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Donggutuo (DGT) is one of the richest archaeological localities in the Nihewan Basin of North China, thereby providing key information about the technological behaviours of early hominins in eastern Asia. Although DGT has been subject of multiple excavations and technological studies over the past several decades, few detailed studies on the lithic assemblages have been published. Here we summarize and describe the DGT lithic assemblages, examining stone tool reduction methods and technological skills. DGT dates to ca. 1.1 Ma, close to the onset of the mid-Pleistocene climate transition (MPT), indicating that occupations at DGT coincided with increased environmental instability. During this time interval, the DGT knappers began to apply innovative flaking methods, using free hand hard hammer percussion (FHHP) to manufacture pre-determined core shapes, small flakes and finely retouched tools, while occasionally using the bipolar technique, in contrast to the earlier and nearby Nihewan site of Xiaochangliang (XCL). Evidence for some degree of planning and predetermination in lithic reduction at DGT parallels technological developments in African Oldowan sites, suggesting that innovations in early industries may be situational, sometimes corresponding with adaptations to changes in environments and local conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The Lesser Khingan Mountains of north-eastern China are heavily forested, making archaeological site identification difficult owing to poor ground surface visibility. Nevertheless, several prehistoric archaeological site discoveries have been made in recent years and a limited number of excavations have been initiated. One of the most important sites to emerge is Taoshan, which has yielded stratified stone tool assemblages dating from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to the mid-Holocene. Pollen profiles indicate significant changes in vegetation, fluctuating from steppe conditions during the LGM to forested conditions in the Bølling-Allerød interstadial (B-A) and the mid-Holocene. The stone tool assemblages from Taoshan were primarily produced from varieties of volcanic tuff, rhyolite, hornfels and agate. Geological prospecting and petrological analyses were performed to document procurement sources and changes in raw material exploitation strategies. During the LGM, the predominant raw material was vitric tuff, available from a source ca. 5-10 km from Taoshan. In the B-A and mid-Holocene layers, emphasis was on the exploitation of raw materials in gravel bars, although stone tool reduction techniques and raw material preferences changed considerably during this time interval. Diachronic changes in raw materials and exploitation strategies correspond to changes in vegetation and human adaptations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xiaochangliang (XCL), located in the Nihewan Basin of North China, is a key archaeological locality for understanding the behavioural evolution of early humans. XCL dates to ca. 1.36 Ma, making it one of the earliest sites in Northeast Asia. Although XCL represents the first excavation of an Early Pleistocene site in the Nihewan Basin, identified and excavated in the 1970’s, the lithic assemblages have never been published in full detail. Here we describe the lithic assemblages from XCL, providing information on stone tool reduction techniques and the influence of raw materials on artefact manufacture. The XCL hominins used both bipolar and freehand reduction techniques to manufacture small flakes, some of which show retouch. Bipolar reduction methods at XCL were used more frequently than previously recognized. Comparison of XCL with other Early Pleistocene sites in the Nihewan Basin indicates the variable use of bipolar and freehand reduction methods, thereby indicating a flexible approach in the utilization of raw materials. The stone tools from XCL and the Nihewan sites are classifiable as Mode I lithic assemblages, readily distinguished from bifacial industries manufactured by hominins in Eastern Asia by ca. 800 ka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Usewear analysis has become an essential method for studying function of lithic artifacts. This article discusses experiments and analyses of usewear on quartzite artifacts caused from bone-working. The raw materials were collected from the Wulanmulun Site, Inner Mongolia, north China. Four working motions were involved, including cutting, scraping, drilling, and chopping. Five specimens were selected for a multi-stage experiment. This experiment demonstrates that apparent usewear would occur on the employable location on specimens as follows: 1) mainly large and medium scarring sizes; 2) mainly stepped and feathered terminations, and hinged ones occasionally; 3) continuous and overlapped distributions; 4) heavy rounding on the used edges of specimens. The multi-stage experiment shows that the number of newly produced scars declined with time duration and intensity of usage. The development of rounding shows a non-linear increase from light to heavy. This article intends to establish a reference collection of lithic usewear on Chinese quartzite for archaeological analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we attempt to determine the source of the hornfels used to make the famous Late Middle Pleistocene lithic industry from Dingcun in North China. By combining geological mapping and geochemical fingerprinting (μ-XRF), we demonstrate that the source of the hornfels was around the Dagudui Mountain, 7 km east of Dingcun. Taking into consideration the Gujiao site, which is also located along the Fenhe River, the Palaeolithic inhabitants of the Fenhe River drainage basin had a good knowledge of the local rock sources, and used them over a very long period from the Middle Pleistocene to the Neolithic. Our geochemical data not only helps us to establish the source of the Dingcun industry, but also provides a reliable basis for the sub-classification of the hornfels that is more accurate than that resulting from visual inspection. In addition, our research initiates a new method for studying raw material sources of Chinese Paleolithic sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Usewear analysis is one of the most important and significant methods in studying the hafting wear. The raw material used in this article is quartzite gathered from identified raw material resource of Wulanmulun Site, and the wooden handle and hemp rope are used as the binding material of accomplishing the experimental study on the hafting wear on quartzite tools. The low-power technique was applied in observing stone specimens. The research shows that the hafting wear on quartzite tools has its own regular pattern that can be well recognized by the low-power technique. Generally, the difference of major features and patterns of hafting wear occurred and distributed at areas of the lateral edges, surface ridges and basal edges of the lower part on the specimens can be well distinguished. The binding material, binding method, processing way of binding and the morphology of stone specimen themselves can be also affected factors to the hafting wear patterns. The present study may contribute a partial set of reference standards in constructing hafting wear patterns on the quartzite tools and aid interpretation of features observed on archaeological assemblages on the basis of the low-power technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geographic and ecological background behind the development and spread of microblade technologies in Asia is a topic of considerable research interest. Microblade technologies are geographically widespread, and present in southern Siberia, the Russian Far East, Mongolia, northern China, the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese archipelago. Here we examine microblade sites of Northeast China which date to from ~28,000 years ago to the end of the Pleistocene. Though microblade assemblages in Northeast China are found to share a number of technological traits, regional divergences are identifiable on account of raw material differences. Technological changes through time correspond with climatic and environmental shifts during Marine Isotope Stage 2 (MIS 2). Microblade technology has its root in southern Siberia on the basis of early age ranges, and thereafter, these assemblages diffused widely, both southward and eastward into China. Microblade industries subsequently underwent a standardization process in Northeast China, leading to the formation of pressure flaking microblade technology on typical wedge-shaped cores of the Northern Microblade Industry (NMI). The NMI appears to have then diffused relatively rapidly across northern and eastern Asia, perhaps representing population movements and cultural interactions. • An up-to-date examination of microblade assemblages of Northeastern China. • The distribution, availability and size of raw materials influenced lithic assemblages. • The development of microblade industries is related to climatic shifts in MIS 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]