Taphonomic analysis of the Lingjing fauna and the first report of a Middle Paleolithic kill-butchery site in North China

More than ten thousand bone fragments were recovered from the Lingjing site, Henan Province, during 2005 and 2006. A taphonomic analysis of the faunal remains strongly indicates that hominids have a dominant role in the accumulation and modification of the assemblage. Based on the taphonomic and zooarcheological characteristics of the animal remains, including species richness, mortality patterns, skeletal element profiles, and bone surface-modifications, and on the local ecology, we suggest that the Lingjing site is a Middle Paleolithic kill-butchery site rather than a home base for early humans. The presence of large numbers of stone artifacts may therefore signify a strong sense of planning and farsightedness in the subsistence strategies of early human groups. The Lingjing site is presently the only taphonomically-identified, Middle Paleolithic kill-butchery site known in North China.