UDK 903(510)“633/634” Documenta Praehistorica XXX A Study on an Early Neolithic Site in North China Chaohong Zhao1, Jincheng Yu4, Tao Wang1, Xiaohong Wu1, Shougang Hao2, Xueping Ma2, Zhengkai Xia3 1 School of Archaeology and Museology, Peking University, zhaoch@pku.edu.cn, wuxh@pku.edu.cn 2 Department of Geology, Peking University 3 School of Environment, Peking University 4 Beijing Institute of Cultural Relics ABSTRACT – These are few sites about 10000 BP in the early Neolithic period in North China; among these, the Donghulin site is the only one which included the remains of peoples’ use of fire (hearth pits), stone implements, pottery objects, and human tombs. The excavation of the Donghulin site in 2001 provides very important information for research on people and culture in the early Neolithic period in North China. The finding of Donghulin Man has filled the gap in our knowledge of human development since the period of the “Upper Cave Man” (30 000a BP) in North China. It is also important for research on people-land relationships. IZVLEEK – Na severu Kitajske je nekaj zgodnjeneolitskih najdi iz asa okoli 10 000 BP. Med njimi je najdie Donghulin edino, kjer so nali ostanke lovekove uporabe ognja (jame za ognjia), kamnito orodje, keramiko in loveke grobove. Izkopavanja najdia Donghulin leta 2001 so dala pomembne podatke o ljudeh in kulturi v zgodnjem neolitiku na severu Kitajske. Najdba loveka Donghulin je zapolnila nao vrzel v poznavanju razvoja loveka od asa “Upper Cave Man” (30000a BP) na severnem Kitajskem. Najdie je pomembno tudi za raziskovanje povezave med lovekom in pokrajino. KEY WORDS – Early Neolithic; Donghulin Man; Pottery; Hearth pits; Man-land relationships INTRODCTION The Donghulin site is situated in a western suburb and it is also important for research on people-land of Beijing, on the second terrace of the north bank relationships (Fig. 1). of Qingshui River, 25 m above the riverbed. Its location is at the meeting point of Mt. Taihang and Mt. Yanshan. A BRIEF HISTORY OF DISCORVEREY AND EXCAVATION Some tombs of the early Neolithic period were found at the Donghulin site in 1966 (Zhou et al. 1972; Hao Students at the Department of Geology and Geogra1988), including three human skeletons and some phy at Peking University found three human skeleburial accessories. A lot of important remains were tons and snail shell necklaces, bone bracelets and found in 2001, including stone implements, pottery stone implements in the west of Donghulin village objects, human bones, and animal bones. Archaeolo-in 1966. After that, the Institute of Vertebrate Pale- gists also found many examples of hearth pits. These ontology and Paleoanthropology, Academia Sinica, are the very first human bones and evidence of the investigated and excavated the site. Evidence shows use of fire in North China about 10 000BP. It is very that the human bones were from an early Neolithic important for research on early people and culture period tomb and the skeletons belong to a young girl in North China in an earlier period of the Holocene and two adult men. (Zhou et al. 1972). Teachers and Chaohong Zhao, Jincheng Yu, Tao Wang, Xiaohong Wu, Shougang Hao, Xueping Ma, Zhengkai Xia Fig. 1. Donghulin Site Location. students from the Geology Department of Peking University found another skeleton and also collected some gastropod shell necklaces and stone implements while investigating on the site cross section again in 1998 (Hao S. G. et al. 2001). From July to August 2001, the School of Archaeology and Museum Studies at Peking University, and the Institute of Cultural Relics, Beijing, excavated the Donghulin site. They found hearth pits, human bones, pottery shards, stone implements, animal bones and gastropod shells (Fig. 2). THE CULTURAL DEPOSIT OF THE SITE Take T3 of the Excavation of Donghulin Site in 2001 as an example: Layer 1: light grey soil, thickness: 5–20 cm, modern period; Layer 2: grey yellow soil, thickness: 15–35 cm, modern period; Layer 3: taupe (dust-color) soil, thickness: 0–35 cm, Ming-Qing Dynasties; Layer 4: buff sand quality soil, thickness: 0–75 cm; Layer 5: yellow sand quality soil, thickness: 15–50 cm; Layer 6: yellow sandy soil in ash, thickness: 10–30 cm; Layer 4, 5, 6 are sediment layers. Layer 7: dust-color soil, about 95– 120 cm from earth’s surface, Neolithic earlier period. Under Layer 7 is Malan loess (Fig. 3). THE AGE OF THE SITE AND DONGHULIN MAN 14C dating of human bone, shell, snail, and pottery samples was conducted at Beijing University, China and Lawrence Livermore National laboratory, USA. The results are presented in Table 1. THE CULTURAL RELICS OF THE NEOLITHIC EARLIER PERIOD The stone implements of the Donghulin site can be divided into chipped stone imple ments, pecked stone implements and polished stone implements, including the stone saddle-querns, stone rollers, stone chips, cores and some break pebble stones. Some stone chips have been used slightly and their blades have usage traces. There are usage traces on the stone saddle-querns and stone rollers. A small polished stone axe was also found inside the site, which was polished in part (Fig. 4). The pottery wares include a small amount of pot- shards, most of them belonging to the abdominal and basal sections. Many are red-brown, and all are sand quality potteries. The degree of heating is not well-proportioned and the grains of quartz sand were mixed up in the pottery pastes. Most of them are baldish potteries, and several have raised stripes. Many are pottery jars. Some pottery shards have Fig. 2. A view of the Donghulin Site. A Study on an Early Neolithic Site in North China Lab Sample Material b13C b14C age Calibrated Date No.1 (PDB) (Yr BP) (±1m)(cal BC) BA–95068 Bone –18.44 8720±170 8160(0.05)81338078(0.01)80728057(0.01)80507969(0.92)7586AMS–30912 Bone –18.44 8450±70 7580(0.68)75137457(0.01)74567507(0.27)74787388(0.05)7382CAMS–31482 Bone –18.44 8450 ±80 7582(0.90)74767388(0.06)73807460(0.04)7454BBA–96095 Charcoal 8960±70 8262(0.36)81988187(0.12)81638107(0.12)80828045(0.20)80047993(0.10)7971BA–96091 Charcoal 9009±80 8289(0.60)81988184(0.08)81638043(0.13)8012 7983(0.04)79721 Samples with a BA prefix were analyzed at Peking University, China; those with CAMS, at the Centre for AMS, Lawrence Livermore National laboratory of USA. Tab. 1. shed off inside and outside, so we can infer that they were made by a clay–patch pasting technique (Fig. 5). The animal bones primarily include limbs, palatine bones, and teeth of deer. There are large quantities of gastropod shells and a small amount of mother- of-pearl. Another important discovery of 2001 is the 5 hearth pits (ash heaps). There are many stones, ashes and animal bones in them. The basal part is Malan loess and is smooth. The stones on the upper part are in great disorder, while the stones at the base are arranged in good order, in the form of hoop. It may be for temporary cooking (Fig. 6). RESEARCH ON THE LIVING ENVIRONMENT OF DONGHULIN MAN The analysis of spore and pollen According to the analysis of spore and pollen samples taken from the Donghulin site, woody plant pollen increased obviously in the earlier period of Holocene Epoch (about 10.08.2Ka BP), being up to 55%. ~ They include pine (Pinus), fir (Taxodium), spruce (Picea), hemlock (Tsuga) (which now exists in the subtropics), oak (Quercus), and walnut (Juglans). Comparied to the later period of the Pleistocene, herbs are obviously decreasing. The combination indicates that the temperature rose significantly, the environment obviously changed and affected human activity. According to the change in the woody plant combination and the features of the herb combination, this period can be divided into two parts. In the lower part (about 10.0~9.0 Ka BP), the Artemisia genus, which is suited to a dry environment, occupies the higher proportion, the individual sample inside can amount to 30%. Moreover, the family of goosefoot (Chenopodiaceae), sedge (Cyperax), bean family (Leguminous), the woody fir (Taxodium) and Betula genus are in higher amounts. In the Upper part (9.08.2Ka BP), the Artemisia ~ genus and sedge (Cyperax) in the combination appears obviously to reduce, but the grass family (Gramineae) had been rising, and there was a little hemlock (Tsuga) in the woody plants. The spore and pollen features of the early segment show that the cli 171 Fig. 3 A section of T3, Donghulin Site. Chaohong Zhao, Jincheng Yu, Tao Wang, Xiaohong Wu, Shougang Hao, Xueping Ma, Zhengkai Xia Fig. 4. The stone saddle-querns, stone rollers founded in Donghulin Site. mate of the period was dry; the later segment was a little wet. In general, during the occupation in the earlier period of the Holocene (10.08.2Ka BP), the region ~ had mixed vegetation comprising conifers and broad- leaved trees, and hot spring species such as the walnut and hemlock. The appearance of herbs such as beans and sedges (Cyperax) reflects an essence of mountainous country meadow vegetation. The Finding of Neritina violacea Human skeletons were found both in 1966 and in 1998. There were grave goods such as necklaces, compound of gastropod shells identified. The gastropod shells belong to Neritina violacea, which only can be found in subtropical conditions now, and only can be seen along the Zhejiang in China at present (Fig. 7). Fig. 6 The hearth pit (ash heap) at the Donghulin Site. Fig. 5 Pottery from the Donghulin Site. Snail analysis In the period of the Donghulin people, the earlier period of the Holocene (10.08.2Ka BP), the snail is ~ suddenly thriving. Abundant snails can be collected in the cultural deposit comprising 11 species: Cochlicopa lubrica, Cathaica pulreraticula, Cathaica fassida, Opeas striatissimum, Pupilla cryptodon grandis, Kaliella sp., Vallonia costata, Bradybaena ravida, Vallonia tenuilabria, Discus pauper and Macrochlamys davidi. The gastropod fauna in the Dong- Fig. 7. A complete necklace restored from Donghu- lin gastropod shells (Neritina violacea). A Study on an Early Neolithic Site in North China hulin Holocene interval is characterized by eurytopic snails of the North China taxa. The only taxon preferring warm and wet environments is Opeas striatissimum, which gradually increased; the taxon representing cool and dry climates, perhaps, is Bradybaena ravida, whose distribution is limited. (Hao S. G. et al. 2001). CONCLUSION These are few sites about 10 000 BP from the Neolithic early period in North China; among these, the Donghulin site is the only one including relics the use of fire (hearth pits), stone implements, pottery objects and human tombs. The excavation of the Donghulin site provides very important information for research on people and culture in the early Neolithic in North China. The finding of Donghulin Man filled a gap in out knowledge of human development since the period of the “Upper Cave Man” (30 000a BP) in North China. Research on the physical anthropology, pathology and the DNA of Donghulin’s inhabitants is in progress. According to the analysis of spore, pollen and snail samples, the climate was probably much warmer than today in Beijing, with an average annual temperature about 2–3°C higher for the Donghulin people living in the earlier period of the Holocene Epoch (10.08.2Ka BP).The finds of Neritina violacea not ~ only indicate that the Donghulin people had an aesthetic consciousness, but also that the sphere of Donghulin peoples’ trading activity may have arrived from the Bohai Sea gulf area (150 kms away). Donghulin Man’s economic activities were still hunting and gathering, and they took deer as their principle prey. The questions of what plants were collected and whether agriculture had appeared in that period still need to be researched. . REFERENCES HAO SHOUGANG 1988. Recollections of “the Donghulin Man” discovery. Fossils 3: 18–19 (in Chinese). HAO SHOUGANG et al. 2001. The Donghulin Woman from western Beijing: C–14 age and an associated compound shell necklace. Antiquity 75: 517–522. 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