French Lower Paleolithic Excavations

在美国国家科学基金会的支持下，Dibble博士和他的同事将在位于法国北部索姆河谷的Cagny-l'Epinette遗址进行三个季节的考古挖掘和分析。他们将与阿兰·塔夫罗教授和他的团队合作，他们已经在这个地点工作了几年。迄今为止的挖掘显示出多个考古水平，其中最低的是这个项目的重点。它包含了来自阿舍利文化的材料以及相关的动物遗骸。地质证据表明，它可以追溯到70多万年前，材料的分布和它们所包含的基质的性质表明，它可能代表着一个生活的地板。迪布尔博士和他的团队将试图确定这是否正确。在挖掘过程中，他们将采用一些以前从未在挖掘这样一个遗址时同时使用过的技术。所有工件的方向和分布都将被记录；将作出协调一致的努力，以追回很少的遗骸；石器制品和骨头将被修复；将从地貌学的角度研究动物群，并进行沉积物磁测量。在此基础上，研究人员希望确定沉积后扰动的程度。这些材料的考古意义就可以解决了。这项研究之所以重要，有三个原因。阿舍利人是最早从非洲迁移到旧大陆温带地区的人之一。虽然许多阿舍利遗址是已知的，但很少有能够进行文化解释的原位材料。从这个角度来看，Cagny-l'Epinette可能是一个例外，它提供了早期人类生存和社会组织的信息。其次，由于方法原因，该研究很重要。当考古学家挖掘这样的表面时，很难将在其形成过程中起作用的“文化”和“自然”力量分开。迪布尔博士的工作将有助于开发适用于广泛地点的技术，这可能使这成为可能。最后，该项目包括一些学生，并将协助培训这些年轻科学家。

With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Dibble and his colleagues will conduct three seasons of archaeological excavation and analysis at the site of Cagny-l'Epinette which is located in the Somme Valley of northern France. They will collaborate with Professor Alain Tuffreau and his team who have worked at this site for several years. Excavation to date indicates multiple archaeological levels, the lowest of which is the focus of this project. It contains materials from the Acheulian culture as well as associated faunal remains. Geological evidence indicates it dates to more than 700,000 years ago and the distribution of materials and the nature of the matrix within which they are contained suggest it may represent a living floor. Dr. Dibble and team will attempt to determine whether this, in fact, is correct. In the course of their excavation, they will apply a number of techniques which have never been used before in tandem in the excavation of such a site. All artifact orientations and distributions will be noted; a concerted effort will be made to recover very small remains; lithic artifacts and bone will be refit; fauna will be studied from a taphonomic perspective and sediment magnetic measurements will be made. On this basis the investigators hope to determine the extent of post depositional disturbance. The archaeological meaning of the materials can then be addressed. This research is important for three reasons. The Acheulian peoples were among the first to move from Africa to the more temperate regions of the Old World. While many Acheulian sites are known, very few contain in situ material which permit cultural interpretation. From this perspective Cagny-l'Epinette may be an exception which provides information on early human subsistence and social organization. Secondly, the research is important for methodological reasons. When archaeologists excavate surfaces such as this it is extremely difficult to disentangle the "cultural" and "natural" forces which played a role in their formation. Dr. Dibble's work will help to develop techniques, applicable in a wide range of sites, which may make this possible. Finally, this project includes a number of students and will assist in the training of these young scientists.