猿人洞的溶洞演化和堆积旋回与北京猿人生活环境

猿人洞的溶洞演化过程按岩溶洞穴发生发展规律可划分为６个阶段．在洞穴发育的填充过程中,依据堆积物的成因类型,猿人洞中的中更新世洞穴堆积层可分为７个堆积旋回．每个堆积旋回可与年代相当的黄土堆积旋回和深海气候旋回—一对应．堆积旋回所显示的气候和洞穴环境变化均与北京猿人生活环境及其旧石器文化的发展有着密切的关系．     

Local vegetation dynamics and human habitation from the last interglacial to the early Holocene at Theopetra cave,central Greece: the evidence from wood charcoal analysis

This paper presents the results of wood charcoal analysis carried out on material from Theopetra cave in central Greece. The sequence dates from prior to 130–8 ka bp and is made up of layers of both anthropogenic and geogenic origins. The study of the wood charcoal samples from these layers sets out to distinguish changes in the local vegetation through time, to correlate these with broader environmental conditions and to discuss how they may relate to differences in the frequency and intensity of human occupation of the cave from shortly before the last interglacial to the Holocene. Changes in the presence and frequency of Prunus sp., Juniperus sp. as well as taxa needing temperate, thermophilous or riverine conditions in successive layers reflect a pattern of vegetation succession that can be correlated with the pollen and marine isotope stage (MIS) records. The earliest human occupation took place in an open park-woodland environment dominated by Prunus during the late MIS 6–6/5 transition. This was followed by a succession of temperate woodlands with deciduous Quercus, Carpinus and Fraxinus, reflecting the optimal conditions of the last interglacial (MIS 5e), followed by more open vegetation during subsequent cooling events. Middle Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers visited the cave repeatedly during the last interglacial, in contrast to more sporadic human presence during the following climatic deterioration. This was characterized by Juniperus dominated steppe and open vegetation and/or riparian woods, reflecting the harsh and unstable climatic conditions of the pleniglacial. Finally, the expansion of Pistacia and re-establishment of temperate woodland points to climatic amelioration during the Holocene from which there is evidence of regular use of the cave by Mesolithic and Neolithic people. The dominant role of Prunus observed in several periods provides important complementary information to the pollen evidence from the late Pleistocene.     

The Quaternary origins of the modern British mammal fauna

The origins of the modern British mammal fauna as a recognizable assemblage are traceable through preceding temperate woodland phases at least as far back as the early part of the Middle Pleistocene. Earlier Quaternary mammal assemblages have more in common with those of the Pliocene than those of the Middle Pleistocene, but evidence for gaps in the British Early Pleistocene sequence precludes inferences concerning the nature of this change in faunal composition.
A major difficulty in reconstructing Quaternary faunal histories is in establishing stable correlations between the fragmentary terrestrial sequences from which the fossil record has been recovered and in assembling those sequences into chronological order. Existing reconstructions of Quaternary events in Britain are of hybrid origin, a mix of palynological biostratigraphy based on assumed monocyclic floral successions for a small number of major interglacial stages, with intervening cold stages identified by characteristic glacial or periglacial lithologies and structures. While this framework has served as a useful basis for some Quaternary disciplines, some interpretations of the mammalian evidence do not fit it well.
Attention is given here to information derived from fossil mammal assemblages which may be used to help determine the number and sequence of Middle and Late Pleistocene temperate woodland phases with faunas showing close links with that of the Flandrian. While much of this information is not new, it has been largely ignored in the construction of some of the more widely known schemes for Quaternary subdivision. At present five such episodes can be identified and characterized prior to the present interglacial, though further refinement may br possible as work on a more detailed account of key sites arid their palaeontology progresses.     

Late Pleistocene human remains from Wezmeh Cave, western Iran

Paleontological analysis of remains from Wezmeh Cave in western Iran have yielded a Holocene Chalcolithic archeological assemblage, a rich Late Pleistocene carnivore faunal assemblage, and an isolated unerupted human maxillary premolar (P(3) or possibly P(4)). Species representation and U-series dating of faunal teeth place the carnivore assemblage during oxygen isotope stages (OIS) 3 and 2, and noninvasive gamma spectrometry dating of the human premolar places it at least as old as early OIS 2. The human premolar crown morphology is not diagnostic of late archaic versus early modern human affinities, but its buccolingual diameter places it at the upper limits of Late Pleistocene human P(3) and P(4) dimensions and separate from a terminal Pleistocene regional sample. Wezmeh Cave therefore provides additional Paleolithic human remains from the Zagros Mountains and further documents Late Pleistocene human association with otherwise carnivore-dominated cave assemblages.     

The Crocuta crocuta spelaea (Goldfuss 1823) population and its prey from the Late Pleistocene Teufelskammer Cave hyena den besides the famous Paleolithic Neandertal Cave (NRW,NW Germany)

Remains from at least seven individuals of the Late Pleistocene Ice Age spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta spelaea (Goldfuss, 1823) from the Teufelskammer Cave in the Neandertal valley (North Rhine-Westphalia, northwest Germany) are described. The small cave was a well-frequented hyena den of the Early to Middle Late Pleistocene which was only 100 m from the famous small Feldhofer Cave, where the first Neandertal human skeleton was found. The high amount of hyena bone material (37%) and its strongly chewed and incomplete prey remains of the mixed mammoth steppe and boreal forest megafauna prove one more of 11 recently known hyena den caves in the Rhenish Massif. Hyenas and cave bears have used the cave, but Neandertal humans lived possibly not at the same time in the same valley. Although hyenas occupied mainly the smaller caves such as the Teufelskammer Cave, humans preferred large portal cave entrances such as in the Neandertal valley with the Small Feldhofer Cave.     

Chronological and environmental context of the Middle Pleistocene human tooth from Mollet Cave (Serinyà, NE Iberian Peninsula)

Mollet Cave is a small cave situated in Serinyà (north-east Iberian Peninsula). It was excavated in 1947-48, 1958 and 1972 by Josep M. Corominas. An archaic human molar comes from its base layer (Layer 5). Up till now, this layer has only been dated based on a relative and imprecise chronology of macromammals and the archaeostratigraphic evidence from the early excavations. Recent excavations, conducted between 2001 and 2005, have made it possible to ascertain more precisely the archaeological and palaeontological contents of Mollet Cave, gather microvertebrates, and collect samples for radiometric dating. The aim of this paper is to present the absolute dating of Layer 5, as well as its palaeo environmental and climatic characterisation. The macromammal assemblage seems to have been the result of accumulations produced by the most abundant carnivore, the hyena, which would have used the cave as a den. The results obtained using uranium-series disequilibrium dating ascribe to Layer 5 an age of ca. 215 ka (thousands of years ago), which would correspond to MIS 7. The faunal association suggests a landscape formed by an open and humid woodland characteristic of an interstadial phase, which would have been an environment well suited to sustaining both hyenas and human groups.     

贵州毕节发现古人类化石与哺乳动物群

2008年12月在贵州毕节团结乡首次发现麻窝口洞化石点,经2009年、2012年和2013年3次发掘,在麻窝口洞上部砂质黏土地层中共发现了四千余件哺乳动物牙齿化石。2013年7月发现的3枚古人类牙齿,分别为左上犬齿、左上第一臼齿和右上第二臼齿。人类牙齿尺寸偏小,臼齿咬合面沟纹简单,没有复杂的咬合面皱纹和附尖齿带结构,牙根短而不显粗壮,上述特点有别于我国已经发现的直立人和早期智人,可归入解剖学上的现代人。与人类相伴的哺乳动物化石,经初步鉴定共计8目20科43属53种,动物群组合反映出亚热带森林生态环境。根据动物群的时代特点,地貌地层及堆积物的光释光年代测定,指示毕节麻窝口洞古人类的时代可能为中更新世晚期,或者晚更新世早期,毕节古人类牙齿的发现为东亚地区现代人的起源及演化增添了新的证据。     

A Late Pleistocene (MIS3) ungulate mammal assemblage (Los Rincones,Zaragoza, Spain) in the Eurosiberian–Mediterranean boundary

The Late Pleistocene archaeo-palaeontological sites in the Iberian Peninsula are located mainly on the coasts. Here, we present for the first time a palaeoenvironmental proxy for Upper Pleistocene locality (Marine Isotope Stage 3 MIS3) that is in the interior peninsular, in the Moncayo massif (Zaragoza). This is actually the boundary between Mediterranean and Eurosiberian climatic regions. This study is based in the site ungulates: Capra pyrenaica, which is larger in size than the current and fossil Capra from the Mediterranean area of the Iberian Peninsula. The horses have a small size, which is similar to that of the horses from Fontainhas and Casares. Significantly lesser in the number of specimens are the roe deer, the southern chamois and the auroch. The study and comparison of the faunal assemblage of the locality of Los Rincones with other sites of the Iberian MIS3 show a cluster of sites in the southern Peninsular, though separated, due to the abundance of Capra pyrenaica. The association of Los Rincones is similar to the southern peninsular sites such as Nerja, Gorham Cave, Cova Beneito and Zafarraya. The ungulate assemblage of Los Rincones represents a landscape with temperate climate, presence of steppe and patches of forest, similar to the current landscape surrounding the cavity today.     

Le Moustérien du Zagros : une vision synthétique à partir de la grotte de Shanidar

The Zagros Mousterian is a Middle Palaeolithic techno-typological lithic complex, found down the length of the Zagros mountain range in Iraq and Iran. It is associated with Neanderthal skeletal remains at four sites, most famously Shanidar Cave. Dating is problematic, but the indications are that Neanderthals with this cultural apparatus were present in the Zagros region from the beginning of the last interglacial (Marine Isotope Stage 5e) c.130.000 years ago through to c. 40.000 years ago during the last glacial. The humid deciduous woodland of MIS 5 was replaced by increasingly dry steppe in MIS 4 and MIS 3. Microfaunal assemblages and paleosols indicate that Neanderthals visited Shanidar Cave when environmental conditions were broadly similar to those of today, primarily in the humid phases of MIS 5 and then during brief climatic ameliorations in MIS 4 and MIS 3 that may correlate with Dansgaard-Oescheger events. Caves with Mousterian occupations at high altitudes suggest that they, too, were used by Neanderthals when conditions were not dissimilar to those of today. The indications are that the Zagros Mousterian represents the seasonal activities of highly mobile small and dispersed groups of Neanderthal foragers connected in social networks of shared cultural values and/or norms.     

贵州毕节麻窝口洞与智人伴生的长鼻类化石

最近在贵州毕节麻窝口洞发现了3枚古人类牙齿化石和伴生的哺乳动物群。其中,古人类牙齿经初步研究可归入解剖学上的现代人,而与古人类相伴的大、小哺乳动物化石,经初步鉴定共计8目20科43属53种。本文系统记述了该动物群中大哺乳动物的典型代表——长鼻类化石,共2属2种:东方剑齿象(Stegodon orientalis)和亚洲象(Elephas maximus)。麻窝口洞的长鼻类缺失我国南方早更新世的典型种类——中华乳齿象(Sinomastodon)和华南剑齿象(Stegodon huananensis),具有从典型的中更新世大熊猫-剑齿象动物群(Ailuropoda-Stegodon fauna)向晚更新世亚洲象动物群(Asian elephant fauna)过渡的特征。依动物群的性质和地貌地层的特征,毕节麻窝口洞的智人及伴生动物群的地质时代很可能为中更新世晚期或晚更新世早期,这与堆积物的光释光年代测定的初步结果(距今约11.2-17.8万年)基本吻合。麻窝口洞东方剑齿象与亚洲象的组合明显具有东洋界亚热带动物群的特点,指示温暖潮湿的气候,这些长鼻类与智人等生存于近水的森林和灌丛中,并镶嵌了一些草地。     

广西崇左三合大洞的早更新世猪属新材料

系统记述了广西崇左三合大洞早更新世堆积中出土的与巨猿伴生的小猪(Sus xiaozhu)和裴氏猪(S.peii)。三合大洞是小猪在我国境内至少为第12个产地,也是目前最靠南的产地。小猪在三合大洞的发现进一步证实了小猪的繁盛时期是早更新世,繁盛地区在广西。三合大洞是裴氏猪在我国境内至少第9个产地, 也是裴氏猪在我国境内目前最靠南的记录。裴氏猪在三合大洞的发现同样证实了裴氏猪的繁盛时期是早更新世, 繁盛地区也在广西。虽然小猪的时代分布从早更新世早期起并可能延续到晚更新世早期, 裴氏猪的时代分布从早更新世早期到中更新世早期, 但是迄今发现的小猪与裴氏猪同时产出的层位均为早更新世地层, 而三合大洞是迄今我国境内第6个小猪和裴氏猪伴生的早更新世地点。小猪和裴氏猪也经常出现在巨猿产地, 三合大洞是迄今它们共生的第5个地点。小猪和裴氏猪在三合大洞的出现指示三合地区在早更新世具有近水的森林和灌丛环境。     

The Long Term Response of Birds to Climate Change: New Results from a Cold Stage Avifauna in Northern England

The early MIS 3 (55–40 Kyr BP associated with Middle Palaeolithic archaeology) bird remains from Pin Hole, Creswell Crags, Derbyshire, England are analysed in the context of the new dating of the site’s stratigraphy. The analysis is restricted to the material from the early MIS 3 level of the cave because the upper fauna is now known to include Holocene material as well as that from the Late Glacial. The results of the analysis confirm the presence of the taxa, possibly unexpected for a Late Pleistocene glacial deposit including records such as Alpine swift, demoiselle crane and long-legged buzzard with southern and/or eastern distributions today. These taxa are accompanied by more expected ones such as willow ptarmigan /red grouse and rock ptarmigan living today in northern and montane areas. Finally, there are temperate taxa normally requiring trees for nesting such as wood pigeon and grey heron. Therefore, the result of the analysis is that the avifauna of early MIS 3 in England included taxa whose ranges today do not overlap making it a non-analogue community similar to the many steppe-tundra mammalian faunas of the time. The inclusion of more temperate and woodland taxa is discussed in the light that parts of northern Europe may have acted as cryptic northern refugia for some such taxa during the last glacial. These records showing former ranges of taxa are considered in the light of modern phylogeographic studies as these often assume former ranges without considering the fossil record of those taxa. In addition to the anomalous combination of taxa during MIS 3 living in Derbyshire, the individuals of a number of the taxa are different in size and shape to members of the species today probably due to the high carrying capacity of the steppe-tundra.     

Gentelles-Le Mont de l’Evangile (département de la Somme,France) : un site de plateau occupé de l’Acheuléen au Micoquien

The palaeolithic site of Gentelles (Somme, France) is situated on a chalky plateau unlike most Lower and Middle Palaeolithic sites of the Somme basin, which are related to fluvial environments (alluvial and slope deposits). The archaeological material of the site excavated at Gentelles on several thousand square meters is recovered from the infilling of a dolina. The archaeological sequence is attributed to Late Middle and Upper Pleistocene (MIS 10 to MIS 5). The assignment of the loess infilling the dolina to MIS 6 is supported by ESR/U-Th dates obtained on teeth and the IRSL age of the sediment. All lithic assemblages include bifacial production and debitage with cores showing one or several surfaces of debitage. There is no evidence of Levallois flaking methods, which are very common in many Middle Palaeolithic industries of Northern France. The first steps of the reducing sequences are not present in most lithic assemblages. Some faunal remains (equids, bovids) have been discovered in the loess deposits. In most cases, the function of the site corresponds to short occupations of hunters moving on the plateau. In contrast, the CLG assemblage (MIS 8) which shows many phases of the reducing sequence suggests longer occupations.     

记广东首次发现巨羊及扬子鳄化石

<正> 1984年,广东罗定县博物馆在苹塘区普查时,在下山洞采集了近40种脊椎动物化石,其中的巨羊和扬子鳄在广东是首次发现,本文就此作简要的记述.下山洞属罗定苹塘区管辖,距苹塘区4公里.洞穴发育在奥陶系石灰岩中,洞口向西北,洞身窄而长,入洞后有两个分支,主洞长(可见部分)20米,宽1.5-2米(图1,A-C),主洞及支洞均有堆积物,地层出露如次(图2).     

重庆巫山玉米洞遗址中–晚更新世鹿科动物化石*

重庆市巫山县庙宇盆地的玉米洞是一处旧石器时代遗址,出土了大量的哺乳动物化石,其中的鹿科动物化石计有3属3种,且均有保存状态较好的角化石,为华南中–晚更新世鹿科化石的研究提供了很好的参考。大赤麂Muntiacus muntjak margae以角的尺寸较大为显著特征,在玉米洞中仅见于中更新世晚期地层中;黑鹿Rusa unicolor的角粗壮、纹饰深,眉枝长且与主枝的夹角为锐角,二者是华南中–晚更新世大熊猫–剑齿象动物群中的常见成员。葛氏斑鹿Cervus (Sika) grayi的角相对纤细、表面纹饰弱、主枝与眉枝夹角为钝角,是在西南地区的首次确切报道。R.unicolor化石标本在玉米洞遗址多数地层可见,而C.(S.) grayi则仅见于代表冰期气候的少数层位中,显示了玉米洞遗址堆积形成时期的古环境波动。     

船帆洞旧石器遗址洞穴形成过程与地层划分

本文根据最近发掘所获资料,对万寿岩山船帆洞旧石器时代晚期遗址洞穴的形成过程、洞内地层划分以及与洞外沉积物关系等问题进行初步探讨。提出:船帆洞洞穴的发育明显与区域性断裂及岩体的剪切节理有关;洞内经历数次堆积和冲刷;依岩性、地层关系和哺乳动物化石组合,洞内堆积物可分为Ⅰ(中更新世晚期)、Ⅱ(晚更新世早期)、Ⅲ(晚更新世晚期)和Ⅳ(全新世)4个地层单元。     

广西崇左木榄山智人洞的鼠科化石

最近在广西崇左木榄山智人洞遗址采集到1件具有现代智人解剖特征初始状态的下颌骨和丰富的哺乳动物化石。啮齿类中的鼠科化石有锡金小鼠(Mus pahari)、中华姬鼠(Apodemus draco)、黑线姬鼠(Apodemus agrarius)、似德氏狨鼠(Hapalomys cf.H.delacouri)、笔尾树鼠(Chiropodomys gliroides)、社鼠(Niviventer confucianus)、针毛鼠(Niviventer fulvescens)、爱氏巨鼠(Leopoldamys edwardsi)、印度板齿鼠(Bandicota indica)、褐家鼠(Rattus norvegicus)和黄毛鼠(Rattus losea)共8属11种。这种全部由当地或邻近地区现生种类构成的组合显然比当地早更新世的三合大洞和川黔地区中更新世歌乐山期的鼠类组合进步, 而与广西田东雾云洞的鼠类组合相似, 其动物群的时代为晚更新世早期, 与不平衡铀系法得到的测年结果(距今约11万年)相吻合。智人洞鼠科动物的组合明显具有东洋界热带-亚热带动物群的特点, 其中林灌和草地型所占比例较大表明当时的森林面积可能减少、林灌和草地面积可能增加, 反映出当时的气候相对干旱。     

Several different strategies for obtaining animal resources in the late Middle Pleistocene: The case of level XII at Bolomor Cave (Valencia,Spain)

Bolomor Cave, located in Tavernes de la Valldigna (Valencia, Spain), contains a sedimentary deposit composed of seventeen stratigraphic levels ranging from MIS 9 to MIS 5e. This extensive sequence allows us to ask different questions about how the human groups of this chronological period related to their environment. We report several different strategies by which animal resources were obtained from level XII faunal assemblage (MIS 6). These practices range from scavenging to the complex hunting techniques, such as multiple predation. This practice is inferred in the case of horses (Equus ferus) on the basis of: (1) the proportional representation of skeletal elements (elements with high marrow content, such as stylopodials and zeugopodials); (2) age at death of these animals (from infantile to advanced adult); (3) the position and function of cutmarks and toothmarks (mainly oblique and longitudinal incisions on limb bones diaphyses); (4) archaeostratigraphic distribution of their remains in the assemblage; and (5) presence of refits among the bones located at this archaeostratigraphical line. Evidence of anthropogenic processing of small prey (Oryctolagus cuniculus and Cygnus olor) is also identified at level XII. These discoveries imply the development of techniques different from those used to capture large and medium ungulates. From this perspective, a variety of strategies to obtain animal food can be documented at Bolomor Cave. This phenomenon can be related to the highly adaptive subsistence strategies of these hominids, who could take advantage of the benefits offered by a diverse and rich environment. In general, the aim of this study is to provide data about the subsistence strategies of human groups from Bolomor Cave and contribute to knowledge about the human groups’ way of life of in the late Middle Pleistocene.     

Le site du Ranc-Pointu no 2 à Saint-Martin-d’Ardèche : une occupation du Paléolithique moyen ancien dans le Sud-Est de la France

New investigations conducted in 2008 at Ranc-Pointu No. 2, a small cave located along the Ardèche River, led to the complete revision of the infilling and assemblages, confirming at least one human occupation in this small cave. There may have been two periods of occupation, but only the main one located at the top of the sequence (level ‘c’) has been firmly established. Revision of the large mammal corpus and sedimentological data suggests climatic warming from the base to the top of the sequence. The OSL dating of sub-level ‘c1’ to 145 ka must be discussed in relation to the interdisciplinary results. It suggests that this cave was occupied at the end of MIS 6 and therefore that human populations were present in the Ardèche gorges at the end of the Middle Pleistocene. Ranc-Pointu No. 2 would thus represent older Middle Palaeolithic occupations than in other caves located along the Ardèche River, such as Le Figuier or Saint-Marcel. In the Ardèche French department, only the bottom of the Moula-Guercy sequence and the top of the sequence at the site of Payre, both of which are northern sites, have recorded MIS 6 deposits.     

Evolutional process and depositional cycles of Peking Man Cave in relation to the living environments and cultural development of Peking Man

Evolutional process of the Peking Man Cave, from funnel and vertical channel development in the Early Pliocene to the cave close in the late Middle Pleistocene, may be divided into six stages. Cave deposits in filling process of the cave from Layer 13 to Layer 1 can be divided into seven depositional cycles. These cycles allow a correspond with the loess sequences S7-L2 in China and oxygen isotope stages 19-6 of climatic cycles I-C of deep sea records. The living environments and cultural development of Peking Man in closely related to the cave environments of each stage in evolutional process and each cycle in depositional process of the cave are researched in this paper. The cave evolutional process has gone through about 4 Ma. The Peking Man start entered into the cave and made stone implements before 580 ka B.P. The cultural development of Peking Man may be divided into the early, middle and late three stages about in 580–420 ka, 420–340 ka and 340–250 ka, respectively. Peking Man's first used fire is about 530 ka B.P. Habitation of Peking Man concetrated in the western part of the cave after 340 ka B.P. when eastern cave roof was collapsed. Peking Man left the cave after 250 ka B.P. during the cave was continuous collapsed and almost filled up.