Early agricultural development and environmental effects in the Neolithic Longdong basin (eastern Gansu)

Abstract

Neolithic agricultural development and environmental effects in the Longdong area were reconstructed using a synthetic approach, investigating pollen, charcoal, and seed remains for two cultural layer sections and five flotation sites. Results show that Neolithic agriculture in the Longdong area had a simple organization and was dominated by the production of common millet, especially in the early and middle Yangshao age. After the late Yangshao age, Neolithic agriculture developed into a more complex structure, dominated by both common and foxtail millet and the cultivation of rice and soybeans. The production of foxtail millet gradually increased through the Neolithic period, reaching its highest point during the Qijia culture. Soybeans were first cultivated during the late Yangshao culture, approximately 5000 cal a BP. Rice production began no later than 4800 cal a BP, and continued to exist in the Qijia culture, approximately 4000 cal a BP. Agricultural production in Neolithic Longdong, specifically in the "Yuan" area of the loess plateau, developed as a shrub and grass dominated landscape. Vegetation in the river valleys was partly covered with Picea, Tusga, and Quercus coniferous and broadleaf mixed forests. Agricultural activity during the Neolithic period caused an increase in farmland on the loess tableland and a decrease in the abundance of shrub and grassland in the Longdong area. When farmlands were abandoned, vegetation recovered with Hippophae-, Rosaceae-, Ephedra-, and Leguminosae-dominated shrublands and Artemisia-dominated grasslands.

Production of Branched Tetraether Lipids in the Lower Pearl River and Estuary: Effects of Extraction Methods and Impact on bGDGT Proxies

“…In particular, CBT is known to reflect soil pH (Weijers et al, 2007a; Peterse et al, 2009) and CBT and MBT in combination can reflect annual mean air temperature (MAT; Weijers et al, 2007a; Sun et al, 2011). These proxies have been increasingly used for past continental temperature (Weijers et al, 2007b,c, 2011; Ballantyne et al, 2010; Peterse et al, 2011; Zhou et al, 2011) or pH (Weijers et al, 2007b; Tyler et al, 2010; Fawcett et al, 2011; Zhou et al, 2011) determinations as well as for paleotemperature determinations in continental margins (Weijers et al, 2007b,c; Schouten et al, 2008; Rueda et al, 2009; Bendle et al, 2010) or lakes (Tyler et al, 2010; Zink et al, 2010). …”

The Possible Stimulation of the Mid-Holocene Period’s Initial Hydrological Recession on the Development of Neolithic Cultures along the Margin of the East Asian Summer Monsoon

“…In the Gansu-Qinghai region of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau (NETP), the first emergence of millet-based agriculture was found during the early-mid Yangshao periods in Longdong basin [179]. When vegetation changed from forest-steppes to steppes in response to the climate transition from semi-humid to semi-arid during 6.3-4.0 ka in Western CLP [25], there was a rapidly increased number of archaeological sites and a dramatically expanded distribution of settlements, productive agriculture, and fine agriculture, all indicating the thriving of the Majiayao culture.…”

Early ceramic trade in Gansu and Qinghai regions, northwest China: A comparative elemental analysis on sherds of Majiayao culture, Yangshao culture and Qijia culture

“…Despite the fact that artifacts (pottery, stone tools, etc.) belonging to the middle Yangshao (6000-5500 a BP) were sometimes found in this region, the published dates of Yangshao sites in this area range from 5500 to 4700 cal yr BP (IA, CASS, 1991;Zhou et al, 2011;Dong et al, 2014). Majiayao culture, also identified as "a local type of Yangshao culture in Gansu and Qinghai regions," is argued to be a mixture of the local culture and Yangshao culture originating from the east (Yan, 1989).…”

“…According to the published radiocarbon dates, the time period of the Qijia culture ranges between 4400 and 3600 cal yr BP (IA, CASS, 1991Zhou et al, 2011;Dong et al, 2014). Clusters of both major-minor and trace element concentrations of the sampled Qijia cultural sherds from these two places show some overlap with each other (Figs.…”