Micromorphological analysis of the deposits at the early pottery Xianrendong cave site, China: formation processes and site use in the Late Pleistocene

Patania, Ilaria; Goldberg, Paul; Cohen, David J.; Wu, Xiaohong; Zhang, Chi; Bar‐Yosef, Ofer

doi:10.1007/s12520-019-00788-6

Cited by 11 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The data reported here, in connection with our micromorphological analysis of Xianrendong (Patania et al, 2019), help us reconstruct hunter-gatherer behavior during the Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene periods in South China. We suggest that further analyses need to be carried out on the pottery fragments found at YCY (and Xianrendong).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

Micromorphological and FTIR analysis of the Upper Paleolithic early pottery site of Yuchanyan cave, Hunan, South China

et al. 2019

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The site of Yuchanyan cave (Hunan Province, China) contains evidence for some of the earliest‐known (ca. 18,000 cal BP) pottery in the world alongside a typical South China Upper Paleolithic cobble tool (chopper) industry. Here we present the results of a micromorphological study of the deposits with particular attention to site formation processes and recognizable human activities. Our study reveals that the majority of the sediments are anthropogenic and produced by repeated combustion episodes involving the complete expenditure of the fuel and then the refuse being raked out and redistributed across the cave. In relation to the pottery production, clay was also used to line fireplaces. Our results, combined with our Fourier‐transform infrared analysis of the clays and bones, and supported by the zooarchaeological data, suggest that fire and pottery were used here to boil bones and render grease. This behavior must be considered in respect to its associated chopper industry, and the presence of early pottery may be related, suggesting differences in behavioral modernity for hunter‐gatherers in Upper Paleolithic South China. This study demonstrates the advantages of analyzing sediments as a record of past human actions and the value of using micromorphology for the study of Late Pleistocene sites in China.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

Micromorphological and FTIR analysis of the Upper Paleolithic early pottery site of Yuchanyan cave, Hunan, South China

et al. 2019

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“…3b-d; Online Resource 1d) (Mallol & Goldberg, 2017;Stoops, 2020). These clays came either from the weathering of the limestone bedrock or from the erosion of soils developed above the cave (Karkanas & Goldberg, 2013) and deposited when a high amount of water drained through the porous rimstone pool (Level 1.2) (Gerasimova & Savitskaya, 2020;Goldberg, 2000Goldberg, , 2001Inglis et al, 2018;Kourampas et al, 2009;Patania et al, 2019;Stephens et al, 2017).…”

Section: Levelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Was fire use a cultural trait of the Gravettian? New micro-archaeological data from Fuente del Salín cave (Val de San Vicente, Cantabria)

Alzate-Casallas,

Sánchez-Carro,

Barbieri

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Micro-archaeological data from sites located in central and eastern Europe show that, in comparison with other Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherers, Gravettian foragers used fire more intensively and for a wider range of purposes. In these regions, this shift in pyrotechnology overlaps with the onset of periglacial conditions and comparable micro-archaeological datasets from milder regions, such as Cantabria, remain scarce. As result, it is difficult to conclude whether these fire behaviors were cultural traits of the Gravettian tradition, or whether they reflect adaptations to regional environments. To further investigate these hypotheses, we studied the sequence preserved at the cave of Fuente del Salín, in Cantabria, where previous excavations unearthed potential fire residues of Gravettian age. Using micromorphology, µ-X-ray fluorescence, and Scanning Electron Microscopy we reconstructed multiple phases of human visits to the site. Our results show that, during the main Gravettian occupation, foragers made intensive use of fire, as indicated by abundant heated bones and seashells, charcoals, amorphous char, fat-derived char, and in situ remains of stacked open hearts as well as burnt grass beddings. The intensive burning, systematic reuse of combustion features, and multiple purposes of the fires at Fuente del Salín are comparable with Gravettian sites from central and eastern Europe, indicating that these fire-use traits were not related with periglacial environments but with lifeway aspects and traditions of Gravettian hunter-gatherers.

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Geoarchaeological observation of earlier palaeolithic (EP) assemblages of the downstream South Han River Area (SHRA), Korea

Lee

Yoo

2022

Geosci J

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Micromorphological analysis of the deposits at the early pottery Xianrendong cave site, China: formation processes and site use in the Late Pleistocene

Cited by 11 publications

References 22 publications

Micromorphological and FTIR analysis of the Upper Paleolithic early pottery site of Yuchanyan cave, Hunan, South China

Micromorphological and FTIR analysis of the Upper Paleolithic early pottery site of Yuchanyan cave, Hunan, South China

Was fire use a cultural trait of the Gravettian? New micro-archaeological data from Fuente del Salín cave (Val de San Vicente, Cantabria)

Geoarchaeological observation of earlier palaeolithic (EP) assemblages of the downstream South Han River Area (SHRA), Korea

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