贵州观音洞遗址石制品剥片技术辨析

近期,英国杂志《自然》（Nature）发表了对贵州观音洞遗址1964-1973年出土石制品的再研究结果,认为该遗址石制品中存在系统的勒瓦娄哇技术;新的光释光测年显示遗址主文化层距今17-8万年。据此,该文作者认为观音洞遗址的石制品组合代表了东亚最早的勒瓦娄哇技术遗存。本文对观音洞遗址石制品的研究历史、勒瓦娄哇技术研究简史和定义等进行了回顾和梳理,同时对观音洞遗址相关石制品进行了详细观察分析。在此基础上认为,观音洞遗址石制品组合是一个相对简单的石核-石片技术复合体,与之前学者得出的结论一致;不存在勒瓦娄哇技术。最后,本文对宁夏水洞沟、金斯太、通天洞等遗址发现的勒瓦娄哇技术遗存的简要分析表明,目前尚无可靠证据显示中国在距今5万年前出现过勒瓦娄哇技术。

Re-examination of core reduction strategies of the Guanyindong lithic assemblage in Guizhou

Hu et al recently published an article in Nature reanalyzing the long-curated lithic assemblage excavated from the Guanyindong site in 1964-1973 in Guizhou Province (South China) and draw an opposite conclusion to the previous studies. They put forward a new viewpoint that the assemblage reflected a late Middle Pleistocene Levallois stone-tool technology on the basis of new dates and was thus the earliest Levallois production in East Asia. In this paper, we briefly reviewed the research history of the Guanyindong assemblages and the Levallois technology. Based upon our own careful examination on a sample of Guanyindong assemblages and the technological definition of the Levallois technique, we find that the previous studies of this assemblage, which concluded that it fell within a core-flake technocomplex, remains the most reliable interpretation. We also synthesize the evidence of Levallois technologies in China, such as Shuidonggou, Jinsitai and Tongtiandong sites, and conclude that there is as yet no evidence supporting the occurrence of Levallois technology in China about 50,000 years ago.