New Archaeological Discovery in Sichuan
2023-01-17 06:35:18 by 戈丹
上世纪50年代,距今约3万年的“资阳人”头骨的发现引起关注,如今四川省资阳市再次发现旧石器时代遗存。
据新华社14日从四川省文物考古研究院获悉,四川省文物考古研究院在对资阳濛溪河遗址进行发掘时,发现4万多年前的人类活动遗迹。
Archaeologists have discovered traces of human activity dating back over 40,000 years in Ziyang city, Southwest China's Sichuan province, local authorities said.
资阳濛溪河遗址出土部分石制品 图源:四川省文物考古研究院
四川省文物考古研究院旧石器研究所所长郑喆轩介绍,2021年9月,该遗址因洪水导致河岸垮塌,冲刷出部分动物化石、石制品等遗物,经现场勘察发现保存较好的地层剖面。2022年1月,四川省文物考古研究院联合资阳市、县文物部门对该遗址启动抢救性发掘,现已取得阶段性成果。
截至目前,濛溪河遗址共出土各类石器和动物化石千余件。石制品包括典型的石核、石片、刮削器、尖状器等,动物化石包括牛、犀牛、大象、鹿等。值得一提的是,遗址还发现了骨器、疑似木器和大量植物类遗存,这在旧石器遗址中非常罕见。
So far, more than 1,000 pieces of stoneware items and animal fossils have been unearthed at the Mengxi River site, Ziyang. The stone products include cores, blades and scrapers, while the fossils include the remains of rhinos and elephants, according to the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute.
The findings resulted from an archaeological project, jointly launched by several organizations, including the institute and the local cultural relic departments of Ziyang, in January 2022.
Notably, some bone artifacts, suspected wood artifacts and a large number of plant remains have also been excavated -- which is extremely rare to see at Paleolithic ruins.
资阳濛溪河遗址出土部分动物化石 图源:四川省文物考古研究院
通过初步的碳十四测年,濛溪河遗址年代超过4.3万年。北京大学考古文博学院教授王幼平认为,濛溪河遗址是国内旧石器遗址中展示人和环境关系方面最清楚、最系统、全要素的遗址之一,对于还原晚更新世远古人类的生活提供了一个鲜活场景。
The carbon-14 dating method shows that the Mengxi River site is at least 43,000 years old.
It is one of the most systematic and all-element Paleolithic sites in China, showing the relationship between humans and the environment, and providing a vivid view of human activities during the Late Pleistocene, said Wang Youping, a professor of the School of Archaeology and Museology, Peking University.
中国科学院古脊椎动物与古人类研究所研究员高星表示:“要搞清楚著名的‘资阳人’的前世今生,濛溪河遗址的发掘研究是一个开端和重大突破。”
"The excavation of the Mengxi River site is a start, as well as a major breakthrough in lifting the veil of 'Ziyang Man,'" said Gao Xing, a researcher from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.