鄂尔多斯乌兰木伦遗址第2地点2014-2015出土的石制品

乌兰木伦遗址位于内蒙古自治区鄂尔多斯市康巴什新区的乌兰木伦河左岸,该遗址主要包括第1(Loc.1)、第2(Loc.2)和第3(Loc.3)三处旧石器地点。其中,第2地点发现于2010年,并于2011年进行试掘。2014年开始,在试掘基础上将发掘面积扩大至25m2,并进行系统发掘,截至2015年,第2地点共揭露文化层位5个,出土石制品318件,动物化石8件,并发现大面积动物脚印化石遗迹两处。石制品类型包括石核、石片、断块/片和工具(锯齿刃器、凹缺器、刮削器、尖状器、端刮器、石锥)等。乌兰木伦遗址第2地点发掘材料的详细研究,增加了我们对于遗址环境和文化面貌的认识,为我们探讨中国北方晚更新世阶段古人类技术与适应性行为等提供了重要材料。光释光测年表明第2地点的年代距今约6万年,处于晚更新世中期。

A study of stone artifacts from 2014-2015 excavations at the Wulanmulun Locality 2, Ordos,Inner Mongolia

The Wulanmulun site, located in Kangbashi District, Ordos City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, North China, consists of three localities, namely Loc.1, Loc.2 and Loc.3. This site is situated on the left bank of the Wulanmulun River and lies at an altitude of 1281m. The Loc.2 was excavated tentatively in 2011 and formally in 2014 and 2015. The excavation exposed an area of 25m²with five cultural layers. A total of 318 stone artifacts and eight animal fossils was uncovered during the 2014 and 2015 field seasons, along with an area of animal footprints unearthed during the excavation. Stone artifacts include cores, flakes, bipolar products, tools(denticulates, notches, points, end-scrapers, awls) and so on. In addition, the cultural layers have yielded optically stimulated luminescence dates ca. 60 ka.Technologically, the Loc.2 is dominated by flakes (n=223; 71.06%), followed by tools (n=33; 10.38%), chunks (n=27; 8.49%), cores (n=26; 8.18%), and manuports (n=6; 1.89%). Lithic raw materials derive from local sources. Quartzite dominates, while quartz and chert are less common. The majority of artifacts is small in size. Hard-hammer direct percussion was applied extensively, and the presence of bipolar products indicates that bipolar technique was also used. Denticulates and notches are important tools in the stone artifact assemblage. Tools were mainly retouched on the dorsal surface by freehand percussion.The lithic assemblage of Wulanmulun site has the attributes of a small tool industry in North China. Integrated research on the site in future may potentially shed light on the evolutionary trajectories of lithic technologies and human behavior in North China during the Late Pleistocene period.