作者：杨石霞，岳健平
摘要：石器原料研究一直是史前考古学研究工作的一项重要内容。在探明石器原料质量和来源的基础上，将原料的选择和利用方式与石器技术、环境背景等相结合，可以进一步解读当时人类的认知和活动能力。本文立足于原料性质和原料来源两个方面，总结了现有的主要石制品原料研究方法及其应用情况。在此基础上，结合近年来我国泥河湾及东北地区相关研究案例，讨论石器原料研究及多学科研究方法对于解读史前人类资源认知和开发能力的重要作用。
关键词：石器原料；性质；来源；自然资源；认知能力
DOI: 10.16359/j.cnki.cn11-1963/q.2019.0006; 中图法分类号: K871.11; 文献标识码: A; 文章编号: 1000-3193(2020)01-0012-09
The raw material study and its application on explanation of prehistoric habitants’ cognitive level and behavioral pattern
YANG Shixia, YUE Jianping
Abstract: From Oldowan hominins to many modern hunter-gatherers, raw materials for making stone tools are essential resources. The identification of lithic raw material and its sources is an important topic in most prehistoric research. In the current paper, we review the research methods used to investigate the quality and distribution of raw materials, along with the applications of these methods. Raw materials not only impact on the form and composition of tools, but they also can be regarded as good measures of cognitive development and behavior patterns. In recent years, the authors worked on the raw materials at several prehistoric sites. In this paper, we take the work in the Nihewan Basin and Taoshan site of Northeast China as examples, to introduce how to explain the relationship of raw materials to cognitive level. The Xiaochangliang site is a key archaeological locality in the Nihewan Basin. Study of the available raw materials and knapping techniques show that, faced with the limits of small clast size and poor quality materials, the Xiaochangliang inhabitants acted with technical flexibility, utilizing freehand and bipolar techniques in variable frequencies. The Taoshan site, dating from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to the mid-Holocene, shows changes in raw material exploitation. Considering the changes in vegetation for this site, we found that the diachronic changes in raw material types and exploitation strategies corresponded with changes in vegetation and human adaptations. As the examples we give in this paper demonstrate, the study of lithic raw material can enrich our knowledge of prehistory.
Key words: Lithic raw material; Quality; Sources; Natural resource; Cognitive level
