Microblade traditions in Eurasia：Homage to the late Professor Serizawa

芹沢長介先生が1953年、矢出川遺跡を発見して以来、細石刃石器群（細石刃文化）は、北海道から九州まで知られている。さらに細石刃石器群は、アフリカの中期石器時代に源を発するが、東ユーラシアや北アメリカばかりでなく、中東や西ヨーロッパでも確認されている（Kajiwara2008）。一方、ヨーロッパでは古典的な分類によりエンドスクレイパーや彫刻刀とされていた石器やそのスポール、剥片などについて細石核と細石刃であるとの分類定義を一新する研究が2000年代前後から行われてきた（例えば一連のLe Brun-Ricalens et al.のモノグラフ、論文参照）。近年ヨーロッパのムステリアンに現生人類により細石刃が持ち込まれたとの報告がなされ（Slimak et al.,2022）、ユーラシア大陸への細石刃文化の起源、広がりについて新たな説明が必要となっている。この論考では、ユーラシアでの細石刃文化の様相にについて、細石核の作り方をもとに分類しまとめ（図13）、細石刃石器群の政策、使用、廃棄について石材環境、移動頻度やシステム、石器製作技術、自然環境などの人間を取り巻くさまざまな要素に基づいて、極めて合理的に選択、適用された知識体系であることを論じた（図14）。また、アフリカ中期石器時代の接着剤の発見やラスコー出土の細石刃に接着剤が付着した資料をもとに、組み合わせ道具としての細石刃は、溝にはめ込む装着法以前に、接着剤を使って柄に貼り付けた段階があるという新たな仮説を提示し（図16）、最後にシカの中足骨を用いた柄の政策は縄文の方法と共通することを明らかにした（図17）。Since the late professor Serizawa found microblade industry at Yadegawa in 1953, microblade industry has been discovered almost all over Japan, from Hokkaido to Kyushu. Moreover, microblade traditions originated during the African Middle Stone age, and were spread widely, not solely from Siberia to North America, but also to the Near East and Western Europe too (Kajiwara 2008). In Europe, some classical stone tool types like end scrapers or burins, and their biproducts have been drastically reclassified as bladelet cores (micro-nucléus, microcores) and bladelets (lamelles, microblades) since around the year 2000 (refer to a series of works by Le Brun-Ricalens et al.). Owing to the recent discovery of microblade assemblages with anatomically modern humans during the Middle Paleolithic Europe (Slimak et al.2022), it is necessary to provide a new hypothesis on the origin, and dispersal of microblade culture in Eurasia. As mentioned in the opening pages, I presented the current understanding of microblade culture in the Eurasian continent, and its details within Western Europe, in particular (fig.13). I also proposed a hypothesis on the reducing and exploiting process of microblade industries. The microblade tradition could have been the most appropriate and adaptive technical entity for moving groups by flexibly adopting the adequate skills at hand, according to the surrounding constrains as lithic resources, frequency and system of moves, lithic manufacturing techniques, cultural traditions, and natural environments etc., (fig.14). Traditionally, microblades were thought to be exploited as composite tools to insert microblades to wooden, or bone shaft grooves. This is evidenced by a kind of glue found from the middle stone age in Africa (Backwell, 2008), and a glued microblade from Lascaux (Djinjian et al.,1999). I suggested a new mounting method in which microblades were glued to the shaft at the initial stage of the developments (fig. 16). Finally, I pointed out that the manufacturing processes of the composite tool shaft from the Cervidae metatarsal were possibly same to those observed in Jomon (fig.17).journal articl