Abstract
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.
Highlights
The great majority of raw materials used by the DGT knappers was chert, forming 96% (n = 2315) of the lithic assemblage examined here
The Nihewan Basin is a remarkable region for understanding the behaviour of early hominins in Eastern Asia given its wealth of archaeological discoveries in stratified and dated contexts
Differences in stone tool technology among Early Pleistocene sites in the Basin are highlighted through comparison of two localities that are in close spatial proximity, i.e., XCL, dating to ca. 1.36 Ma, and DGT, dating to ca. 1.1 Ma
Summary
Freehand hard hammer percussion and bipolar methods identified at DGT are described below. DGT had a marked increase in FHHP products (i.e, cores, flakes, flake fragments), accounting for 77.47% of the reduction system, in comparison to the lower percentage found at XCL (43.06%, see [15]). A total of 245 cores, 380 flakes and 300 flake fragments and splinters are identified as the product of freehand percussion methods (Table 2). Raw materials used for artefact production include chert, volcanic breccia and quartz, though chert predominates, representing 97.73% (n = 904) of the total FHHP assemblage. The cores have an average maximum length of 37.8 mm and only four exceed 100 mm (Table 3).
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