Thermoluminescence dating of stalactitic calcite from the early Palaeolithic occupation at Tongamdong site

Abstract

There are several archaeological sites in the Taedong river basin around Pyongyang. Recently, the Palaeolithic Tongamdong site was newly unearthed in this area. This contribution presents the first thermoluminescence (TL) dating for the Palaeolithic sequence at the Tongamdong site, recently excavated by Human Evolution Research Office, Faculty of History, Kim Il Sung University, Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Tens of stone tools and thousands of vertebrate fossils were discovered within the sediments of the site. The Palaeolithic sequence from Tongamdong site in Sunchon City, South Pyongan Province, contains six stratified archaeological levels. The archaeological level 4 and 5 consist of many fossil bones and several stone tools. Two stalactite samples from level 4 and three from level 5 were dated by thermoluminescence. Comparison of calcite dates by thermoluminesence with the previous reference dates (ESR and relative dates) from the site was carried on successfully. The calcite dating results are in good agreement with those of the chronological evidence. A range of the estimated ages is between 699 and 813 ka for the five dates, a mean age-estimate of 754.6 ka is summarised. These ages are close to that of electron spin resonance (ESR) dating with tooth fossils of rhinoceros (704 ka) and horse (881 ka) respectively excavated from archaeological level 5 and 4 of Tongamdong site sediments. Relative ages from animal fossil bones discovered in the sediments of Tongamdong site are the early Middle Pleitoscene of the Quaternary.