Stone tools manufacture of the Neolithic Xinglongwa culture -

GIS and the archaeological study of craft specialization

Li Xinwei

ABSTRACT

Craft specialization is a relative state that can be defined as the ratio between producers and consumers. It is one of the crucial criterions for the evaluation of social complexity. Systematic research on intra-site distribution of artefacts and raw materials is an important method to interpret craft specialization in archaeological context. As a computer-based system for handling spatially referenced databases that allow the description analysis, geographic information systems (GIS) is a good instrument for archaeologists to study craft specialization with a more scientific way. It can provide us with the various levels of spatial patterns from the archaeological record. This in turn can lead to a more in–depth analysis of the underlying principles of those spatial patterns.

This paper is an experiment of the application of GIS in the study of craft specialization of the Xinglongwa culture – a Neolithic archaeological culture dating to about 8300 to 7000 BC. The data of a well-preserved and completely excavated settlement of the Xinglongwa culture – the Nantaizi site in Keshiketeng Banner, Inner Mongolia, was digitalized with the GIS software Cartalinx. The database includes the shape, size and floor assemblage of each house. With the help of another GIS software application – Arcview, I was able to interrogate the database for different variables and immediately get images of the results. This allowed me to find some important characteristics of the distribution of artefacts through houses.

The noticeable concentration of stone artefacts, raw materials and unfinished tools in the houses around the biggest house F4 indicate that this house cluster (including F1-F5 and F32) might be the stone tool manufacture location of the settlement. Some time and energy consuming stone tools such as polished axes, adzes, saddle-querns, grinding stones and grinding rollers, and resource-restricted microlithic blades might be the main products. The conclusion is that primary craft specialization might have emerged as early as in the middle Neolithic period in China.

Key Words: Neolithic Xinglongwa Culture Geographic Information Systems