Microblade Technology in Korea and Adjacent Northeast Asia

Abstract

Research history of the microlithic in northeast Asia reveals that while heavy emphasis has been placed upon reconstructing microblade techniques, little effort has been made in providing a systematic framework for examining microlithic technology. This study attempts to present an inclusive classification system of microblade technology based on the concept of reduction process. Technological classes are obtained by intersecting several types from three (or four) dimensions: blank formation (I, II, III, IV), platform preparation (A, B, C), and blade detachment (location and angle, a, a1, b, b 1, c, Cl). Some eighty microblade cores reported from ten Korean localities are analyzed. Variation of Korean microblade technology is closely associated with regional-scale differences in raw material availability, and three patterns are suggested: a northern pattern of obsidian type III and IV -cores as shown in MandaI, Sangmuryong, and Hahwagye materials; a central pattern with a high portion of elongated bifacial cores made of siliceous shale as represented by Suyanggae (and possibly Sokchang); and a southern pattern typically associated with type II tuff cores. Only a few samples of absolute dates are available for Korean microlithic assemblages, while the overwhelming amount of surface collections and limited distribution to the top of Pleistocene deposits suggest that most Korean microliths can be dated to the final Pleistocene. KEYWORDS: microblade core, microblade technology, reduction sequence, Korea, northeast Asia.