Study of the Origin of the Upper Palaeolithic Culture in the Japanese Archipelago

本研究旨在阐明东北亚水平的日本列岛上旧石器时代的起源。在这一地区，旧石器时代晚期文化的开始与刀片技术的出现、硅质或玻璃质原材料的使用、材料的长途运输、骨/鹿角加工、地域风格、个人装饰品和用红色颜料粉末埋葬密切相关。用珠子、吊坠和红色颜料粉装饰的墓葬可能意味着每个社区和某种成熟社会中被选中的人的出现。在距今约3万年前的东北亚遗址上，骨/鹿角加工、装饰品和用红色颜料粉末进行的墓葬随处可见。特别是，周口店上洞的发现很重要，它将三个解剖学上的现代智人头骨与29-24 ka的辐射年龄联系起来，通过^<14>C AMS测年，即33,000-26,000 calBP。装饰品和红色颜料从西伯利亚南部迅速扩散到中国北部，直到大约20,000 calBP才到达日本群岛。根据系统叶片技术的标记，阿尔泰山脉和西伯利亚外贝加尔湖地区的开始时间约为45,000-38,000 calBP，中国，韩国和日本的开始时间约为35,000-30,000 calBP。另一方面，中国南方和中南半岛旧石器时代中晚期没有关于刀片制作技术的报道。因此，中国、韩国和日本的叶片技术被认为是通过北方路线扩散的。

This study was directed to elucidate the origin of the Upper Paleolithic in the Japanese Archipelago with Northeast Asian horizon. In this area, the beginning of the Upper Paleolithic cultures are closely correlated with emergence of blade technology, use of siliceous or glassy raw materials, long-distance movement of materials, bone/antler working, regional style, personal ornaments and burial with red pigment powder. Burials decorated with beads, pendants and red pigment powder may mean the appearance of selected persons in each communities and some kind of full-grown societies. Bone/antler working, ornaments and burials with red pigment powder are widely visible over the northeast Asian sites after ca.30,000 calBP. In particular, the finds from the Upper Cave at Zhoukoudian are important, associating three skulls of anatomically modern Homo sapiens with radiometric ages of 29-24 ka by ^<14>C AMS dating or 33,000-26,000 calBP. Ornaments and red pigments diffused rapidly from South Siberia to North China, and reached the Japanese Islands until around 20,000 calBP.Basing on the marker of systematic blade technology, the beginning date is put around 45,000-38,000 calBP at the Altai Mountains and the Trans-Baikal in Siberia, 35,000-30,000 calBP in China, Korea and Japan. On the other hand, blade production techniques have not been reported during the Middle-Upper Paleolithic periods in the southern China and the Indo-China Peninsula. Accordingly blade technologies in China, Korea and Japan are considered as diffusion through the northern route.