The beach debitage at Wong Tei Tung includes typically late Mesolithic and early Neolithic tool forms. There is some evidence (Hong Kong Archaeological Society 2005) that suggests two distinct periods of exploitation: firstly around 40,000 bc and secondly around 7000 bc. More than half of around 2000 artefacts examined from the site were wedge-like short axes; the remaining tool types, in descending frequency of occurrence, are scrapers, points, bifacial hand-axes, choppers, projectile points, awls, picks and burins.
Some aspects of the location, quarry extraction techniques and tool manufacturing processes show similarities with extraction and working sites at Great Langdale in Cumbria, Mynydd Rhiw and Penmaenmawr in North Wales, Lambay Island in Ireland, and Killin in Scotland.
The sub-angular beach boulders (Figs 13, 14) utilised for tool manufacture are fairly untypical of the majority of rounded boulders on the beach, and can be matched to the tuffite exposed in the excavated quarry face in Zone 1 (Figs 6, 8). Visually, they are quite distinctive. These boulders of tuffite exhibit similar flow-banding features (Figs 9, 10) as seen in the quarry face and are well jointed; the rock provides effective striking platforms for conchoidal fracture.
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Last updated: Mon Oct 5 2009