John W. Olsen

A review of evidence for postulated Middle Pleistocene occupations in Viet Nam

Abstract Since the early 1960s, some Vietnamese and Soviet scholars have proposed that a number of fossil hominid and archaeological localities scattered across the territory of Viet Nam are of Middle Pleistocene antiquity. An extensive review of pertinent literature, in-depth consultation with Vietnamese colleagues, and the examination of specimens and field sites in Viet Nam over the past 3 years lead us to believe that while some of these claims appear valid, the criteria for establishing the absolute age of many localities are tenuous and unreliable at best. We suggest that most assemblages previously interpreted as synchronic single-component occurrences actually reflect human activities extending over very long periods of time. Lines of research that might lead to the resolution of remaining problems are recommended.

Paleoshoreline geomorphology of Böön Tsagaan Nuur, Tsagaan Nuur and Orog Nuur: the Valley of Lakes, Mongolia

Abstract We conducted a preliminary study of paleoshoreline features associated with Boon Tsagaan Nuur, Tsagaan Nuur, and Orog Nuur, lakes located in the Gobi–Altai transition zone of the Valley of Lakes (Dolina Ozor) which stretches from central to western Mongolia. The paleoshoreline features were first identified on RADARSAT satellite SAR imagery. We investigated the features during the 1998 field season of the Joint Mongolian–Russian–American Archaeological Expedition to the Gobi–Altai region. We identified paleoshorelines of multiple elevations in the field, which are considered to be relict beach ridges and wave-cut terraces. Other paleolake landforms include spits and Gilbert-type deltas. These landforms are complex, large and well established, implying that the paleolakes were stable for extended periods. The reconstructed paleolakes cover extensive areas of the valley floor, implying that hydrological and climatic conditions were very different in the past. Paleolake expansions may have occurred under a variety of circumstances. One hypothesis is that the high lake stands occurred during the wetter period corresponding to the Oxygen Isotope Stage 3 prior to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), during the warmest early Holocene and the late Holocene, or during all these periods. If low evaporation rates due to lower temperatures, glacier meltwater and possibly increased precipitation are important factors, then the expansions may have occurred during the terminal Late Glacial period after the Last Glacial Maximum. The greatly expanded lakes in the Gobi–Altai could have significantly affected the Quaternary human demography and migration in the region.

Lithic assemblages from the Chang Tang region, Northern Tibet

Archaeological evidence from the Chang Tang Reserve suggests that humans may have first colonized the Tibetan Plateau during the late Pleistocene. Blade, bladelet and microblade technologies are found as surface assemblages in a variety of contexts above 4500 m elevation. The lack of modern analogues for foraging populations in high-elevation environments brings about a reconsideration of the diversity and organization of Pleistocene hunter-gatherer adaptations.

The practice of archaeology in China today

In the new opening-up of China to the outside world that has taken place in the last decade, archaeology and history has a major role. A walk on the Great Wall seems obligatory for visiting monarchs and presidents, while the jade princesses have themselves come to Europe. The excavation of the ‘terracotta army’ exemplifies the scale of active archaeological research, and its exposure to public view. But why is there such concern for the past, and its artefacts, in China today?

Disparate stone age technological evolution in north china lithic technological variability and relations between populations during mis 3

The transition from Middle to Upper Paleolithic and the global diffusion of modern human populations remain hotly debated topics. The timing and pace of the transition in China are especially uncertain. This paper examines spatial and temporal variation among Paleolithic assemblages in North China dated to Marine Isotope Stage 3. There are two main systems of blank production in evidence: one is Levallois-like whereas the other involves simple unprepared flake cores. The Levallois-like assemblages are limited to northwest China: further dispersal of the technology was probably hindered by the presence of established populations in the eastern part of North China using long-established flake core technology. Consequently we should view North China as consisting of two geographic entities with respect to research on the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition. Changes within flake assemblages represent an independent pattern of cultural evolution, and it will be important to clarify when and how other aspects of Upper Paleolithic behavior were expressed there.

An analysis of East Asian coins excavated in Tucson, Arizona

The Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese low denomination coins from late 19th and early 20th century archaeological deposits in Tucson, Arizona, are analyzed. Many authors have suggested the recovery of East Asian coins in frontier American sites provides evidence of their use as currency within Asian ethnic communities. Evidence for such utilization is discussed along with the contention that latrines may provide the most readily accessible corroborative data.

A Comment on Nomenclature in Faunal Studies

The study of faunal remains from archaeological sites has been described using a variety of terms including: zooarchaeology, archaeozoology, osteoarchaeology, and ethnozoology. With such a broad spectrum of terms in current usage, we feel that the contradictions and errors inherent in some of this nomenclature need to be corrected. We prefer the term zooarchaeology, as a contraction of the word zoologico-archaeology proposed by Lubbock in 1865, to define the study of animal remains from archaeological sites and their relationship to humans.

The Macaws of Grasshopper Ruin

ABSTRACTMacaws (Ara sp.) are known from prehistoric sites throughout much of the Southwest. These birds have particular importance as indicators of trade routes between the Southwestern pueblos and the cultural centers to the south of the present Arizona border. The natural range of the macaws is some 200 miles south of the Arizona-Mexico border. An unusual occurrence of a macaw-child burial is reported as are 15 macaw skeletons that have been collected at the Grasshopper Ruin during the last 11 field seasons.

Labor costs for prehistoric earthwork construction: experimental and archaeological insights from the Lower Yangzi Basin, China

Abstract This paper examines choices of earth-working tools made by Neolithic Chinese populations. In the Hemudu Culture (7000–5000 B.P.), bone (scapula) digging tools were used from the earliest times, whereas peoples in surrounding areas used stone spades. A range of experiments on manufacturing costs, durability, and use efficiency under realistic conditions show that bone and stone spades are functionally equivalent when soils are soft, but that stone implements provide significant and easily perceived advantages when working harder soils. The persistence of scapular spades in the Hemudu Culture would have constrained decisions about undertaking large construction projects under normal soil conditions. Our results show that, in addition to generalized labor for construction, labor demands for producing earth-working implements for large-scale prehistoric earthworks could have also been substantial. These findings not only help explain the processes of intensifying rice-agriculture and sedentary settlements in the Lower Yangzi Basin, but also create a solid foundation for further investigation of how the recruitment of both generalized and specialized laborers, the organization of craft production, and the relevant logistics for large-scale earthworks may have paralleled concentrations of political power in prehistory.

Recent Developments in the Upper Pleistocene Prehistory of China

Although the past decade of Sino-American rapprochement has witnessed the intensification of interest among Western prehistorians in the archaeology of China, nonetheless, the Pleistocene cultural sequence of that country remains poorly understood by non-Chinese specialists.