are urgently needed..The bone remains from Donggutuo site, the most representative site of the Early Paleolithic in North China, are selected as the study materials in this program. Detailed analyses of zooarchaeology will be conducted. By means of studying the faunas and their ecology, the mortality patterns, the bone element profiles, fragmentation analyses and bone surface modifications, we aim to discuss the formation of the site, the living environment of hominid, the strategies of procuring food by them and the relationship of hominid and other carnivores. On this basis, we could reconstruct the survival strategies of the Early Pleistocene hominid living in high latitudes in China, define the behavioral patterns of hominid in East Asia according to the environment changes, and try to compare our materials with Africa and the Near East to expound the similarities and differences. With the studies above, we would put forward the East Asian perspectives of the survival strategies of the early hominid.

早更新世古人类获取动物资源的种类以及方式、能力（狩猎或食腐）极具争议，是人类学和考古学研究的热点。目前，此类研究聚焦于如何有效区分古人类和食肉动物利用其他动物性资源的先后顺序及方式，多针对非洲与近东发现的考古材料。然而，国内甚至东亚缺乏早更新世遗址的动物考古学分析案例，东亚早更新世古人类利用动物资源的状况不明，相关研究亟待加强。.本项目选择中国旧石器时代早期最具代表性的遗址之一，东谷坨遗址（距今ca. 1.1 Ma）自2016年起出土的动物化石，通过研究动物群构成和生态特征、不同动物的死亡年龄结构、骨骼单元分布、破碎方式及骨骼表面痕迹等，讨论该遗址的埋藏过程以及本地古人类的生活环境、获取资源的能力与方式、与其它食肉动物的关系等。通过此案例评估中国高纬度早更新世人类获取动物性食材的能力，说明其适应性生存模式，并尝试与非洲、近东等地的相关材料对比，为研究早期人类的生存能力和环境适应策略提供东亚视角。

依据项目申请书和项目批准计划书的内容，综合利用考古学、古生物学及生态学等学科的研究方法，对泥河湾盆地东谷坨遗址出土的动物化石进行了系统的观测与分析，并围绕泥河湾盆地古人类肉食资源构成及其获取动物资源的策略展开讨论，取得了重要进展。现已完成东谷坨遗址2016-2020年所有出土动物化石的信息采集，并对动物群构成、埋藏状况进行了分析；系统的采集所有出土动物化石的信息，将旧石器时代动物考古学的研究与古环境、古生态等信息相结合，建立了一套适用于本地旧石器时代考古遗址出土动物化石研究的方法，拓展了史前考古学的研究思路，为更精细化的埋藏学数据提取打下了基础。在项目运行过程中，亦将该数据库运用到其它重要旧石器时代考古遗址（于家沟遗址、板井子遗址及马圈沟遗址）出土动物化石的整理中，并产出了相应的成果。