Primary Research on the Formation and Development of Zengpiyan Cave and the Ancient Cultural Layer at the Zengpiyan Archaeological Site,Guilin,China

The Zengpiyan Cave,located in the southwest of Guilin City,is a footcave of the isolated hill in the peakforest plain.This cave,developing in the sparite and calcirudite from the Rongxian Group of the Devonian system(D3r),is composed of dry cave and water cave.Abundant secondary chemical sediments,including travertine,stalagmite and stalacto-stalagmite and ancient cultural layers,were discovered.The Zengpiyan archaeological site is a significant prehistorical cultural heritage of China and it is the representative site to show the ancient culture of China.This site not only carries the value for research of the interaction of paleoenvironmental changes and prehistorical culture,but also the value for tourism and sightseeing.On the basis of the dates of stalagmite and travertine and the rates of corrosion,it is estimated that the Zengpiyan cave was formed during the Late Pleistocene.Dating of pottery sherds,animal remains and charcoal and pollen records,however,suggested that the cultural layers began to be deposited from 12,500 to 7600 aBP,lasting for about 5000 years.The Zengpiyan archaeological site provides an important archaeological evidence for the developmental sequence of prehistorical culture in South China and the origin of Guilin ancient culture.This site plays an important role in prehistorical archaeological research in China.