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University of Macau / Faculty of Science and Technology / Department of Electromechanical Engineering

published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Zhoukoudian Locality 15 is one of the most important Paleolithic sites in North China. It plays an essential role in assessing Pleistocene hominid adaptation and behavior, and defining Paleolithic cultural/technological traditions and transitions in North China and greater East Asia. However, the paucity of published original research hinders the accessibility of this rich archaeological collection and forces many discussions concerning this locality speculative and far-fetched. This dissertation makes a comprehensive study of this site and the rich data-set from it. Major topics covered by this study includeGeology, stratigraphy, chronology, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, lithic analysis, and a discussion of the current practice and theoretical framework of Paleolithic research in China. The centerpiece of the study is lithic analysis, including artifact typology and variability, core reduction, tool retouch and modification, and raw material exploitation and economy. Through these analyses, a series of theoretical and empirical questions are addressed, such as the nature of stone tool variability at the site, the capability and preferences of the Locality 15 hominids in handling the available raw materials and modifying lithic tools, the restrictions of raw materials placed on stone tool technology and stylistic features, the interaction between nature and hominids at the site, and the proper placement of the Locality 15 industry in Paleolithic cultural traditions and developments in North China. This study found that sophisticated direct hard hammer percussion was employed as the principal flaking technique to exploit vein quartz at the site, which is very distinctive from the Sinanthropus industry at Zhoukoudian Locality 1. However, the presence of Levallois technology at the site, as often mentioned, cannot be verified by this study. The dominant tool type is simply modified sidescrapers. The stone tools' informal features, minimal modification, and variability in morphology and edge are perceived as closely related to raw material quality and availability and mainly the function of the original blank forms. The Locality 15 materials are also recognized as a direct challenge to the scheme of identifying a three-stage cultural transitions and models classifying distinct Paleolithic technological traditions currently prevail in North China and East Asia.

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This study focuses on the assessment of the depositional activity that occurred in six caves of the Petexbatun region of the Peten, Guatemala through a quantitative analysis of the human skeletal material recovered from them. Five of these caves are associated with the site of Dos Pilas; the sixth cave (Cueva de Los Quetzales) is located beneath the site of Las Pacayas. The cave is an important aspect of the Maya worldview, as evidenced in the artifactual and skeletal material found in caves by archaeological exploration. My study is specifically focused on the assessment of the primary and/or secondary burial of Maya dead within these caves via analyses of the relative skeletal element frequencies, the minimum and probable number of individuals, and the identification of human cut marks. Based on these lines of evidence and data from preliminary reports, between 100 and 150 individuals of both sexes and various age groups were primarily deposited/buried in these caves. Secondary activity may be inferred based on evidence of human-made cut marks on several elements. There is no osteological evidence to support the hypothesis of human sacrifice. I was unable to determine the status of the individuals deposited in the caves. The best interpretation is that several types of depositional activity occurred within these caves over time.