韓國 後期 舊石器時代의 生活과 環境

A Tentative Reconstruction of the Life & Environment - The case of the Upper Palaeolithic Habitation No. 1 of Sŏkchang-ni -

The archaeological excavation is conducted to bring to light the cultural aspects of prehistoric human beings, that are not well understood by the people of the present. Since excavation is a means to provide data, the reconstruction is much more important. We have to understand the life and environment of early men in their subsistence level and their development of techniques and adaptation to natural environment. I will attempt to reconstruct the life and environment of the upper palaeolithic period with the excavated data at the habitation of Sŏkchang-ni in Korea. The study of the upper palaeolithic culture will be an addition for providing links of the mesolithic, the neolithic, and the bronze ages, furthermore, the preceding the middle and lower palaeolithic industries of Korea. If possible, we will compare the life and environment of the contemporary cultures between the Korean peninsula and the other adjacent areas. The first habitation site of the locality I of Sŏkchang-ni in the upper palaeolithic was dated 20,830±1,880 B.P. by radioactive carbon (¹⁴C) method. In view of the natural environment, artefacts and the art objects, I am in the op inion of the dating can be pushed backward to 25,000 years B.P. from the following reasons. 1. Sŏkchang-ni habitation site had many good environmental conditions for early men to live in the upper palaeolithic period during the last interstadial stage of the T’ali or Würm glaciation. The early men at the upper palaeolithic habitation 1 seem to have lived under warm climate, with shiny sun and fresh water. There must have been many animals and plants of temperate zone: the faunas; bear, dog, bird, boar, tortoise, whale, fish, etc.; the floras; Pinus, Picea, Abies, Alnus, Betula, Ligustrum, Osmundaceae, Magnoliaceae, Nymphaeaceae, Leucopodiales, Aceraceae, Liliaceae, Cyperaceae, etc. 2. This habitation layer was the early stage of the upper palaeolithic industry since the flaking techniques were of the invasive Aurignacian nature, with the grasp of the blade technique which was the forerunner of indirect percussion. In their art objects animal figures are markedly represented by the head alone. 3. The habitation (=home) had the hearth with the windbreaks to prevent the westerly winds. The habitation faced river flow to take advantage of natural environment, such as sunlight, river stream, and the wind. They lived by hunting, fishing and gathering; among which, fishing might have played a important role. 4. Their art objects represented a sense of beauty, based on their religious beliefs, which had close relationship with future. They probably found the dog’s nature to guard for masters. They considered the soul as permanent, and seemed to have had the tortoise-totem, and probably revered the whale. They might have held their habitation area sacred, prayed fertility; some rituals might have been conducted near their habitation.