A zooarchaeological study of bone assemblages from the Ma'anshan Paleolithic site  

作　　者：ZHANG Yue1,2,3, WANG ChunXue1,2, ZHANG ShuangQuan1,2 & GAO Xing1,2 1 Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044 2 Joint Laboratory of Human Evolution and Archaeometry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044 3 State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing 210008 

出　　处：《Science China Earth Sciences》2010年第3期395-402,共8页中国科学（地球科学英文版）

基　　金：supported by National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2006CB806400);International Cooperation Program of MST of China (Grant No. 2007DFB 20330);State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy (Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS) (Grant No. 09311)

摘　　要：Ten thousands of bone fragments were recovered from the Ma’anshan Paleolithic site, of which 4358 pieces can be identified to skeletal elements or species. In this research, the bone assemblages are quantified based on elements of MNI, MNE, and MAU. Then bone surface modifications and skeletal element profiles of the bone assemblages are studied to understand shlepping behaviors and reveal the technique of disarticulating and defleshing the animals’ bodies, etc. Based on the analyses of bone assemblages and the comparative study with the ethnoarchaeological as well as experimental data, it is assumed that later hominids at the site made fuller use of the game animals than the earlier hominids. Incorporating the lines of evidence from chronological dating, paleoenvironment, and polished bone tools between the two cultural layers, here we propose three hypotheses suggesting that the changes of environment, the migrations of the hominids from the North, or the demographic pulses may cause such a behavioral difference. However, it is yet to be determined which hypothesis can better explain the changes.Ten thousands of bone fragments were recovered from the Ma’anshan Paleolithic site, of which 4358 pieces can be identified to skeletal elements or species. In this research, the bone assemblages are quantified based on elements of MNI, MNE, and MAU. Then bone surface modifications and skeletal element profiles of the bone assemblages are studied to understand shlepping behaviors and reveal the technique of disarticulating and defleshing the animals’ bodies, etc. Based on the analyses of bone assemblages and the comparative study with the ethnoarchaeological as well as experimental data, it is assumed that later hominids at the site made fuller use of the game animals than the earlier hominids. Incorporating the lines of evidence from chronological dating, paleoenvironment, and polished bone tools between the two cultural layers, here we propose three hypotheses suggesting that the changes of environment, the migrations of the hominids from the North, or the demographic pulses may cause such a behavioral difference. However, it is yet to be determined which hypothesis can better explain the changes.

关 键 词：Ma’anshan SITE ZOOARCHAEOLOGY PALEOLITHIC HOMINID behavior 

分 类 号：Q915[天文地球—古生物学与地层学]