New evidence for early human habitation in the Nyingchi Region, Southeast Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

The lack of archaeological work has long impeded our understanding of prehistoric and historical human inhabitation and East-West interactions on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau (TP). In this study, we conducted a series of systematic archaeological investigations in the Nyingchi region, on the southeastern TP. We examined archaeological stratigraphies from 10 sites and collected charred seeds and charcoals for accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dating. The 26 radiocarbon dates show that the earliest inhabitation in the Nyingchi region can be traced back to as early as the fifth millennium BP. In addition, results of summed probability distribution (SPD) of radiocarbon dates suggest that intensive human activities occurred between c. 2700 and 2000 cal. yr BP. Together with the pottery net sinkers found in previous investigation, the newly identified archaeobotanical assemblages, including crops such as barley ( Hordeum vulgare), naked barley ( Hordeum vulgare var. nudum), wheat ( Triticum aestivum) and pea ( Pisum sativum), also confirm that cultivation and fishing were important subsistence strategies for people living in the prehistoric Nyingchi. The discoveries of domesticated crops from Southwest Asia also suggest that the southeastern TP, represented by the Nyingchi region, was part of the early communication network between the East and the West, predating historical Highland Silk Road.

Understanding the transport networks complex between South Asia, Southeast Asia and China during the late Neolithic and Bronze Age

“…Although some new radiocarbon dates spanning 3000–2200 BP from Late Bronze Age sites along the Yarlung Tsangpo River (Wang et al, 2021) have been reported recently, the number of sites in this period is less than 4000–3000 BP (Figure 3c). This suggests there a decline in the significance of the trans-Himalayan routes or an absence of radiocarbon dating on these routes during the third millennium BP.…”

Introduction to the Special Issue: Correlating changes for environmental, technological and societal transformation in prehistoric eastern Asia

“…Even more intriguing is that both millet from the East and wheat/barley from the West made their way to the heart of the Tibetan Pleasure around 3400 cal BP (Gao et al, 2021). More new radiocarbon dates are published for southeast TP, showing that human activities started around the fifth millennium BP and peaked at cal 2700-2000 cal BP (Wang et al, 2021b). Both papers point out that agriculture performed a pivotal role in peopling the different parts of the Tibetan Plateau and this could not be achieved without the rise of the prehistoric Silk Road which cemented the East and the West.…”

Prehistoric agricultural decision making in the western Himalayas: ecological and social variables

“…Fu 2001; d'Alpoim Guedes et al 2014; Chen et al 2015; Song et al 2017, 2021; Ren et al 2020a; Wang et al . 2020; Gao et al 2021; Tang et al . 2021).…”

“…The origin and development of high-altitude agriculture on the Tibetan Plateau has attracted considerable interest during the last decade (e.g. Fu 2001;d'Alpoim Guedes et al 2014;Chen et al 2015;Song et al 2017Song et al , 2021Ren et al 2020a;Wang et al 2020;Gao et al 2021;Tang et al 2021). The Tibetan Plateau, with an average elevation of more than 4500m above sea level (asl), presents significant challenges for plant cultivation, as crops are required to tolerate hyperaridity, frost and salinity (Figure 1).…”