An analysis of lithic artefacts on Whaseong Chenchen-ri Site(2021 excavation)
Authors:   한국구석기학회, KIM Eun jeong , LEE Jung jin , PARK Won chul 
Published: January 2023

The investigation of a site for the new building of a factory in Cheoncheon-ri, Maesong-myeon, Hwaseong City, Gyeonggi-do, a paleolithic cultural layer was excavated. At the distance of around over 50m on the other side of a lane on the northwestern side of this point, the Hwaseong Cheoncheon-ri Paleolithic Site that had been excavated in 2014 is located. At the time, as a result of the excavation that had been limited to 60㎡, it has been reported that the site was formed from the Late Middle Paleolithic to the Early Upper Paleolithic. It was also estimated that the Paleolithic cultural layer had been distributed widely around this area. We had analyzed with lithic artefacts on Hwaseong Cheoncheon-ri Paleolithic Site had been excavated in 2021. Even though It had been excavated a small scale with a total of 200㎡, 125 pieces of the lithic astefacts had been yielded including the sample investigation while showing a degree of concentration. Excavated lithic artefacts are classified into 4 groups; 96 pieces of the primary products derived from the tool-manufacturing process, 23 pieces of tools, 3 pieces of striking tools for the edged tool-manufacturing, 3 pieces of the raw materials, etc. A total of 102 pieces of artefacts that can be interpreted as the tool-manufacturing process are about 82% of the total. Considering that had been excavated only a small part of the cultural layer of the entire at the present, it is difficult to understanding of the clear and definite personalities of the site. When seen with the investigation performance until now, a part of the lithic workshop that had a scale was revealed. In addition, it can be seen that a point where the specific tools, including end-scraper, awl, bec, etc., had been used more emphatically had been excavated. Indeed, It can be assumed as a base-camp where regarding the production of tool-manufacturing and use. A total of 23 tools were excavated from the cultural layer, the kinds are the following: Hand axe(1), large end-scraper(2), end-scraper(6), awl(4), scraper(2), bec(3), retouched debris(4), utilized debris(1), etc. Especially, compared with the curvature of the edge from the end-scraper, it can be seen that the 3 groups including the large, the middle, and the small-sized. Indeed, it is estimated that the handling of the leather by using the end-scraper and a series of the work that were related to the processing had been materialized. In the case of the awl, an edge was simply retouched at the distal part of the flake. It can be seen as a retouch method that had utilized the form of the blank well. A total of 18 pieces of flakes were excavated. Among these, it is characteristic that the traces of the reshaping of the flakes of the 7 pieces had remained. The reshaping is distinguished into 2 kinds of methods. One is the method of flaking in the width direction of the flake. And another thing is flaking in the direction of the thickness. With the wide direction flaking get formed the slanting facet and the edge. And with the thickness direction flaking gets a facet. Each is distinguished into 3 pieces and 4 pieces. In relation to the tool-manufacturing, it is presumed to be an edge or a holder for each. Also, if the following are synthesized; an aspect that the length of the flakes are shorter than the length of debitage surfaces of cores, an aspect that the frequency of the punctiform or the linear butt of flakes are high, an aspect that the reshaping of the flakes are confirmed as 7 pieces, etc., we can infer that with the original flakes as the blank, it was flaked once again at the lithic workshop. To speak differently, it directly shows that the case in which a smaller flake was flaked again from the original flake had been frequent. And regarding this, instead of using as a blank that smaller flake, it can be seen as a retouch technuque that is related to the tool-manufacturing. In conclusion,