晋西南旧石器考古学研究现状及其展望

晋西南古称河东,位于汾渭地堑中部,包括临汾盆地、运城盆地以及中条山南麓黄河沿岸。这里自古就是中华民族文明重要发祥地,也是研究人类起源、发展、演化的重要地区。20世纪50年代以来,考古工作者在山西地堑发现了300余处旧石器时代遗址和地点。这些发现业已证明晋西南的临汾、运城以及中条山南麓黄河沿岸,从早更新世初期直到更新世结束一直有人类在这片土地上繁衍生息。其中西侯度遗址、匼河遗址群、丁村遗址群、下川遗址群、柿子滩遗址群,代表了东亚旧石器时代人类200万年以来从能人→直立人→早期智人→晚期智人各个不同发展阶段一个完整的演化历程。因此,这里成为中国大陆一个非常重要的远古人类演化场。本文试图通过对这一区域旧石器考古的回顾,找出我们工作中的不足以及需要努力的方向,并向本地区考古学研究的开拓者贾兰坡、王建、王择义等老一辈考古学家致敬。

Review and prospects of Paleolithic archaeology in Southwest Shanxi

Southwest Shanxi is located in middle of the Fen-Wei Rift Valley, including the Linfen Basin, the Yuncheng Basin, and west bank of the Yellow River at the southern piedmont of Zhongtiao Mountains. Since the 1950s, more than 300 Paleolithic sites and localities have been discovered. Archaeological studies suggest that human beings have been occupying this region since early Lower Pleistocene, lasting to the end of the Last Ice Age. Several carefully excavated archaeological sites, including Xihoudu, Kehe, Dingcun, Xiachuan, and Shizitan, compose a continuum of lithic industries. They suggest a complete evolutionary trajectory during the last 2 million years: Homo habilis, Homo erectus, Archaic Homo sapiens, and Homo sapiens sapiens. Thus, Southwest Shanxi is a significant region of human and cultural evolution in China. This paper reviews the research history in the last six decades, points out weaknesses of previous studies, and discusses several further directions of archaeological research. This article is dedicated to the 110th birthday of Professor Jia Lanpo, one of the founders of Chinese Paleolithic archaeology.