Millet grain morphometry as a tool for social inference: A case study from the Yiluo basin, China

Abstract

Morphological analysis of plant remains from archaeological sites provides evidence regarding the domestication process of crop species, and the changing economic behaviors of humans during the foundation and intensification of agriculture. In contexts from the Neolithic and early state periods of Henan, China, morphometry of genus Setaria millet seeds is shown to provide data on production versus consumption contexts of archaeological deposits, in connection with site function and settlement hierarchy. Comparative morphometry of modern Setaria seeds sheds light on larger archaeobotanical issues, including problematizing the distinction between domesticated and wild/weedy seeds. Statistical analysis suggests that subdivision of archaeological millets below the genus level is less useful in some cases than consideration and comparison of genus-level populations.

Archaeological Starch

“…from around 30,000 years ago, during the Upper Palaeolithic and long before the arrival of farming [51]; root crop horticulture in Panama [21,33]; use of cereal grains [50,65]; seed grinding [66]; use of wild plants [44,65,67]; the use of stone tools [68]. This approach has also become popular in recent years in China [29,[69][70][71][72][73][74][75]). Likewise, starch granules extracted from residues inside ancient pots used for cooking have been suggested to originate from starchy foods [36,76,77].…”

Critical role of climate change in plant selection and millet domestication in North China

“…As early maturing plants, humans could not rely on them for winter survival without using storage facilities, which are unknown for the Late Pleistocene. In contrast, grasses of the Paniceae tribe are warm-season and more drought-resistant C4 plants that mature in the fall and have a wider seasonal window for their growth, and thus could more successfully sustain climatic fluctuations during the Holocene 28 , 44 , 45 . Their ecological attributes make them available for human consumption during a longer period during the year, especially in the summer and fall seasons.…”

考古遗址中农作物种子/果核表型性状研究述评

“…例如丁家村遗址西周早期与殷墟时期粟的粒型接近, 生长程度较一致, 表明可能是经过加工拣选的较成熟 种子 [65] . 有学者提出新石器时代及以后样品中包含较 多形态极小或未成熟种子, 则大概率为扬场前的沉积 物, 指示生产行为; 当样品中种子的形态差异处于正常 范围之内, 饱满的成熟种子占绝大多数时, 一般指向以 消费为导向的作物加工后产物, 如灰嘴遗址粮仓的粟 种子遗存 [66] . 在重建先民农业活动与经济行为的基础 (1) 样品选择: 种子/果核保存是否完整, 是否无明 显变形, 对测量结果影响较大.…”