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Lithic raw material economy at the Huayang site in Northeast China: localization and diversification as adaptive strategies in the Late Glacial

Lithic raw material economy at the Huayang site in Northeast China: localization and... The study of lithic raw material plays an important role in developing archeologists’ understanding of the different adaptive strategies and behaviors of prehistoric people. In this paper, we present new evidence from the Huayang site that reveals lithic raw material procurement and exploitation strategies dating to around 14 ka cal. BP. The Huayang site is located in the southern portion of the Lesser Khingan Mountains in Northeast China, a key region for examining migration, diffusion, and interaction among hunter-gatherers in East and Northeast Asia. Our results indicate that diversified lithic raw materials were found and procured from local riverbeds and reduced at the site. Each raw material was reduced with distinctive knapping strategies and, as a result, there is a strong discrete spatial pattern for each of the different raw material types. Intra- and inter-site comparative analyses suggest a uniform trend towards localization and diversification of lithic raw materials in the southern Lesser Khingan Mountains, Northeast China during the Late Glacial, which seems to be associated with the paleoclimatic amelioration and the demographic expansion during this period. . . . . Keywords Raw material economy Localization Diversification Huayang site The Late Glacial Introduction and management of lithic raw materials can provide signifi- cant insight into people’s economic activities on the land- Obtaining lithic raw materials is the first step in the sequence scape, including their technological organization, mobility of lithic reduction, and also a first step in understanding dif- patterns, land use strategies, and the extent of their trade and ferent lithic technologies. The selection, acquisition, transport, exchange networks (e.g., Andrefsky 1994, 2009;Binford 1979; Adams and Blades 2009; Brantingham et al. 2000; Daffara et al. 2019; Ekshtain and Tryon 2019; Kuhn 2004; Li et al. 2016; Wynn and McGrew 1989; Yang and Yue 2020). * Shi-Xia Yang In East and Northeast Asia, lithic raw material studies have yangshixia@ivpp.ac.cn been extensively conducted to examine the adaptive strategies Department of History, Anhui University, Hefei 230039, China and behavior patterns of local populations in North China, the Russian Far East, and Japan, especially in the Late Pleistocene Heilongjiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Harbin 150008, China (e.g., Du 2003;Gao 2001; Izuho et al. 2017;Kato 2017; Kuzmin et al. 2008, 2013;Li et al. 2016; Ono et al. 2014; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China Yang et al. 2017a, b). Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Northeast China occupies a critical geographic position for Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China understanding exchange networks and interactions among hunter-gatherers in East and Northeast Asia (Fig. 1a). Recently, CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, China several studies on lithic raw materials have been integrated into the study of hunter-gatherers’ behavioral systems, and most of State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment,CAS,Xi’an 710061, China them focused on the obsidian assemblages distributed in the Changbaishan Mountains (a.k.a. the Paektusan) (Chen et al. Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany 2015; Jia et al. 2010;Liand Chen 2014; Liu et al. 2014). 107 Page 2 of 13 Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2020) 12:107 Fig. 1 The Huayang site. a Geographic location of the Huayang site and Houtaomuga; 7 Linfu; 8 Xishantou). b Topographic map of the Huayang some other Late Pleistocene sites in Northeast China (1 Taoshan; 2 site. c, d The studied excavation area of the paper. e Stratigraphic profile Xiaolongtoushan; 3 Shirengou; 4 Helong Dadong; 5 Xintunzi Xishan; 6 of the site Based on X-ray fluorescence analysis, researchers argued that their environment. These studies have provided a general under- Changbaishan obsidian dominates the late Upper Paleolithic as- standing of population movement and exchange in Northeast semblages in the central Changbaishan region, at sites such as China and neighboring areas, despite relying on an uncertain Helong Dadong, Shirengou, and Xintunzi Xishan, and in some chronology. cases has been transported into the Russian Far East and South A new series of excavations have recently been under- Korea (Chen et al. 2015;Jia etal. 2010). Meanwhile, the obsid- taken to establish an absolute chronological framework ians from the Russian Primorye were also found at several sites and paleoenvironmental background for the region, at pre- in the Changbaishan, suggesting the two-way movement of vol- historic sites such as Linfu (Li 2015), Xiaolongtoushan canic glass artifacts between the two regions (Chen et al. 2015; (Li 2019), Xishantou(Liuetal. 2019), Taoshan (Yang Jia et al. 2010). Kato (2017) defined five late Upper Paleolithic et al. 2017a; Yue et al. 2020;Zou etal. 2018), and territories in North and Northeast China according to the lithic Houtaomuga (Wang 2018). In particular, based on the raw materials found at archeological sites and their site distribu- lithic assemblages of the Taoshan site (ca. 19–5 ka cal. tion to explore the relationships between human activities and BP), Yang et al. (2017a) analyzed the lithic raw material Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2020) 12:107 Page 3 of 13 107 types and sources through petrological identification and Materials and methods geological prospecting and suggested a correspondence between changes in local lithic raw material exploitation Raw material identification and geological survey strategies and shifts in environmental settings. In this paper, we present a detailed analysis of the lithic We examined archeological materials from Huayang CL2, raw material procurement and exploitation strategies at the which contained a total of 18,477 pieces of lithic artifacts that Huayang site, which is located approximately 100 km east have maximum length > 10 mm. The methods of raw material of the Taoshan site in the southern Lesser Khingan identification and provisioning are the same as described by Mountains (Fig. 1a). Large-scale excavations were under- Yang et al. (2017a), based on petrological observations and taken at the site and recovered successive deposits of cul- archeologically oriented surveys for sources. tural materials dated to the Late Pleistocene and the Middle Macroscopic and microscopic observations were used to Holocene. Here, we focus on the lithic materials that date identify different types of raw materials. First, each material to 14 ka cal. BP, which form the principal lithic assemblage was classified by macroscopic observation according to color of the site. In contrast to the earlier studies on obsidian and texture. Following this, selected samples were submitted assemblages that have revealed long-distance exchange for microscopic observation with the application of a petro- networks in Northeast China, we combine data from graphic polarizing microscope. A polarizing microscope, with Huayang and neighboring archeological sites to investigate plane polarized light and perpendicular polarized light, was the localization and diversification of lithic raw materials used to collect images of the texture of the raw materials, in this region during the Late Glacial period, providing which helped identify the different rock types as well as eval- new insight into understanding the economic activities of uate the quality of raw materials. these populations in a reliable chronological framework. In order to identify raw material sources, we conducted a geological prospecting survey using a 1:200,000 geological map of the region (Fig. 2a). The bedrock outcrops around the site were easily accessible because of highway construc- The Huayang site tion projects. As shown in Fig. 2a, the survey area covers the easternmost point near the confluence of the Zhulabilahe The Huayang site (47°3′52′′N, 129°29′40′′E) is located in River and its branch and the north-westernmost point near Yichun County, Heilongjiang Province, on the second ter- the Lvhua village. Each occurrence of raw materials was reg- race of the Tangwanghe River, which cuts through the istered via GPS, photographed and described. Raw material Lesser Khingan Mountains before it finally flows into samples were collected from riverbeds and bedrock outcrops, the Songhuajiang River. The site is at an elevation of ca. and afterwards compared with archeological materials based 180 m above mean sea level and ca. 20 m higher than the on petrological analysis. The natural surfaces (e.g., cortex, modern Tangwanghe River (Fig. 1). weathered surface) of the archeological materials were also The Huayang site was found in 2011 when archeologists recorded in order to determine whether the lithic raw materials from Heilongjiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics of Huayang were derived from primary outcrops or secondary and Archeology conducted archeological surveys associat- deposits. ed with the reconstruction of Tieli-Jinshantun and Haonanhe-Nancha highways. In the following year, Lithic raw material economy, spatial distribution, Huayang was excavated in a large scale as a salvage and refitting archeological project. Approximately 1000 m of the site was exposed in three excavation areas (labeled I, II, and Based on the results of Yue et al. (2019)’s techno-typological III) and several test pits (Fig. 1b). analysis, we followed the techno-economy protocol to inves- Area I, as the primary excavation area, covers a total of tigate the lithic raw material economy of the site (e.g., Inizan 555 m , which is divided into squares A–V(5m×5 m) et al. 1999;Soressi 2002;Soressi andGeneste 2011). Within along with square MK (1 m × 5 m) opened as the exten- the raw material categories, the knapping techniques and sion of square M (Fig. 1c, d). From the stratigraphic se- methods are identified through a technological reading of each quence of the site, three prehistoric cultural layers (CL1, object. Following this, we can reconstruct the chaîne 2, and 3; Fig. 1e) were identified on the basis of sedimen- opératoire of the assemblage and determine whether each step tary facies and artifact concentration. Respective dates of of the operational sequence is present at the site. 5992–5916, 14,355–14,025, and 18,614–17,885 cal. BP Furthermore, we integrate the raw material and techno- for CL1, CL2, and CL3 have been suggested by radiocar- typological information with the three-dimensional data of bon dating on charcoals recovered from the cultural layers lithic artifacts to investigate the intra-site spatial organization (Yue et al. 2019). pattern. The tridimensional location of remains and the wide 107 Page 4 of 13 Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2020) 12:107 Fig. 2 Geological map and field photographs around the Huayang site. a the Zhulabilahe River. d Gravels of different sizes from the Tangwanghe Geological map around the Huayang site. b Geological outcrop of the River Tai’antun Formation (a modern local quarry pit). c Rhyolite blocks from excavation of surfaces guarantee the identification of spatial Rhyolite, the most favored raw material for artifact produc- units at the site. tion at Huayang, is a kind of extrusive igneous rock mineral- Refitting practices have also been carried out at the ogical equivalent to granite and has aphanitic to porphyritic Huayang site to clarify stone knapping strategies and intra- texture chiefly with quartz and sanidine appearing as pheno- site spatial organization. Considering the huge number of crysts. According to microscopic features, rhyolites at the specimens and time limitation, we mainly focused on the lithic Huayang site can be generally divided into two sub-types. artifacts with technical and/or raw material particularities, es- One is banded rhyolite, named for its characteristic banded pecially on dacite artifacts and bifacial points. In describing structure (Fig. 3a). The other is felsite, with few or absence refitting artifact sets, we follow the differentiated use of refit and conjoin (Cziesla 1990;Sisk and Shea 2008). Table 1 Lithic raw Raw materials Number Percent materials of the Huayang site (modified from Yue Results Banded rhyolite 11,472 62.09 et al. 2019) Felsite 3180 17.21 Raw material types Felsophyre 2023 10.95 Shale 587 3.18 The raw materials of Huayang CL2 are categorized on the Dacite 488 2.64 basis of macroscopic observations and petrological analysis Tuff 277 1.50 results. As shown in Table 1, the lithic assemblage is domi- Agate 119 0.64 nated by banded rhyolite (90.25%), followed by felsite Chert 93 0.50 (17.21%) and felsophyre (10.95%). Other raw materials, in- Others 238 1.29 cluding shale, dacite, tuff, agate, and chert, occur in low Total 18,477 100 frequencies. Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2020) 12:107 Page 5 of 13 107 Fig. 3 Photomicrographs of the main rock types from the Huayang site. a Banded rhyolite. b Felsite. c Felsophyre. d Dacite of porphyritic texture, while felsitic texture in the matrix can In addition, we found that all the raw material types in the be observed (Fig. 3b). Generally, both banded rhyolite and Huayang assemblage can be found in secondary sources near felsite can be described as fine-grained materials that allow the site (Fig. 2c, d). Along the riverbeds of the Tangwanghe for good conchoidal fracture. and Zhulabilahe rivers, the pebbles and cobbles in felsophyre, Felsophyre, a porphyry with microcrystalline groundmass dacite, crystal tuff, agate, and chert are well rounded (Fig. 2d), containing some glass (Fig. 3c), also comprises a significant while other raw materials, including felsite and banded rhyo- portion of the Huayang assemblage. This material is fine- lite, are usually in the form of angular blocks with the scarcity grained and dense and is an excellent lithic raw material. In or absence of cortex, indicating short-distance transport from addition, the raw materials, including tuff, agate, and chert, are the primary outcrops (Fig. 2c). Further comparative identifi- rich in silica and suitable for knapping activities, which are cation suggests that the correspondence between the survey also widely procured and exploited at other archeological sites samples in primary or secondary context and the archeological in Northeast China (Dong 1989; Huang et al. 1984;Li 2012; materials is quite good, showing a pattern of local raw material Yue et al. 2017, 2020). provisioning at the site. In contrast, dacite, as an extrusive igneous rock and the The presence or absence of natural surfaces on the lithic equivalent of granodiorite, usually has porphyritic texture artifacts from Huayang was recorded for further (Fig. 3d). The phenocrysts mainly contain plagioclase, quartz, distinguishing the raw materials from secondary to primary and other crystalline minerals. The texture of dacite is gener- sources. As shown in Table 2, the relatively high and moderate ally coarse-grained, which may limit the application of certain frequency of rolled pebble cortex shows that the majority of knapping techniques. At the Huayang site, dacite was pro- raw materials, including felsophyre, dacite, crystal tuff, agate, cured in small amounts, making up 2.64% of the whole assemblage. Table 2 Counts and frequencies of the lithic artifacts with natural surface at Huayang Raw material sources Raw materials With cortex With weathered surface According to geological maps and reports, the Tai’antun, n % n % Ningyuancun, and Songmuhezi formations, located west of the Huayang site with minimal distance within 3 km, contain Banded rhyolite 75 0.65 356 3.1 several kinds of igneous rocks, especially rhyolite, felsophyre, Felsite 62 1.95 980 30.82 tuff, lava, porphyrite, and andesite (Fig. 2a; Bureau of Felsophyre 182 9.0 –– Geology and Mineral Resources of Heilongjiang Province Dacite 200 40.98 –– 1993). During the field survey, we identified several bedrock Crystal tuff 94 33.94 –– outcrops exposed by construction activities (Fig. 2b). Igneous Agate 37 21.01 –– rocks, such as rhyolite, felsophyre, and tuff, were primarily Chert 25 39.78 –– from these formations and clearly visible on the outcrops. 107 Page 6 of 13 Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2020) 12:107 and chert, came from riverbeds or from gravel layers of the coping with different raw materials at the site, leaving behind terraces. In contrast, felsite artifacts have a low percentage of abundant characteristic products with which we could recon- cortex (1.95%) but relatively high frequency of weathered struct the chaîne opératoire of the whole assemblage (Fig. 6). surfaces (30.82%), showing similarities with the angular fel- As shown in Fig. 6, banded rhyolite, the dominant raw sitic blocks found in the local riverbeds. Very few natural material at Huayang, was mainly used for bifacial point pro- surfaces, no matter cortex (0.65%), or weathered surface duction. According to morphometric data, most cores (mean = (3.1%), were observed on banded rhyolites. In consideration 46.71 mm) and flakes (mean = 22.5 mm) in banded rhyolite of the abundance of banded rhyolites in the riverbeds near the are relatively small in maximum length in comparison with site, we suggest that this kind of material was probably pro- complete bifacial points (mean = 71.01 mm), indicating that cured from nearby river boulders. large-sized flakes which could have been primarily introduced By combining the data of natural surfaces on the artifacts into the site ready-made were selected as tool blanks. Hard- and the results of geological survey and petrological identifi- hammer and follow-on soft-hammer percussion have been cation, we suggest that the Huayang inhabitants exploited lith- suggested for the manufacture of bifacial points (Yue et al. ic resources from the local riverbeds within 2–3km. 2019). On the other hand, banded rhyolite was used for flake debitage as well, though in very low proportions (Fig. 6). Three pieces of cores are present and show a simple core- Procurement patterns and reduction sequences flake debitage method. In terms of tool manufacture, of raw materials retouched pieces other than bifacial points are represented by 35 pieces and show a wide range of types, including The techno-typological analysis revealed that the Huayang scrapers, endscrapers, denticulates, borers, burins, and arrow- lithic assemblage comprises diversified technologies heads, among which flakes are exclusively used as tool (Table 3; Fig. 4; Yue et al. 2019). Core-flake and bladelet blanks. reductions constitute two main debitage sequences, while The felsite exploitation strategies are clearly different from microblade reduction only consists of a minor proportion. those of banded rhyolite. Two main reduction sequences of The toolkit is characterized by the dominance of bifacial felsite have been identified (Figs. 4b and 6). One is optimized points and the appearance of new tool types, including arrow- towards bladelet production. The felsitic blocks were procured heads, axes, adzes, ground chisels, and grinding stones. and systematically shaped-out. Afterwards, indirect percus- The lithic raw material compositions of different lithic sion was applied for bladelet removal (Yue et al. 2019). The technologies at Huayang are shown in Fig. 5. In general, cores other reduction sequence is towards the production of flakes. of core-flake technology are dominated by felsite, but flakes Although there are different core types, core shaping is gen- are mostly in banded rhyolite. In the bladelet reduction, felsite erally simple and expedient. Tools are mainly represented by shows an absolute majority. Two main materials, felsite and scrapers and points and show a large proportion of flake chert, characterize the microblade reduction. In contrast to the blanks, with only two pieces on bladelet. bifacial points which are predominated by banded rhyolite, Felsophyre and crystal tuff were used as a supplement other tools are fairly variable in terms of raw material selec- to banded rhyolite and felsite in the knapping activities of tion. Overall, different exploitation patterns were involved in core-flake and bladelet debitage and follow-on tool pro- duction (Figs. 4c and 6). Thesamecircumstancealso applies for chert, which was utilized with a variety of Table 3 The lithic assemblage composition (> 10 mm) of the Huayang site (modified from Yue et al. 2019) reduction strategies though chert artifacts make up just 0.5% of the whole assemblage (Fig. 6). In particular, Categories Number Percent two microblade cores made of chert are identified and Core 42 0.23 exhibit a wedge-like morphology and a bifacial shaping- out process. In contrast, dacite was exclusively used for Flake and flake fragment 12,209 66.08 flake debitage and subsequent tool manufacture in a very Bladelet core 33 0.18 simple and expedient manner (Figs. 4d and 6). Cores and Bladelet and characteristic by-product 489 2.65 flakes in dacite show clear evidence of hard-hammer di- Microblade core 2 0.01 rect percussion and an informal debitage method, and Microblade and characteristic by-product 13 0.07 retouchedtools representedbytwoscrapers andone notch Bipolar piece 7 0.04 exhibit very simple forms. Tool 243 1.31 In addition, other raw materials were also exploited for Angular fragment and shatter 5426 29.37 specific reduction objectives, though all present in small Unmodified piece 13 0.07 amounts. For example, agates were mostly transformed to Total 18,477 100 flakes and bipolar splinters with the respective application Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2020) 12:107 Page 7 of 13 107 10 11 12 15 16 17 18 20 23 25 Fig. 4 Lithic artifacts by raw material at the Huayang site (modified from Yue et al. 2019). a Banded rhyolite. b Felsite. c Felsophyre and tuff. d Dacite. e Other raw materials of direct percussion and bipolar technique. Oval-shaped were procured as grinding stones. The formal tools in- cobbles in quartz sandstone, granite, and diorite were se- cluding axes, adzes, and chisels were usually made from lected as hammer stones; tabular cobbles in sandstone tuffaceous sandstone, quartzite, and diorite (Fig. 4e). 107 Page 8 of 13 Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2020) 12:107 Fig. 5 Lithic raw material composition of different lithic technologies at the Huayang site In sum, the coexistence of diversified technical products ly, but A4, A6, and A8 are by banded rhyolite (Fig. 7c). In characterizes the Huayang lithic assemblage. The toolkit com- addition, some inter-accumulation differences have been de- prises not only the traditionally Upper Paleolithic artifacts but tected concerning lithic techno-typological composition. some new tool types. Furthermore, it is remarkable that dif- Bladelet debitage products are well represented at A3, while ferent knapping strategies were applied for processing differ- almost absent from other accumulations (A1, A2, and A5– ent raw materials at the site, showing respective reduction A8). Accumulations of A4, A6, and A8 are characterized by sequences as detailed above. the abundance of flakes and flake fragments made on banded rhyolite and especially the presence of bifacial points with a Spatial distribution and raw material exploitation total number of 59 pieces. These differences can be attributed to the spatially partitioned distribution of knapping activities As shown in Fig. 7, there is a clear differential distribution of of different raw materials. Products of all stages within each lithic remains that are clustered in well-delimited accumula- reduction sequence present at the site are represented by cor- tions. The overwhelming majority of artifacts found at the responding accumulations and are dominated by small-sized debitage products, indicating that there is virtually an entire Huayang site are concentrated in these areas. In general, the spatially delimited accumulations contain process of stone reduction sequences at all accumulations and different raw materials. Taking square A-D for example, eight that knapping activities were carried out in situ. accumulations (labeled A1–A8) have been identified, among Refitting practices are in line with this conclusion as well. which A1, A2, A3, A5, and A7 are characterized by shale, In our study, we obtained 45 conjoined groups and 23 refitted tuff, felsite, tuffaceous sandstone, and felsophyre, respective- groups involving a total of 159 stone artifacts which com- Fig. 6 Main reduction sequences by raw material at the Huayang site Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2020) 12:107 Page 9 of 13 107 Fig. 7 Spatial distribution of lithic remains at the Huayang site prised varied technical products, such as cores, flake/bladelet raw materials that were reduced towards respective objective debitage products, tools, and angular fragments. Specifically, products. 11 connections between 23 bifacial points and 17 associations between 48 dacite artifacts have been identified, accounting for 16.67% and 9.84% of the respective whole sample. All the Discussion and conclusions artifacts in each refitting group are generally concentrated in the same accumulation, and the distance between each con- Lithic raw material economy of Huayang nection is fairly small, with most < 0.5 m (Fig. 8). Overall, different delimited areas can be recognized at the Generally, people at Huayang relied exclusively on local ma- site, which indicate in situ preservation of all the reduction terials. Lithic resources derived from local riverbeds were car- sequences carried out at the site. It is also highlighted that ried to the site for further processing. Together, raw material, there is a strong discrete spatial pattern for each of the different techno-typological, and spatial analyses all indicate that nearly 107 Page 10 of 13 Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2020) 12:107 Fig. 8 The plan and profile of refit groups at the squares I, N, and O of the Huayang site the whole sequence of reduction activities, including core formal for high-quality raw materials, such as rhyolite, preparation, blank debitage, and tool manufacture, took place felsophyre, tuff, and chert. This observation is consistent with on site. The only exception is that banded rhyolite, which was theoretical expectations on the relationship between lithic primarily procured for bifacial point production, could have technology and raw material quality and availability been introduced into the site as ready-made flakes to be further (Andrefsky 1994). From the micro perspective, we noted that reduced at the site. Based on all these data, we interpret the different high-quality raw materials were used for different Huayang site primarily as a well-preserved knapping work- end products and were reduced in spatially delimited areas. shop, revealing a vivid portrait of how the local lithic raw Banded rhyolite, for example, was predominantly transformed materials were used around 14 ka cal. BP. into bifacial points with the application of soft-hammer per- Cortex coverage, artifact size, and retouch frequency are cussion, while felsite was mainly for bladelet production by commonly used variables to assess the intensity of raw mate- punch technique. The internal properties of lithic raw mate- rial exploitation (e.g., Blades 2001; Dibble 1995;Douglass rials, especially elasticity, might account for these observa- et al. 2008;Gao 2001;Kuhn 2004;Li et al. 2016; Lin et al. tions, while it remains to be testified by further experimental 2015). At the Huayang site, numerous lithic artifacts show the and quantitative analysis. presence of natural surfaces. Though small-sized pieces dom- On the whole, at ca. 14 ka cal. BP, the Huayang site pri- inate the whole assemblage, cores of both core-flake and marily served as a knapping workshop where almost all knap- bladelet debitage are relatively large and mostly have the po- ping activities took place on site. Diversified lithic raw mate- tential for further reduction. In addition, approximately rials were procured from the local riverbeds around 2–3km 76.19% of the cores bear natural surfaces. The ratio of formal from the site. Despite the overall low consumption intensity, tools to cores and flakes is also very low. All these observa- different lithic raw materials were reduced towards respective tions indicate that the intensity of raw material consumption at end products at differentiated accumulations of the site, indi- the site is low, which is usually seen at sites located close to cating strong raw material preference and clear technological raw material sources. and spatial organization patterns. Though lithic raw materials were not fully consumed at the site, it is evident that different strategies were involved in Lithic resource localization and diversification coping with different raw materials. From a macro view, the as adaptive strategies data from the Huayang assemblage clearly indicate the paral- lel use of two technological strategies: informal designs for The Huayang site contains successive prehistoric deposits low-quality raw material (dacite), and both informal and spanning from ca. 18.6 ka to 6 ka cal. BP. Temporal trends Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2020) 12:107 Page 11 of 13 107 during the Late Pleistocene can be detected in the Huayang The changes in mobility and land use patterns seem to have assemblages when taking the lithic assemblage of earlier been associated with paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental phase into consideration. During the first phase (Huayang shifts (see also Yang et al. 2017a;Yue etal. 2019). Although CL3), between ca. 18.6 and 17.9 ka cal. BP, a total of 40 pieces a paleoenvironmental framework cannot be established using of stone artifacts were retrieved and predominantly made on the present paleoenvironmental materials from Huayang, given high-quality felsophyre, felsite, and chert. The types mainly the poor preservation of sporopollen and phytoliths, a series of include microblade cores, flakes, bladelets, and elaborately high-resolution complexes in neighboring sites (e.g., the retouched pieces, such as scraper, burin, end-scraper, and bor- Taoshan) and areas have well understood vegetation histories er, which show clearly curated technologies (Yue 2019). and climatic events (Li et al. 2019; Mingram et al. 2018; When it came to ca. 14 ka cal. BP (Huayang CL2), as detailed Stebich et al. 2009;Wuand Liu 2013;Wuand Shen 2010; above in this paper, diversified lithic raw materials of local Wu et al. 2016;Yangetal. 2017a). During the Late Glacial, origins were provisioned in large quantities and exploited with climatic and environmental conditions ameliorated significantly differentiated strategies. at ca. 15 ka cal. BP, corresponding with the start of the Bølling- Other contemporaneous sites in the southern Lesser Allerød phase. The increasing site numbers and intra-site arti- Khingan Mountains, especially the Taoshan site, also contain fact densities in the southern Lesser Khingan Mountains indi- similar diachronic changes in lithic resource exploitation cate that demographic expansion occurred during this period (Yang et al. 2017a; Yue et al. 2020). During the first occupa- (Yang et al. 2017a), which is further testified by the tion phase of Taoshan (ca. 19–16.5 ka cal. BP), a small sample archeological and genetic evidence in the context of East and of lithic artifacts were found. Fine-grained vitric tuff, derived Northeast Asia (Buvit et al. 2016; Kudo and Kumon 2012; from a geological outcrop some 5–10 km from Taoshan, was Wang et al. 2014; Zheng et al. 2011). Under such circum- brought into the site and was primarily found among the stances, the imbalance between population size and natural re- microblade debitage. During the latter phase (ca. 15– sources probably began to accelerate, which could have 14 ka cal. BP), lithic artifacts densified and tool type variabil- prompted foragers to decrease mobility and innovate techno- ity increased. New tool types such as axes and adzes emerged logical strategies towards diversified and intensified exploita- in the toolkits. In addition, lithic resource procurement strate- tion of local floral, faunal, and lithic resources. gy shifted towards the selection of varied raw material types In conclusion, the site of Huangyang well preserved a from gravel deposits in close proximity to the site (Yang et al. knapping workshop dating to ca. 14 ka cal. BP, and, together 2017a; Yue et al. 2020). with the neighboring archeological sites, provided thorough Huayang and Taoshan are roughly contemporaneous and data to reveal the localization and diversification of lithic raw altogether represent a trend towards localization and diversi- materials in the southern Lesser Khingan Mountains of fication of lithic sources during the Late Glacial. On one hand, Northeast China during the Late Glacial. These changes ap- prehistoric hunter-gatherers in the southern Lesser Khingan peared as the result of the decrease of human mobility and had Mountains localized the procurement of lithic resources of its roots in the paleoclimatic amelioration and the demograph- different types and qualities after ca. 15 ka cal. BP. On the ic expansion during this period. In broader geographical con- other hand, different knapping strategies were applied for dif- texts, Northeast China accumulates large quantities of cultural ferent raw materials. In particular, a new technique—grind- remains and shows sharp ecological contrasts, making it an ing—was used to finish the newly made tools, such as axes, interesting region for exploring the behavior patterns and adzes, and chisels, resulting in the coexistence of ground and adaptive strategies of prehistoric hunter-gatherers in different flaked stone tools at the sites. In addition, this general trend ecosystems. Moreover, the critical geographic location of was accompanied by the appearance of pottery not only at Northeast China gives it great significance for the study of these two sites but also in neighboring regions including the the interaction among human groups in East and Northeast Song-Nen Plain and the middle and lower Amur River basin Asia and their expansion into the Americas. Further system- (Kuzmin 2014; Sato and Natsuki 2017; Wang 2018; Wang atic excavations, well-dated cultural features, and more mul- and Sebillaud 2019; Yue et al. 2020), which signaled a sub- tidisciplinary analyses linking paleoecology and hunter- stantial shift in human subsistence patterns (Kunikita et al. gatherer adaptation will help elaborate on these issues. 2013, 2017; Shoda et al. 2020). With reference to the theoret- Acknowledgments Our warmest appreciation goes to M.J. Storozum ical expectations on relations between technological organiza- from Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History for proof- tion and settlement mobility (Binford 1979; Kelly 1992; reading and insightful comments on the earlier draft. We also thank P. Nelson 1991; Parry and Kelly 1987;Shott 1986), we suggest Chen from Wuhan University, X.W. Zhang, Y. Liu, and S.Q. Chen from that the technological changes in the southern Lesser Khingan Heilongjiang University, and L. Lei from University of Chinese Academy of Sciences for contributions to lithic study and geological survey. Many Mountains were likely the result of the decrease of mobility, as thanks to the editor, Professor N. Conard, and three reviewers for their well as of the change in land use patterns shifting from resi- constructive suggestions to improve our manuscript. dential to logistical mobility. 107 Page 12 of 13 Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2020) 12:107 Palaeolithic: the example of Payre level D (South-East France). Archaeol Anthropol Sci 11:4681–4695 Authors’ contributions S.X.Y., Y.Q.L. and J.P.Y. designed the research. Dibble HL (1995) Middle Paleolithic scraper reduction: background, Y.Q.L., J.P.Y. and Y.X.Z. collected the data. S.X.Y., J.P.Y. and Y.X.Z. clarification, and review of the evidence to date. J Archaeol performed the analysis. J.P.Y. and S.X.Y. wrote the paper. Method Theory 2:299–368 Dong ZA (1989) Microliths from Dabusu, western Jilin Province. Acta Funding information Open access funding provided by Projekt DEAL. Anthropol Sin 8:49–58 (in Chinese) This research was funded by the Strategic Priority Research Program of Douglass MJ, Holdaway SJ, Fanning PC, Shiner JI (2008) An assessment the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB26000000), the National Natural and archaeological application of cortex measurement in lithic as- Science Foundation of China (41602021), the National Social Science semblages. Am Antiq 73:513–526 Foundation of China (19BKG009), the Key Research Program of the Du SS (2003) A preliminary study on raw material exploitation in Institute of Geology & Geophysics, CAS Grant (No. IGGCAS- Middle-Upper Paleolithic sites in Nihewan basin. Acta Anthropol 201905), and SKLLQG grant (No.SKLLQGZR2002). S.X. Yang re- Sin 22:21–130 (in Chinese) ceived the support of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the Ekshtain R, Tryon CA (2019) Lithic raw material acquisition and use by Youth Innovation Promotion Association of Chinese Academy Sciences early Homo sapiens at Skhul, Israel. J Hum Evol 127:149–170 (No. 2020074) and the Max Planck Society. Gao X (2001) A study of raw material exploitation and economy at Zhoukoudian locality 15. Acta Anthropol Sin 20:186–200 (in Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Chinese) Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adap- Huang WW, Zhang ZH, Liao ZD, Yu HM, Chu BJ, Gao ZC (1984) tation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as Discovery of Paleolithic artifacts at Ang’angxi of Jijihear, you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, pro- Heilongjiang. 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J Hum Evol 55:486–500 Zou GN, Shelach G, Li XQ, Zhao C, Rui X, Zhou LP, Zhang JF (2018) Soressi M (2002) Le Moustérien de tradition acheuléenne du sud-ouest de Geochronology and paleoenvironment of the Taoshan site, north- la France. Discussion sur la signification du faciès à partir de l’étude eastern China, and archaeological implications. Quat Int 463:6–17 comparée de quatre sites: Pech-de-l’Azé I, Le Moustier, La Rochette et la Grotte XVI. Dissertation, Université Bordeaux I Soressi M, Geneste JM (2011) The history and efficacy of the chaîne Publisher’snote Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdic- opératoire approach to lithic analysis: studying techniques to reveal tional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences Springer Journals

Lithic raw material economy at the Huayang site in Northeast China: localization and diversification as adaptive strategies in the Late Glacial

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Abstract

The study of lithic raw material plays an important role in developing archeologists’ understanding of the different adaptive strategies and behaviors of prehistoric people. In this paper, we present new evidence from the Huayang site that reveals lithic raw material procurement and exploitation strategies dating to around 14 ka cal. BP. The Huayang site is located in the southern portion of the Lesser Khingan Mountains in Northeast China, a key region for examining migration, diffusion, and interaction among hunter-gatherers in East and Northeast Asia. Our results indicate that diversified lithic raw materials were found and procured from local riverbeds and reduced at the site. Each raw material was reduced with distinctive knapping strategies and, as a result, there is a strong discrete spatial pattern for each of the different raw material types. Intra- and inter-site comparative analyses suggest a uniform trend towards localization and diversification of lithic raw materials in the southern Lesser Khingan Mountains, Northeast China during the Late Glacial, which seems to be associated with the paleoclimatic amelioration and the demographic expansion during this period. . . . . Keywords Raw material economy Localization Diversification Huayang site The Late Glacial Introduction and management of lithic raw materials can provide signifi- cant insight into people’s economic activities on the land- Obtaining lithic raw materials is the first step in the sequence scape, including their technological organization, mobility of lithic reduction, and also a first step in understanding dif- patterns, land use strategies, and the extent of their trade and ferent lithic technologies. The selection, acquisition, transport, exchange networks (e.g., Andrefsky 1994, 2009;Binford 1979; Adams and Blades 2009; Brantingham et al. 2000; Daffara et al. 2019; Ekshtain and Tryon 2019; Kuhn 2004; Li et al. 2016; Wynn and McGrew 1989; Yang and Yue 2020). * Shi-Xia Yang In East and Northeast Asia, lithic raw material studies have yangshixia@ivpp.ac.cn been extensively conducted to examine the adaptive strategies Department of History, Anhui University, Hefei 230039, China and behavior patterns of local populations in North China, the Russian Far East, and Japan, especially in the Late Pleistocene Heilongjiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Harbin 150008, China (e.g., Du 2003;Gao 2001; Izuho et al. 2017;Kato 2017; Kuzmin et al. 2008, 2013;Li et al. 2016; Ono et al. 2014; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China Yang et al. 2017a, b). Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Northeast China occupies a critical geographic position for Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China understanding exchange networks and interactions among hunter-gatherers in East and Northeast Asia (Fig. 1a). Recently, CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, China several studies on lithic raw materials have been integrated into the study of hunter-gatherers’ behavioral systems, and most of State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment,CAS,Xi’an 710061, China them focused on the obsidian assemblages distributed in the Changbaishan Mountains (a.k.a. the Paektusan) (Chen et al. Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany 2015; Jia et al. 2010;Liand Chen 2014; Liu et al. 2014). 107 Page 2 of 13 Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2020) 12:107 Fig. 1 The Huayang site. a Geographic location of the Huayang site and Houtaomuga; 7 Linfu; 8 Xishantou). b Topographic map of the Huayang some other Late Pleistocene sites in Northeast China (1 Taoshan; 2 site. c, d The studied excavation area of the paper. e Stratigraphic profile Xiaolongtoushan; 3 Shirengou; 4 Helong Dadong; 5 Xintunzi Xishan; 6 of the site Based on X-ray fluorescence analysis, researchers argued that their environment. These studies have provided a general under- Changbaishan obsidian dominates the late Upper Paleolithic as- standing of population movement and exchange in Northeast semblages in the central Changbaishan region, at sites such as China and neighboring areas, despite relying on an uncertain Helong Dadong, Shirengou, and Xintunzi Xishan, and in some chronology. cases has been transported into the Russian Far East and South A new series of excavations have recently been under- Korea (Chen et al. 2015;Jia etal. 2010). Meanwhile, the obsid- taken to establish an absolute chronological framework ians from the Russian Primorye were also found at several sites and paleoenvironmental background for the region, at pre- in the Changbaishan, suggesting the two-way movement of vol- historic sites such as Linfu (Li 2015), Xiaolongtoushan canic glass artifacts between the two regions (Chen et al. 2015; (Li 2019), Xishantou(Liuetal. 2019), Taoshan (Yang Jia et al. 2010). Kato (2017) defined five late Upper Paleolithic et al. 2017a; Yue et al. 2020;Zou etal. 2018), and territories in North and Northeast China according to the lithic Houtaomuga (Wang 2018). In particular, based on the raw materials found at archeological sites and their site distribu- lithic assemblages of the Taoshan site (ca. 19–5 ka cal. tion to explore the relationships between human activities and BP), Yang et al. (2017a) analyzed the lithic raw material Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2020) 12:107 Page 3 of 13 107 types and sources through petrological identification and Materials and methods geological prospecting and suggested a correspondence between changes in local lithic raw material exploitation Raw material identification and geological survey strategies and shifts in environmental settings. In this paper, we present a detailed analysis of the lithic We examined archeological materials from Huayang CL2, raw material procurement and exploitation strategies at the which contained a total of 18,477 pieces of lithic artifacts that Huayang site, which is located approximately 100 km east have maximum length > 10 mm. The methods of raw material of the Taoshan site in the southern Lesser Khingan identification and provisioning are the same as described by Mountains (Fig. 1a). Large-scale excavations were under- Yang et al. (2017a), based on petrological observations and taken at the site and recovered successive deposits of cul- archeologically oriented surveys for sources. tural materials dated to the Late Pleistocene and the Middle Macroscopic and microscopic observations were used to Holocene. Here, we focus on the lithic materials that date identify different types of raw materials. First, each material to 14 ka cal. BP, which form the principal lithic assemblage was classified by macroscopic observation according to color of the site. In contrast to the earlier studies on obsidian and texture. Following this, selected samples were submitted assemblages that have revealed long-distance exchange for microscopic observation with the application of a petro- networks in Northeast China, we combine data from graphic polarizing microscope. A polarizing microscope, with Huayang and neighboring archeological sites to investigate plane polarized light and perpendicular polarized light, was the localization and diversification of lithic raw materials used to collect images of the texture of the raw materials, in this region during the Late Glacial period, providing which helped identify the different rock types as well as eval- new insight into understanding the economic activities of uate the quality of raw materials. these populations in a reliable chronological framework. In order to identify raw material sources, we conducted a geological prospecting survey using a 1:200,000 geological map of the region (Fig. 2a). The bedrock outcrops around the site were easily accessible because of highway construc- The Huayang site tion projects. As shown in Fig. 2a, the survey area covers the easternmost point near the confluence of the Zhulabilahe The Huayang site (47°3′52′′N, 129°29′40′′E) is located in River and its branch and the north-westernmost point near Yichun County, Heilongjiang Province, on the second ter- the Lvhua village. Each occurrence of raw materials was reg- race of the Tangwanghe River, which cuts through the istered via GPS, photographed and described. Raw material Lesser Khingan Mountains before it finally flows into samples were collected from riverbeds and bedrock outcrops, the Songhuajiang River. The site is at an elevation of ca. and afterwards compared with archeological materials based 180 m above mean sea level and ca. 20 m higher than the on petrological analysis. The natural surfaces (e.g., cortex, modern Tangwanghe River (Fig. 1). weathered surface) of the archeological materials were also The Huayang site was found in 2011 when archeologists recorded in order to determine whether the lithic raw materials from Heilongjiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics of Huayang were derived from primary outcrops or secondary and Archeology conducted archeological surveys associat- deposits. ed with the reconstruction of Tieli-Jinshantun and Haonanhe-Nancha highways. In the following year, Lithic raw material economy, spatial distribution, Huayang was excavated in a large scale as a salvage and refitting archeological project. Approximately 1000 m of the site was exposed in three excavation areas (labeled I, II, and Based on the results of Yue et al. (2019)’s techno-typological III) and several test pits (Fig. 1b). analysis, we followed the techno-economy protocol to inves- Area I, as the primary excavation area, covers a total of tigate the lithic raw material economy of the site (e.g., Inizan 555 m , which is divided into squares A–V(5m×5 m) et al. 1999;Soressi 2002;Soressi andGeneste 2011). Within along with square MK (1 m × 5 m) opened as the exten- the raw material categories, the knapping techniques and sion of square M (Fig. 1c, d). From the stratigraphic se- methods are identified through a technological reading of each quence of the site, three prehistoric cultural layers (CL1, object. Following this, we can reconstruct the chaîne 2, and 3; Fig. 1e) were identified on the basis of sedimen- opératoire of the assemblage and determine whether each step tary facies and artifact concentration. Respective dates of of the operational sequence is present at the site. 5992–5916, 14,355–14,025, and 18,614–17,885 cal. BP Furthermore, we integrate the raw material and techno- for CL1, CL2, and CL3 have been suggested by radiocar- typological information with the three-dimensional data of bon dating on charcoals recovered from the cultural layers lithic artifacts to investigate the intra-site spatial organization (Yue et al. 2019). pattern. The tridimensional location of remains and the wide 107 Page 4 of 13 Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2020) 12:107 Fig. 2 Geological map and field photographs around the Huayang site. a the Zhulabilahe River. d Gravels of different sizes from the Tangwanghe Geological map around the Huayang site. b Geological outcrop of the River Tai’antun Formation (a modern local quarry pit). c Rhyolite blocks from excavation of surfaces guarantee the identification of spatial Rhyolite, the most favored raw material for artifact produc- units at the site. tion at Huayang, is a kind of extrusive igneous rock mineral- Refitting practices have also been carried out at the ogical equivalent to granite and has aphanitic to porphyritic Huayang site to clarify stone knapping strategies and intra- texture chiefly with quartz and sanidine appearing as pheno- site spatial organization. Considering the huge number of crysts. According to microscopic features, rhyolites at the specimens and time limitation, we mainly focused on the lithic Huayang site can be generally divided into two sub-types. artifacts with technical and/or raw material particularities, es- One is banded rhyolite, named for its characteristic banded pecially on dacite artifacts and bifacial points. In describing structure (Fig. 3a). The other is felsite, with few or absence refitting artifact sets, we follow the differentiated use of refit and conjoin (Cziesla 1990;Sisk and Shea 2008). Table 1 Lithic raw Raw materials Number Percent materials of the Huayang site (modified from Yue Results Banded rhyolite 11,472 62.09 et al. 2019) Felsite 3180 17.21 Raw material types Felsophyre 2023 10.95 Shale 587 3.18 The raw materials of Huayang CL2 are categorized on the Dacite 488 2.64 basis of macroscopic observations and petrological analysis Tuff 277 1.50 results. As shown in Table 1, the lithic assemblage is domi- Agate 119 0.64 nated by banded rhyolite (90.25%), followed by felsite Chert 93 0.50 (17.21%) and felsophyre (10.95%). Other raw materials, in- Others 238 1.29 cluding shale, dacite, tuff, agate, and chert, occur in low Total 18,477 100 frequencies. Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2020) 12:107 Page 5 of 13 107 Fig. 3 Photomicrographs of the main rock types from the Huayang site. a Banded rhyolite. b Felsite. c Felsophyre. d Dacite of porphyritic texture, while felsitic texture in the matrix can In addition, we found that all the raw material types in the be observed (Fig. 3b). Generally, both banded rhyolite and Huayang assemblage can be found in secondary sources near felsite can be described as fine-grained materials that allow the site (Fig. 2c, d). Along the riverbeds of the Tangwanghe for good conchoidal fracture. and Zhulabilahe rivers, the pebbles and cobbles in felsophyre, Felsophyre, a porphyry with microcrystalline groundmass dacite, crystal tuff, agate, and chert are well rounded (Fig. 2d), containing some glass (Fig. 3c), also comprises a significant while other raw materials, including felsite and banded rhyo- portion of the Huayang assemblage. This material is fine- lite, are usually in the form of angular blocks with the scarcity grained and dense and is an excellent lithic raw material. In or absence of cortex, indicating short-distance transport from addition, the raw materials, including tuff, agate, and chert, are the primary outcrops (Fig. 2c). Further comparative identifi- rich in silica and suitable for knapping activities, which are cation suggests that the correspondence between the survey also widely procured and exploited at other archeological sites samples in primary or secondary context and the archeological in Northeast China (Dong 1989; Huang et al. 1984;Li 2012; materials is quite good, showing a pattern of local raw material Yue et al. 2017, 2020). provisioning at the site. In contrast, dacite, as an extrusive igneous rock and the The presence or absence of natural surfaces on the lithic equivalent of granodiorite, usually has porphyritic texture artifacts from Huayang was recorded for further (Fig. 3d). The phenocrysts mainly contain plagioclase, quartz, distinguishing the raw materials from secondary to primary and other crystalline minerals. The texture of dacite is gener- sources. As shown in Table 2, the relatively high and moderate ally coarse-grained, which may limit the application of certain frequency of rolled pebble cortex shows that the majority of knapping techniques. At the Huayang site, dacite was pro- raw materials, including felsophyre, dacite, crystal tuff, agate, cured in small amounts, making up 2.64% of the whole assemblage. Table 2 Counts and frequencies of the lithic artifacts with natural surface at Huayang Raw material sources Raw materials With cortex With weathered surface According to geological maps and reports, the Tai’antun, n % n % Ningyuancun, and Songmuhezi formations, located west of the Huayang site with minimal distance within 3 km, contain Banded rhyolite 75 0.65 356 3.1 several kinds of igneous rocks, especially rhyolite, felsophyre, Felsite 62 1.95 980 30.82 tuff, lava, porphyrite, and andesite (Fig. 2a; Bureau of Felsophyre 182 9.0 –– Geology and Mineral Resources of Heilongjiang Province Dacite 200 40.98 –– 1993). During the field survey, we identified several bedrock Crystal tuff 94 33.94 –– outcrops exposed by construction activities (Fig. 2b). Igneous Agate 37 21.01 –– rocks, such as rhyolite, felsophyre, and tuff, were primarily Chert 25 39.78 –– from these formations and clearly visible on the outcrops. 107 Page 6 of 13 Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2020) 12:107 and chert, came from riverbeds or from gravel layers of the coping with different raw materials at the site, leaving behind terraces. In contrast, felsite artifacts have a low percentage of abundant characteristic products with which we could recon- cortex (1.95%) but relatively high frequency of weathered struct the chaîne opératoire of the whole assemblage (Fig. 6). surfaces (30.82%), showing similarities with the angular fel- As shown in Fig. 6, banded rhyolite, the dominant raw sitic blocks found in the local riverbeds. Very few natural material at Huayang, was mainly used for bifacial point pro- surfaces, no matter cortex (0.65%), or weathered surface duction. According to morphometric data, most cores (mean = (3.1%), were observed on banded rhyolites. In consideration 46.71 mm) and flakes (mean = 22.5 mm) in banded rhyolite of the abundance of banded rhyolites in the riverbeds near the are relatively small in maximum length in comparison with site, we suggest that this kind of material was probably pro- complete bifacial points (mean = 71.01 mm), indicating that cured from nearby river boulders. large-sized flakes which could have been primarily introduced By combining the data of natural surfaces on the artifacts into the site ready-made were selected as tool blanks. Hard- and the results of geological survey and petrological identifi- hammer and follow-on soft-hammer percussion have been cation, we suggest that the Huayang inhabitants exploited lith- suggested for the manufacture of bifacial points (Yue et al. ic resources from the local riverbeds within 2–3km. 2019). On the other hand, banded rhyolite was used for flake debitage as well, though in very low proportions (Fig. 6). Three pieces of cores are present and show a simple core- Procurement patterns and reduction sequences flake debitage method. In terms of tool manufacture, of raw materials retouched pieces other than bifacial points are represented by 35 pieces and show a wide range of types, including The techno-typological analysis revealed that the Huayang scrapers, endscrapers, denticulates, borers, burins, and arrow- lithic assemblage comprises diversified technologies heads, among which flakes are exclusively used as tool (Table 3; Fig. 4; Yue et al. 2019). Core-flake and bladelet blanks. reductions constitute two main debitage sequences, while The felsite exploitation strategies are clearly different from microblade reduction only consists of a minor proportion. those of banded rhyolite. Two main reduction sequences of The toolkit is characterized by the dominance of bifacial felsite have been identified (Figs. 4b and 6). One is optimized points and the appearance of new tool types, including arrow- towards bladelet production. The felsitic blocks were procured heads, axes, adzes, ground chisels, and grinding stones. and systematically shaped-out. Afterwards, indirect percus- The lithic raw material compositions of different lithic sion was applied for bladelet removal (Yue et al. 2019). The technologies at Huayang are shown in Fig. 5. In general, cores other reduction sequence is towards the production of flakes. of core-flake technology are dominated by felsite, but flakes Although there are different core types, core shaping is gen- are mostly in banded rhyolite. In the bladelet reduction, felsite erally simple and expedient. Tools are mainly represented by shows an absolute majority. Two main materials, felsite and scrapers and points and show a large proportion of flake chert, characterize the microblade reduction. In contrast to the blanks, with only two pieces on bladelet. bifacial points which are predominated by banded rhyolite, Felsophyre and crystal tuff were used as a supplement other tools are fairly variable in terms of raw material selec- to banded rhyolite and felsite in the knapping activities of tion. Overall, different exploitation patterns were involved in core-flake and bladelet debitage and follow-on tool pro- duction (Figs. 4c and 6). Thesamecircumstancealso applies for chert, which was utilized with a variety of Table 3 The lithic assemblage composition (> 10 mm) of the Huayang site (modified from Yue et al. 2019) reduction strategies though chert artifacts make up just 0.5% of the whole assemblage (Fig. 6). In particular, Categories Number Percent two microblade cores made of chert are identified and Core 42 0.23 exhibit a wedge-like morphology and a bifacial shaping- out process. In contrast, dacite was exclusively used for Flake and flake fragment 12,209 66.08 flake debitage and subsequent tool manufacture in a very Bladelet core 33 0.18 simple and expedient manner (Figs. 4d and 6). Cores and Bladelet and characteristic by-product 489 2.65 flakes in dacite show clear evidence of hard-hammer di- Microblade core 2 0.01 rect percussion and an informal debitage method, and Microblade and characteristic by-product 13 0.07 retouchedtools representedbytwoscrapers andone notch Bipolar piece 7 0.04 exhibit very simple forms. Tool 243 1.31 In addition, other raw materials were also exploited for Angular fragment and shatter 5426 29.37 specific reduction objectives, though all present in small Unmodified piece 13 0.07 amounts. For example, agates were mostly transformed to Total 18,477 100 flakes and bipolar splinters with the respective application Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2020) 12:107 Page 7 of 13 107 10 11 12 15 16 17 18 20 23 25 Fig. 4 Lithic artifacts by raw material at the Huayang site (modified from Yue et al. 2019). a Banded rhyolite. b Felsite. c Felsophyre and tuff. d Dacite. e Other raw materials of direct percussion and bipolar technique. Oval-shaped were procured as grinding stones. The formal tools in- cobbles in quartz sandstone, granite, and diorite were se- cluding axes, adzes, and chisels were usually made from lected as hammer stones; tabular cobbles in sandstone tuffaceous sandstone, quartzite, and diorite (Fig. 4e). 107 Page 8 of 13 Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2020) 12:107 Fig. 5 Lithic raw material composition of different lithic technologies at the Huayang site In sum, the coexistence of diversified technical products ly, but A4, A6, and A8 are by banded rhyolite (Fig. 7c). In characterizes the Huayang lithic assemblage. The toolkit com- addition, some inter-accumulation differences have been de- prises not only the traditionally Upper Paleolithic artifacts but tected concerning lithic techno-typological composition. some new tool types. Furthermore, it is remarkable that dif- Bladelet debitage products are well represented at A3, while ferent knapping strategies were applied for processing differ- almost absent from other accumulations (A1, A2, and A5– ent raw materials at the site, showing respective reduction A8). Accumulations of A4, A6, and A8 are characterized by sequences as detailed above. the abundance of flakes and flake fragments made on banded rhyolite and especially the presence of bifacial points with a Spatial distribution and raw material exploitation total number of 59 pieces. These differences can be attributed to the spatially partitioned distribution of knapping activities As shown in Fig. 7, there is a clear differential distribution of of different raw materials. Products of all stages within each lithic remains that are clustered in well-delimited accumula- reduction sequence present at the site are represented by cor- tions. The overwhelming majority of artifacts found at the responding accumulations and are dominated by small-sized debitage products, indicating that there is virtually an entire Huayang site are concentrated in these areas. In general, the spatially delimited accumulations contain process of stone reduction sequences at all accumulations and different raw materials. Taking square A-D for example, eight that knapping activities were carried out in situ. accumulations (labeled A1–A8) have been identified, among Refitting practices are in line with this conclusion as well. which A1, A2, A3, A5, and A7 are characterized by shale, In our study, we obtained 45 conjoined groups and 23 refitted tuff, felsite, tuffaceous sandstone, and felsophyre, respective- groups involving a total of 159 stone artifacts which com- Fig. 6 Main reduction sequences by raw material at the Huayang site Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2020) 12:107 Page 9 of 13 107 Fig. 7 Spatial distribution of lithic remains at the Huayang site prised varied technical products, such as cores, flake/bladelet raw materials that were reduced towards respective objective debitage products, tools, and angular fragments. Specifically, products. 11 connections between 23 bifacial points and 17 associations between 48 dacite artifacts have been identified, accounting for 16.67% and 9.84% of the respective whole sample. All the Discussion and conclusions artifacts in each refitting group are generally concentrated in the same accumulation, and the distance between each con- Lithic raw material economy of Huayang nection is fairly small, with most < 0.5 m (Fig. 8). Overall, different delimited areas can be recognized at the Generally, people at Huayang relied exclusively on local ma- site, which indicate in situ preservation of all the reduction terials. Lithic resources derived from local riverbeds were car- sequences carried out at the site. It is also highlighted that ried to the site for further processing. Together, raw material, there is a strong discrete spatial pattern for each of the different techno-typological, and spatial analyses all indicate that nearly 107 Page 10 of 13 Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2020) 12:107 Fig. 8 The plan and profile of refit groups at the squares I, N, and O of the Huayang site the whole sequence of reduction activities, including core formal for high-quality raw materials, such as rhyolite, preparation, blank debitage, and tool manufacture, took place felsophyre, tuff, and chert. This observation is consistent with on site. The only exception is that banded rhyolite, which was theoretical expectations on the relationship between lithic primarily procured for bifacial point production, could have technology and raw material quality and availability been introduced into the site as ready-made flakes to be further (Andrefsky 1994). From the micro perspective, we noted that reduced at the site. Based on all these data, we interpret the different high-quality raw materials were used for different Huayang site primarily as a well-preserved knapping work- end products and were reduced in spatially delimited areas. shop, revealing a vivid portrait of how the local lithic raw Banded rhyolite, for example, was predominantly transformed materials were used around 14 ka cal. BP. into bifacial points with the application of soft-hammer per- Cortex coverage, artifact size, and retouch frequency are cussion, while felsite was mainly for bladelet production by commonly used variables to assess the intensity of raw mate- punch technique. The internal properties of lithic raw mate- rial exploitation (e.g., Blades 2001; Dibble 1995;Douglass rials, especially elasticity, might account for these observa- et al. 2008;Gao 2001;Kuhn 2004;Li et al. 2016; Lin et al. tions, while it remains to be testified by further experimental 2015). At the Huayang site, numerous lithic artifacts show the and quantitative analysis. presence of natural surfaces. Though small-sized pieces dom- On the whole, at ca. 14 ka cal. BP, the Huayang site pri- inate the whole assemblage, cores of both core-flake and marily served as a knapping workshop where almost all knap- bladelet debitage are relatively large and mostly have the po- ping activities took place on site. Diversified lithic raw mate- tential for further reduction. In addition, approximately rials were procured from the local riverbeds around 2–3km 76.19% of the cores bear natural surfaces. The ratio of formal from the site. Despite the overall low consumption intensity, tools to cores and flakes is also very low. All these observa- different lithic raw materials were reduced towards respective tions indicate that the intensity of raw material consumption at end products at differentiated accumulations of the site, indi- the site is low, which is usually seen at sites located close to cating strong raw material preference and clear technological raw material sources. and spatial organization patterns. Though lithic raw materials were not fully consumed at the site, it is evident that different strategies were involved in Lithic resource localization and diversification coping with different raw materials. From a macro view, the as adaptive strategies data from the Huayang assemblage clearly indicate the paral- lel use of two technological strategies: informal designs for The Huayang site contains successive prehistoric deposits low-quality raw material (dacite), and both informal and spanning from ca. 18.6 ka to 6 ka cal. BP. Temporal trends Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2020) 12:107 Page 11 of 13 107 during the Late Pleistocene can be detected in the Huayang The changes in mobility and land use patterns seem to have assemblages when taking the lithic assemblage of earlier been associated with paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental phase into consideration. During the first phase (Huayang shifts (see also Yang et al. 2017a;Yue etal. 2019). Although CL3), between ca. 18.6 and 17.9 ka cal. BP, a total of 40 pieces a paleoenvironmental framework cannot be established using of stone artifacts were retrieved and predominantly made on the present paleoenvironmental materials from Huayang, given high-quality felsophyre, felsite, and chert. The types mainly the poor preservation of sporopollen and phytoliths, a series of include microblade cores, flakes, bladelets, and elaborately high-resolution complexes in neighboring sites (e.g., the retouched pieces, such as scraper, burin, end-scraper, and bor- Taoshan) and areas have well understood vegetation histories er, which show clearly curated technologies (Yue 2019). and climatic events (Li et al. 2019; Mingram et al. 2018; When it came to ca. 14 ka cal. BP (Huayang CL2), as detailed Stebich et al. 2009;Wuand Liu 2013;Wuand Shen 2010; above in this paper, diversified lithic raw materials of local Wu et al. 2016;Yangetal. 2017a). During the Late Glacial, origins were provisioned in large quantities and exploited with climatic and environmental conditions ameliorated significantly differentiated strategies. at ca. 15 ka cal. BP, corresponding with the start of the Bølling- Other contemporaneous sites in the southern Lesser Allerød phase. The increasing site numbers and intra-site arti- Khingan Mountains, especially the Taoshan site, also contain fact densities in the southern Lesser Khingan Mountains indi- similar diachronic changes in lithic resource exploitation cate that demographic expansion occurred during this period (Yang et al. 2017a; Yue et al. 2020). During the first occupa- (Yang et al. 2017a), which is further testified by the tion phase of Taoshan (ca. 19–16.5 ka cal. BP), a small sample archeological and genetic evidence in the context of East and of lithic artifacts were found. Fine-grained vitric tuff, derived Northeast Asia (Buvit et al. 2016; Kudo and Kumon 2012; from a geological outcrop some 5–10 km from Taoshan, was Wang et al. 2014; Zheng et al. 2011). Under such circum- brought into the site and was primarily found among the stances, the imbalance between population size and natural re- microblade debitage. During the latter phase (ca. 15– sources probably began to accelerate, which could have 14 ka cal. BP), lithic artifacts densified and tool type variabil- prompted foragers to decrease mobility and innovate techno- ity increased. New tool types such as axes and adzes emerged logical strategies towards diversified and intensified exploita- in the toolkits. In addition, lithic resource procurement strate- tion of local floral, faunal, and lithic resources. gy shifted towards the selection of varied raw material types In conclusion, the site of Huangyang well preserved a from gravel deposits in close proximity to the site (Yang et al. knapping workshop dating to ca. 14 ka cal. BP, and, together 2017a; Yue et al. 2020). with the neighboring archeological sites, provided thorough Huayang and Taoshan are roughly contemporaneous and data to reveal the localization and diversification of lithic raw altogether represent a trend towards localization and diversi- materials in the southern Lesser Khingan Mountains of fication of lithic sources during the Late Glacial. On one hand, Northeast China during the Late Glacial. These changes ap- prehistoric hunter-gatherers in the southern Lesser Khingan peared as the result of the decrease of human mobility and had Mountains localized the procurement of lithic resources of its roots in the paleoclimatic amelioration and the demograph- different types and qualities after ca. 15 ka cal. BP. On the ic expansion during this period. In broader geographical con- other hand, different knapping strategies were applied for dif- texts, Northeast China accumulates large quantities of cultural ferent raw materials. In particular, a new technique—grind- remains and shows sharp ecological contrasts, making it an ing—was used to finish the newly made tools, such as axes, interesting region for exploring the behavior patterns and adzes, and chisels, resulting in the coexistence of ground and adaptive strategies of prehistoric hunter-gatherers in different flaked stone tools at the sites. In addition, this general trend ecosystems. Moreover, the critical geographic location of was accompanied by the appearance of pottery not only at Northeast China gives it great significance for the study of these two sites but also in neighboring regions including the the interaction among human groups in East and Northeast Song-Nen Plain and the middle and lower Amur River basin Asia and their expansion into the Americas. Further system- (Kuzmin 2014; Sato and Natsuki 2017; Wang 2018; Wang atic excavations, well-dated cultural features, and more mul- and Sebillaud 2019; Yue et al. 2020), which signaled a sub- tidisciplinary analyses linking paleoecology and hunter- stantial shift in human subsistence patterns (Kunikita et al. gatherer adaptation will help elaborate on these issues. 2013, 2017; Shoda et al. 2020). With reference to the theoret- Acknowledgments Our warmest appreciation goes to M.J. Storozum ical expectations on relations between technological organiza- from Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History for proof- tion and settlement mobility (Binford 1979; Kelly 1992; reading and insightful comments on the earlier draft. We also thank P. Nelson 1991; Parry and Kelly 1987;Shott 1986), we suggest Chen from Wuhan University, X.W. Zhang, Y. Liu, and S.Q. Chen from that the technological changes in the southern Lesser Khingan Heilongjiang University, and L. Lei from University of Chinese Academy of Sciences for contributions to lithic study and geological survey. Many Mountains were likely the result of the decrease of mobility, as thanks to the editor, Professor N. Conard, and three reviewers for their well as of the change in land use patterns shifting from resi- constructive suggestions to improve our manuscript. dential to logistical mobility. 107 Page 12 of 13 Archaeol Anthropol Sci (2020) 12:107 Palaeolithic: the example of Payre level D (South-East France). Archaeol Anthropol Sci 11:4681–4695 Authors’ contributions S.X.Y., Y.Q.L. and J.P.Y. designed the research. Dibble HL (1995) Middle Paleolithic scraper reduction: background, Y.Q.L., J.P.Y. and Y.X.Z. collected the data. S.X.Y., J.P.Y. and Y.X.Z. clarification, and review of the evidence to date. J Archaeol performed the analysis. J.P.Y. and S.X.Y. wrote the paper. Method Theory 2:299–368 Dong ZA (1989) Microliths from Dabusu, western Jilin Province. Acta Funding information Open access funding provided by Projekt DEAL. Anthropol Sin 8:49–58 (in Chinese) This research was funded by the Strategic Priority Research Program of Douglass MJ, Holdaway SJ, Fanning PC, Shiner JI (2008) An assessment the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB26000000), the National Natural and archaeological application of cortex measurement in lithic as- Science Foundation of China (41602021), the National Social Science semblages. Am Antiq 73:513–526 Foundation of China (19BKG009), the Key Research Program of the Du SS (2003) A preliminary study on raw material exploitation in Institute of Geology & Geophysics, CAS Grant (No. IGGCAS- Middle-Upper Paleolithic sites in Nihewan basin. Acta Anthropol 201905), and SKLLQG grant (No.SKLLQGZR2002). S.X. Yang re- Sin 22:21–130 (in Chinese) ceived the support of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the Ekshtain R, Tryon CA (2019) Lithic raw material acquisition and use by Youth Innovation Promotion Association of Chinese Academy Sciences early Homo sapiens at Skhul, Israel. J Hum Evol 127:149–170 (No. 2020074) and the Max Planck Society. Gao X (2001) A study of raw material exploitation and economy at Zhoukoudian locality 15. Acta Anthropol Sin 20:186–200 (in Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Chinese) Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adap- Huang WW, Zhang ZH, Liao ZD, Yu HM, Chu BJ, Gao ZC (1984) tation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as Discovery of Paleolithic artifacts at Ang’angxi of Jijihear, you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, pro- Heilongjiang. 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Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences – Springer Journals

Published: May 8, 2020

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