Impact Of Raw Material Source On The Obsidian Lithic Industry Of Northeast China And South Korea

The exploitation and circulation management of stone raw materials is a crucial window for studying ancient human subsistence adaptation,mobility and migration,as well as population interactions.The best materials for conducting the above-mentioned studies are types of scarce,easily distinguishable,and source-identifiable raw materials..As seen in Chapter 2 of the dissertation,as a high-quality stone,obsidian is concentrated in areas of high volcanic activity at plate junctions.Its unique physical properties made it noticed by ancient humans in the Lower Paleolithic period,and it has been utilized until the historical period.The exploitation of obsidian progressed from occasional scavenging for lithic reduction to the development of long-distance transmission networks and the emergence of social hierarchy dedicated to manipulating the circulation.These obsidian nodules were not only fashioned into utilitarian implements and weapons,but also possessed artistic and sacred value.By compiling archaeological data of Paleolithic sites containing obsidian artifacts in Northeast China and South Korea,as well as related chemical elemental analysis for source identification,it is suggested in Chapter 3 that Changbai Mountainous area is the principal source of obsidian raw materials for obsidian lithic assemblages unearthed in Northeast China and the Korean Peninsula.Chapter 4 of the dissertation introduces Renfrew’s theory of "distance decay effect of raw materials" and the concepts of "direct supply area" and "contact area" of raw materials.Since there is a significant difference in the distance to Changbai Mountains between Northeast China and South Korea,it is possible to apply the wellestablished Western theory to the comparative study of the obsidian lithic industries in Northeast China and South Korea.Noting that Renfrew’s original theory is based on obsidian artifacts from Neolithic sites in the Near East,the first half of Chapter 4 focuses on the discussion of suitable range of direct supply zone given the Upper Paleolithic condition in Northeast Asia.Integrating Whallon’s hunter-gatherer social network model withethnographic and archaeological data,the dissertation delineates the direct supply zone(150-200 km radius from the Tianchi caldera)and the indirect contact zone(more than 200 km from the Tianchi caldera)for the obsidian source centered within the Changbai Mountains.On the basis of this modified theoretical model,the potential differences in raw material abundance,raw material size,intensity of raw material exploitation,and type and morphology of stone products between Northeast China and South Korea under the influence of the distance decay effect are hypothesized.The second section of Chapter 4 offers statistical methods and supporting data sources for testing the aforementioned differences in obsidian lithic industry between Northeast China and South Korea.The comparative analysis in Chapter 5 demonstrates that the proportion and absolute qu antity ofobsidian from northeastern Chinese sites is significantly greater than thatfrom comparable South Korean sites;the mean values of all measurements,including len gth,width,thickness,and weight of obsidian cores,flakes,and scrapers—the most significant tool made from flake blanks—are substantially larger in northeastern Chinese sites than in So uth Korean sites.In terms of block size,it is considered that the reduction intensity of Korean obsidian cores is greater than that of cores from northeast China.Specifically,the average len gth of wedge-shaped microblade cores from South Korea is shorter than those from Northeast China,but the average height and width are identical,indicating that South Korea wedge-shap ed microblade cores were more reduced from front to rear.The analysis of types of obsidian a ssemblages indicates that the South Korean microbalde obsidian industry is more developed t han that of Northeast China.Due to the paucity of high-quality raw materials on the Korean P eninsula,it appears that the local population opted to use high-quality obsidian to manufacture microbalde cores and microbaldes,which are difficult to create with ordinary raw materials s uch as vein quartz and quartzite.Chapter 6 examines whether the statistics of Chapter 5 conform to the theoretical hypotheses of Chapter 4.Substantial quantitative statistics demonstrate that it is more appropriate to split the direct supply zone of obsidian raw materials in Changbai Mountain by100 kilometers,with Tianchi at its center.The distance decay effect of raw materials beyond100 kilometers is emphasized,yet the rate of linear decrease in the north-south radiation direction of Changbai Mountains varies.This may be partially attributable to functional variations between the sites,but it is mostly influenced by the different communication and social network patterns of the inhabitants of the north and south sides of the Changbai Mountains.The highland-mountainous topology of the northern Korean Peninsula resulted in narrower and more concentrated obsidian transport routes in the Korean pennisula than in the open and flat Northeast China.These considerations result in fewer substantial variations between South Korean sites 400-500 kilometers away from Tianchi and Northeast Chinese sites 250-300 kilometers away from Tianchi.Chapter 7 highlights the major discoveries of this dissertation and finally concludes by outlining future challenges and prospects.