Middle and Upper Paleolithic Research in Southern Belgium: Phase II

在国家科学基金会的支持下，劳伦斯·斯特劳斯博士和 他的合作者将继续在两个旧石器时代的研究 考古遗址，都位于比利时南部。 1990年和1992年， 表明，在现场考古材料存在。 Trou Magrite是一个洞穴，其中包含一个扩展序列， 跨越Mousterian（之前CA。40,000年前）通过 旧石器时代晚期第二个地点是于科涅， 位于露天，包含一个单一的考古地平线 它可以追溯到格拉维特时期。两万三千年前。这标志 一个极度寒冷的时期， 欧洲这两个遗址都有丰富的文化资料， 保存下来的动物标本施特劳斯博士和他的合作者将 在1992年夏天回到这两个地方， 挖掘。然后将分析各种材料， 重建变化的环境和人类对环境的适应。 考古学家对这一时期非常感兴趣， 欧洲有几个原因。首先，大约4万年前 文化和人类体型的重大转变 地方尼安德特人制造了独特的 从考古学上消失的莫斯特式石器 记录大约在这个时候，第一个解剖学上的现代人类（如 通过骨骼遗骸确定）首先出现在欧洲。一 不同类型的文化与新的石器技术， 诸如艺术创作等实践伴随着这一点， 过渡虽然可以观察到这种变化， 对此负责的过程知之甚少。目前还不清楚 是一个群体取代了另一个群体还是原地发展 发生了什么施特劳斯博士的发掘工作应该能解释这一点 问题它们还应该提供更多的见解， 方法人类与一个简单的技术，用来科普一个 恶劣和不断变化的环境。 这项研究之所以重要，有几个原因。它将提供 大量考古学家感兴趣的数据。它将 增加我们对现代人类出现的理解， 与此相关的适应性策略。

With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Lawrence Straus and his collaborators will continue research at two paleolithic archaeological sites, both located in Southern Belgium. Preliminary work was conducted at both in 1990 and excavation indicated that in situ archaeological materials were present. Trou Magrite is a cave which contains an extended sequence which spans Mousterian (prior to ca. 40,000 years ago) through following Upper Paleolithic times. A second site, Huccorgne, is located in open air and contains a single archaeological horizon which dates to Gravettian times ca. 23,000 years ago. This marks an extremely cold period when glaciers extended far South in Europe. Both sites are rich in cultural materials including well preserved faunal material. Dr. Straus and his collaborators will return to both in the summer of 1992 and conduct archaeological excavations. A variety of materials will then be analyzed to reconstruct the changing environment and human adaptation to it. Archaeologists are extremely interested in this time period in Europe for several reasons. First, approximately 40,000 years ago a major transition in both culture and human physical type took place. Neanderthal peoples who manufactured distinctive Mousterian type stone tools disappeared from the archaeological record. About this time the first anatomically modern humans (as determined through skeletal remains) first appear in Europe. A different type of culture with a new stone tool technology and practices such as the production of art accompany this transition. Although this change can be observed, the underlying processes responsible for it are little understood. It is unclear whether one group replaced another or whether in situ development took place. Dr. Straus excavations should shed light on this question. They should also provide additional insight into the methods humans with a simple technology employed to cope with a harsh and changing environment. This research is important for several reasons. It will provide data of interest to a large number of archaeologists. It will increase our understanding of the emergence of modern humans and the adaptive strategies associated with this.