History, Chronology and Techno-Typology of the Upper Paleolithic Sequence in the Shuidonggou Area, Northern China

Abstract

The timing and behavioral markers of the Upper Paleolithic in different parts of the world are of great importance to research on modern human dispersals. The pattern of behavioral developments in the Upper Paleolithic in northern China differs in important ways from the patterns observed in West Eurasia, Africa, and South Asia. Shuidonggou (SDG), a cluster of Paleolithic sites in northern China, contains several of the most important Upper Paleolithic sites in the region. Various localities yield evidence of three major cultural components dated by 14 C, uranium-series, and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) methods to between roughly 46 ka and 10 ka. The oldest component, blade assemblages with western Eurasian early Upper Paleolithic characteristics, appears to be intrusive from Siberia and/or Mongolia, beginning at least 41 ka (e.g., SDG 1 and SDG 9). Advanced core and flake assemblages may mark the appearance of an indigenous Late Paleolithic of North China beginning at around 33 ka (e.g., SDG 2 and SDG 8). Finally, around 10.5 ka, microblade technology arrived in the area (SDG 12), although we are not sure of its origins at present. Other typical Upper Paleolithic cultural remains, such as bone tools and body decorations, have been found at various localities in the SDG area as well (e.g., ostrich eggshell beads from SDG 2, 7, and 8). Information from this cluster of occupations increases our understanding of cultural variability, adaptation, and demographic dynamics of modern humans in Late Pleistocene northern Asia.

Intra-assemblage variation in the macro-blade assemblage from the 1963 excavation at Shuidonggou locality 1, northern China, in the context of regional variation

“…Due to the loss of field documents and the coarse excavation method, the stratigraphic associations between the archaeological materials and dated samples from SDG 1 are poorly understood and the age of the lithic assemblages remains uncertain [21,31]. The best current estimates for the age of Paleolithic layers at SDG 1, based on a combination of dates from this site and from its sister locality SDG 2, are between 34 ka and 41 ka (calibrated ages) [31,32], but it is possible that the first occupation occurred as early as 41-46 ka [33,34].…”

“…Assemblages with these characteristics are distributed broadly across Eurasia, from the eastern Mediterranean to northeast Asia. In northeast Asia, IUP assemblages have been documented in Siberia, Mongolia, as well as northern China, with particular "hot spots" in the areas surrounding Baikal lake, in northern Mongolia, and in the Siberian Altai [16][17][18][19][20][21]. Our main aim here is to examine the intra-assemblage variation in the collection from the 1963 excavation at Shuidonggou locality 1 (SDG 1) in northern China, in an effort to situate the site and assemblage within the range of IUP variability in northeast Asia.…”

Combining sedentism and mobility in the Palaeolithic–Neolithic transition of northern China: the site of Shuidonggou locality 12

“…The Shuidonggou site cluster is located near Yinchuan, the capital of Ningxia Hui autonomous region of China. This cluster has attracted archaeological attention since its discovery in 1923, and eight of the 12 localities have been excavated (see Gao et al 2013;Li et al 2019). Shuidonggou locality 12 (38°19 ′ 40 ′′ north, 106°29 ′ 49 ′′ east; Figure 1) is located approximately 4km north-west of the centre of the Shuidonggou site cluster.…”

Stratigraphy and its environmental implications of the Late Pleistocene Shuidonggou Formation in the western Ordos Block, North China

“…The Quaternary fluvial‐lacustrine sequences in North China preserve the signature of prehistoric human settlement in the Late Palaeolithic. The relationship between human livelihood and Late Pleistocene environmental and climatic conditions have been the focus of attention (David, 2007; Ji et al, 2005; Li et al, 2019; Liu et al, 2011; Madsen et al, 2014; Yang, Wang, Min, & Chen, 2012; Zhu et al, 2019). Among them, the Shuidonggou site (SDG) is one of the best‐known sites containing abundant palaeontological fossils and palaeolithic artefacts (Gao et al, 2008; Liu et al, 2009; Madsen et al, 2014; Pei et al, 2014), which is located in the Lingwu County of Ningxia, western Ordos Block.…”

“…The Shuidonggou Formation is well preserved in several intermontane basins in the western Ordos Block, particularly in the Ningnan Basin and Yinchuan Basin. The ages of the sedimentary units were constrained to Late Pleistocene by U-series, Radiocarbon dating ( 14 C) and optically stimulated luminescence dating (OSL) (Chen, Yuan, & Gao, 1984;Gao et al, 2002;Li et al, 2019;Liu et al, 2009;Madsen et al, 2001Madsen et al, , 2014Nian, Gao, & Zhou, 2014;Zhou & Hu, 1988). In addition, much work had been done on the sedimentary sequence of the Shuidonggou Formation in the Shuidonggou site.…”