泥河湾盆地早更新世人类行为及其与环境关系研究-以麻地沟遗址为例

The Nihewan basin, as the earliest and centralized evidence on the human dispersal to East Asia, is the key region on the study of the relationship between early hominin evolution and environment during Early Pleistocene in North China. This project will make a comprehensive study on the archaeological materials consist of lithic artifacts, animal fossils, and bone fragments excavated from new discovered site-Madigou, Nihewan basin since 2007. Major research focuses include the characteristics of lithic technology, function analysis, zooarchaeological analysis, and the environmental factor. Major research methods include lithic technique analysis and lithic experimentation, helping to explain the characteristics of lithic technology. Testing of grain size and paleomagnetic dates combining with the spatial distributed feature of lithic artifacts and fossil fragments for establishing the 3D model on site formation processes of different localities (MDGE-2, MDG-E3, MDG-E5, MDG-E6, and MDG-E7) at Madigou site. The zooarchaeological observation, lithic use-wear analysis can reveal the information of living behaviors adopted by early hominins. The key analysis of the sediments including sporopollen, organic carbon content, the ratio of C/N, soluble salt, magnetic susceptibility, as well as macro-element geochemical analysis will be conducted by the applicants to reconstruct the paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental changes. As a result, an interpretation of occupation processes and behaviors adopted by early hominins at Madigou site will be inferred by the applicants. Lithic technical comparison among Madigou, Xiaochangliang, and Donggutuo in the Nihewan basin, and Oldowan (Mode1) technology of some sites from Olduvai Gorge and Lake Turkana region in East Africa will try to interpret the causation and mode of hominins migration, technical communication and exchange between West and East in Early Pleistocene. In this way, the project will contribute to research on the evolution, dispersal and technical development mode of early hominins in China.

泥河湾盆地是早期人类扩散至东亚最早证据所在地，是研究中国北方早更新世人类演化和环境关系的关键地区。本项目拟对新发现的麻地沟遗址出土石制品和动物化石，从技术类型学、功能学及环境因素等角度进行综合研究。运用石制品加工技术和模拟实验，揭示古人类石器技术特点；通过对地层粒度和年代的分析测试，结合遗物空间分布特点，建立遗址形成过程的空间立体模型；借助动物考古、石器微痕研究，提取古人类生存行为信息；采用孢粉、有机碳、C/N比值、易溶盐、磁化率和常量元素地球化学分析等多种测试手段，复原遗址形成的气候和环境背景，在此基础上解读古人类对遗址的使用过程和生存行为。通过与小长梁和东谷坨遗址以及东非Olduvai Gorge及Lake Turkana地区相关遗址mode1石器工业比较研究，探索在早更新世发生中西方人群迁徙、技术传播与交流的动因和规律，对中国早期人类的演化、扩散和技术演化模式等学术问题提供新的视角。

泥河湾盆地是早期人类扩散至东亚最早证据所在地，以发现众多百万年前的古人类活动遗址而为学术界所关注，是研究中国北方早更新世人类演化和环境关系的关键地区。项目组对麻地沟遗址地层和出土的石制品及动物化石，从年代学、技术类型学、模拟实验和环境因素等角度进行综合研究。高精度的古地磁年代测定表明，古人类在该遗址活动的时间大致发生在距今1.2-1.1myr。对遗址不同地点的埋藏过程研究显示，5个地点在形成过程中均受到过不同程度的湖泊片流改造，但改造程度存在差异。石器技术和模拟实验研究表明，古人类因地制宜获取周边的燧石和白云岩原料进行石制品制作，针对岩块和砾石原料，古人类分别倾向于采用锤击法和砸击法进行剥片。剥片类产品均属于早期人类的奥杜威工业(Oldowan)石核或石核工具类型，各种类型的废片显示原始的技术指标。通过和飞梁、东谷坨等周边重要遗址的石器技术比较，项目组认为麻地沟遗址的石器工业特点可界定为中国（东亚）似奥杜威（Oldowan-like）工业或者mode1技术传统（石核－石片工业体系）。对遗址湖滨相沉积物易溶盐类的测试和分析表明，古人类活动时期的泥河湾古湖易溶盐为SO42--Na＋-HCO3-Cl-型，剖面平均含盐量为11.41‰，属于半咸水湖。对遗址剖面孢粉、氧碳同位素、氧化铁等指标研究表明，遗址形成过程的气候由温凉半湿润草原环境→冷干的荒漠环境→温暖湿润的稀树草原环境→相对冷干的荒漠草原环境→温凉半湿润的草原环境，古人类在该遗址活动的时间对应于环境演化的早期第2～4阶段，总体环境为开阔的稀树草原和荒漠草原环境。研究显示，在中更新气候转型期开始阶段，麻地沟遗址古人类石器技术特点与奥杜威峡谷（Olduvai Gorge）等东非多个区域早期人类最早的Oldowan工业类型相似，是古人类对泥河湾盆地生态环境和石质资源适应的结果。本项研究表明，泥河湾盆地不仅在揭示东亚早更新世人类演化与东西方技术交流方面具有不可替代的优势，同时对深入探讨早更新世人类对华北温带草原环境的适应策略亦具有重要意义。