Lithic Industries Of The Period From Late Upper Paleolithic To Paleolithic-Neolithic Transition In The Nenjiang River Basin

Located in northeastern China,Nengjiang is one of the most intensively studied areas of prehistoric archaeology in the Heilongjiang River.In recent years,many Paleolithic sites have been discovered in the Nenjiang River basin,such as the Linfu,Xiaoheishan,Zhonghe,Huotun and Chahayang,providing important materials to interpret the evolution of lithic industry in this area.This dissertation is based on lithic assemblages found in the basin dating from 21 to 8.2 ka B.P,and raw material analysis,technological typology and comparative analysis are applied to study the raw material and technological aspects of the stone artifacts.Based on the identified types and nature of lithic raw materials,this dissertation is aimed to interpret the cognition and behavior of ancient humans in the Nengjiang River Basin by combining the selection and utilization of raw materials with lithic technology and environmental context.The "Cha?ne Opératoire" is used as a theoretical guide to constructing a picture of the lithic industry in the Nengjiang River Basin from the late Upper Paleolithic to the Paleolithic-Neolithic Transition.From the perspective of regional comparison,strategies applied to developing raw materials of each region in the Heilongjiang River Basin are discussed,and the relationship between raw materials and lithic technology is further grasped.Finally,the mechanism and motivation of this period in the Heilongjiang River Basin are analyzed.The common "green rocks" in the Nengjiang River basin are determined by petrological studies to belong to tuffs,which are nodular or banded in the basalt of the Cretaceous Ganhe Formation,and the existence of raw materials is divided into primary and secondary forms.According to simulation tests,this kind of tuff can be divided into four grades: excellent,good,medium and poor,and it is found that density is an important indicator to distinguish the grade of raw materials.The secondary tuff,agate or rhyolite and other river gravels with excellent quality are preferred by early humans in the Nenjiang River basin in the late Upper Paleolithic,and debitaging is aimed to acquire micro blades,dominated by boat-shaped microblade core technology.Scrapers,burins and end scrapers occupy the main part of tools in this period.In the early stage of the Paleolithic-Neolithic Transition,strategies applied to raw materials is the same as the previous period,however,the micro blades are made by the technology of boat-shaped microblade core,which includes different types of methods,such as Yubetsu method,Shabarakh Usu method,Tougeshita method,Rankoshi method and so on,who all show preparation and maintenance of wedge-shaped edges.Scrapers,burins,end scrapers and bifacials occupy the main part of tools in this period.In the late stage of the Paleolithic-Neolithic transition,green tuff with excellent quality take the first place of early human’s choice in all secondary materials,and debitaging is not only for getting microblades,but also for blades and flakes.A comparative study of sites from the late Upper Paleolithic to the Paleolithic-Neolithic transition in the Nengjiang River Basin shows that they exhibit a chronology in terms of choosing raw materials,selecting blanks,shaping blanks and retouching tools.This dissertation further points out that the lithic technology develops by following this sequence: boat-shaped microblade cores,wedge-shaped microblade cores and complex bladelet technology characterized by pressure blade technique.Placing the remains of the Nenjiang River Basin from the perspective of the Heilongjiang River Basin,and comparing them with the sites in the Southern Lesser Khingan Mountains,the Changbai Mountain region,Mount Brea and Mount Siholt,shows that these sites have the same identity and together constitute a unified technical and cultural circle.However,there are also certain regional characteristics in technology between geographical units,and these differences are to some extent closely related to the type,size,distribution and availability of raw materials.Important shifts in livelihood patterns and mobility are not only due to the evolution of llithic technology but also to climate change.During the B?lling-Aller?d warm period,the global climate developed warmer and wet,population size expanded,and pressure between population and resources increased,prompting hunter-gatherers to adjust their subsistence strategies.They start to manufacture early pottery and grinding stone tools,make broad-spectrum use of new local resources and turn semi-settlement.At the beginning of the Holocene,temperatures rose,ancient humans settled in resource-rich areas and carried out different activities in different areas within the settlement,and the development of human history began to transition from Paleolithic to Neolithic.