Four Palaeolithic sites/localities were identified from the Yaoshi Basin of the UpperDanjiang River Valley,the Shangluo region,during investigations in 1995-1999,when atotal of 870 lithic artifacts were collected.Lithic-stratigraphic layer bearing lithic artifacts at the 95SP03 locality belongs to the upper part of the Xiehu Form deposit,suggesting thatthe site is probably in the middle to later period of the Middle Pleistocene.This earlyPalaeolithic site is about in same time range with those found in the Luonan Basin to the east.The other sites found in the region(95SP01,95SP02,and 95SP04)were identified from the Upper Pleistoence deposit,probably affiliated with Late Palaeolithic of northern China.
A large quantity of animal bones were unearthed at the Neolithic Guantaoyuan site in Baoji city,Shaanxi province,China.These faunal remains were systematically collected according to the archaeological units at the site,and at least 26 species have been identified.The skulls of Rhinopithecus roxellana have been unearthed for the first time from ash pits,dating to the pre-Yangshao culture-the Lower Beishouling phase(7300-7000BP.)and the Guantaoyuan type(7500-7300BP.).This discovery also marks the northernmost distribution of this species in China.This article discusses the significance of the discovery in archaeology and animal evolution.
This paper gives an account of animal bone from the ash-pits of Yangshao and Longshan cultures at Gongjiawan site, Shaanxi province respectively.There are 18 species of animal altogether, including 2 invertebrate (namely Cipangaludina cathayensis and unio douglasiae),fish ,reptile,bird (each has 1 species) and 13 mammalia.The pig,dog and ox were domestic and the rest were wild. Through analyzing of these animal sorts and animal differences between Yangshao culture(14species)and Longshan cultures (8 species),the author gains the paleoclimate and paleoenvironment which is close to that of the middle- lower reaches of Changjiang river today and its change tendency in the region.The climate was becoming drier and cooler , water area was becoming smaller from Yangshao to Longshan culture.
