洛南盆地阿舍利石制品残留物分析

In this project, we propose to conduct the functional study of Acheulian artifacts from Zhanghuokou site in Luonan Basin of Shannxi Province. This site was accumulated between 250-70 ka BP, which went through the Middle-Upper Pleistocene period. Acheulian artifacts, especially handaxe function is always on the hot debate of paleolithic study. How ancient human being designed and actually utilize these kind of tools and how these tools affected the ancient occupants is still not clear especially in East Asia. Residue analysis and use-wear study will be applied in this study,which aims at getting direct evidence of the plants that these stone tools actually worked on and the ways they worked. Comparative database will be helpful in the identification of the plant remains, which could help to summarize the types of plant resources that the ancient occupants explored. At the mean while, repulication experiment will be also envolved, for examining the property of use-wear. With all these methods and technologies, we hope to reconstruct the real picture of the role that Acheulian artifacts played in the surviving strategies of ancient human bebings in Luonan Basin,and the functional differences between handaxe and cleaver. Through these disscussions, we hope to present more evidence and clues of the plant exploitation of Homo erectus in East Asia, and promote the study of Paleolithic archaeology in China.

本课题拟对陕西省洛南盆地张豁口遗址出土距今25-7万年的阿舍利工业组合石制品进行功能分析，探究以手斧为主的阿舍利人工制品的功能属性，解读其加工对象和使用方式，剖析洛南盆地古人类对此类工具的设计及使用状况，与其对当地古人类生存产生的影响。本课题拟采用残留物分析及微痕分析手段，通过对石制品表面残留物质的提取和鉴定分析、对表面使用痕迹的观察和模拟实验，获得石制品加工对象和使用方式的直接证据，并深入解读洛南地区手斧类石制品的整体面貌、判断手斧与薄刃斧的功能性差别，同时希望能够为复原洛南地区中、晚更新世古人类对植物资源的开发及利用方式寻找有益线索和证据。

经过三年来的运行，项目取得了重要研究进展，对洛南盆地张豁口遗址约245-75kaBP（光释光年代）地层中出土的多件标本进行了实验室检测与提取，在排除了外界污染的情况下，从5件手斧标本表面提取出了8枚来自不同种类植物的淀粉粒（表1），挑战了淀粉粒在地层中保存的时间上限，同时，根据与现生植物淀粉粒数据库的对比，对这些淀粉粒进行了种类鉴定，认定了张豁口遗址手斧被用于挖掘的功能。通过形态分析以及与现生植物淀粉粒数据库的对比，这些淀粉粒的来源被分为了4类 A．植物地下储藏器官（根茎类）。B．禾本科植物种子。C．豆科植物种子。D．不可鉴定植物类型。来自标本1806和1962的两粒淀粉粒，没有在现生植物淀粉数据库中找到所能对应的样品，无法对其大类作出判断。该课题通过残留物分析及微痕观测确认遗址出土手斧标本的功能，建立手斧与特定植物类型的关联性，从而探讨洛南地区古人类在25~7万年前的生存状态，提取生存行为信息。同时，经过功能学解读，判断洛南手斧性质，进而对中、晚更新世古人类在亚欧大陆的扩散给出石器文化方面的线索。针对这个既定目标，课题进行了系统工作，基本完成了上述目标。同时，本课题的另外一个目标，是验证残留物分析手段在旧石器时代早期标本中的应用性，这对石制品功能学意义重大。此前，我国尚无旧石器时代早期石制品残留物分析的案例，国际上同类的研究也并不多见。本研究加大了我们对该技术应用范围的认识，开发了该手段的应用潜力，为今后更加深入的研究奠定基础。