Diversity of Lithic Assemblages and Evolution of Late Palaeolithic Culture in Korea

Abstract

One of the most characteristic aspects of the Late Palaeolithic in Korea is the diversity of lithic assemblages. Assemblages dominated by quartzite and vein quartz artifacts persisted throughout the Palaeolithic, while blade and microblade assemblages mark the typical Late Palaeolithic technology. Still, given that lithic technological organization is characterized by the interplay of technical constraints, raw material availability, and hunter-gatherer mobility, the transition to the Late Palaeolithic technology is closely associated with the emergence of tanged points, dated to 40,000 to 35,000 cal b.p., made of such fine-grained rocks as silicified tuff and shale, other than locally available quartzite. Tanged points persisted along with blades and blade cores until the end of the LGM, and the microlithic assemblage emerged as early as 30,000 cal b.p. as AMS dates from Jangheungri and Sinbuk suggest. Only a few radiometric dates are available for post-LGM occupations and there may have been a significant decrease in mobile hunter-gatherer populations in the post-glacial Korean Peninsula.