Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, University of Tübingen, Schloss Hohentübingen, 72070 Tübingen, Germany.
J Hum Evol. 2013 Jun;64(6):518-37. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2013.02.012. Epub 2013 Apr 28.
New excavations at the Middle Stone Age (MSA) open-air site of Hoedjiespunt 1 (HDP1) on the west coast of South Africa advance our understanding of the evolution of coastal adaptations in Homo sapiens. The archaeological site of HDP1 dates to the last interglacial and consists of three phases of occupation, each containing abundant lithic artifacts, shellfish, terrestrial fauna, ostrich eggshell and pieces of ground ocher. The site provides an excellent case study to analyze human behavioral adaptations linked to early exploitation of marine resources. Here we reconstruct human activities through a detailed study of the lithic assemblages, combining analyses of the reduction sequences, artifact attributes and quartz fracturing. These methods provide insights into raw material procurement, lithic reduction sequences, site use and mobility patterns, and foster comparison with other MSA coastal sites. The main characteristics of the lithic assemblages remain constant throughout the use of the site. Quartz dominates silcrete and other raw materials by almost four to one. Knappers at HDP1 produced different forms of flakes using multiple core reduction methods. Denticulates represent the most frequent tool type. The assemblages document complete, bipolar and hard hammer reduction sequences for the locally available quartz, but highly truncated reduction sequences with many isolated end products for silcrete, a material with a minimum transport distance of 10-30km. This observation suggests that well provisioned individuals executed planned movements to the shoreline to exploit shellfish. Our excavations at HDP1 furthermore demonstrate the simultaneous occurrence of flexible raw material use, anticipated long-distance transport, systematic gathering of shellfish and use of ground ocher. The HDP1 lithic assemblages document a robust pattern of land-use that we interpret as a stable adaptation of modern humans to coastal landscapes as early as MIS 5e.
南非西海岸中石器时代（MSA）露天遗址 Hoedjiespunt 1（HDP1）的新挖掘工作推进了我们对智人沿海适应进化的理解。HDP1 考古遗址的年代可追溯到末次间冰期，由三个居住阶段组成，每个阶段都包含丰富的石器制品、贝类、陆生动物、鸵鸟蛋壳和块状赭石。该遗址为分析与早期开发海洋资源相关的人类行为适应提供了极好的案例研究。在这里，我们通过详细研究石器组合来重建人类活动，结合对减少序列、人工制品属性和石英断裂的分析。这些方法为原材料采购、石器减少序列、遗址利用和流动模式提供了深入的了解，并促进了与其他 MSA 沿海遗址的比较。整个遗址使用过程中，石器组合的主要特征保持不变。硅质岩几乎以四比一的比例超过其他原材料。HDP1 的石器制作者使用多种核心减少方法生产不同形式的薄片。齿状器是最常见的工具类型。这些组合记录了本地可用石英的完整、双极和硬锤减少序列，但硅质岩的减少序列高度截断，有许多孤立的最终产品，硅质岩的运输距离最短为 10-30 公里。这一观察结果表明，供应充足的个体执行了有计划的向海岸线的运动，以开发贝类资源。我们在 HDP1 的挖掘工作还证明了灵活的原材料使用、预期的长途运输、贝类的系统采集和块状赭石的使用同时发生。HDP1 的石器组合记录了一种强有力的土地利用模式，我们将其解释为现代人类早在 MIS 5e 就对沿海景观的稳定适应。
