Plant domestication, cultivation, and foraging by the first farmers in early Neolithic Northeast China: Evidence from microbotanical remains

Abstract

North China is regarded as a center of domestication for broomcorn millet ( Panicum miliaceum) and foxtail millet ( Setaria italica ssp. italica). The Neolithic Xinglonggou site (ca. 8000–7500 cal. BP) in the Liao River region has revealed the earliest macrobotanical evidence of domesticated millets in Northeast China, but controversy remains as to the importance of the millets in human diet. We employed an interdisciplinary approach involving analyses of starch grains, phytoliths, and usewear patterns to study a range of materials from Xinglonggou, including grinding stones, human dental calculus, and vegetative charcoal. The results demonstrate a broad spectrum of plant exploitation by the first farmers in Northeast China rather than dependence upon singular crops. Furthermore, three types of underground storage organs appear to be major staples, while millets were secondary to another early and important cultivated cereal, Job’s tears ( Coix lacryma-jobi L.). Wild grasses and acorns also account for small portions of plants used. This study documents the northernmost and earliest occurrence of Job’s tears in temperate Northeast China, a species which may have originated in the subtropical regions. We argue that Job’s tears may have been one of the earliest domesticates in China along with millets.

The prehistoric roots of Chinese cuisines: Mapping staple food systems of China, 6000 BC–220 AD

“…No other C 4 cereal has been identified in the plant macrofossil assemblages from this time period. There is microbotanical evidence for job’s tears (a C 4 plant) at Xinglonggou [ 52 ], however, given the tropical adaptation of genus Coix , job’s tears were unlikely to be cultivated on a large enough scale to become a staple cereal 7500 years ago. The tradition of consumption of C 4 crops as staple foods emerged in this period and was particularly pronounced among the Xinglongwa cultural communities.…”

An underutilized orphan tuber crop—Chinese yam : a review

“…Chinese yam was already used by humans in China during the Neolithic period: archaeological excavations at Xinglonggou confirm it was used as early as ~ 6200–5200 BC (Liu et al 2015 ). There is further evidence from an archaeological site at Shuidonggou indicating its use as early as ~ 30,000 BC, during the Upper Paleolithic period (Guan et al 2014 ).…”

Neolithic pathways in East Asia: early sedentism on the Mongolian Plateau

“…As such, their presence indicates a more intensive approach to plant exploitation, although not necessarily agriculture. Residue analysis from Baiyinchanghan and other Xinglongwa-phase sites indicates the exploitation of a wide range of wild species, including nuts, roots, rhizome bulbs and grasses (Tao et al 2011;Wu 2014;Liu et al 2015b). The quantity and formality of milling stone assemblages may indicate the relative importance of plant foods, and there is a clear regional divergence in the importance of these tools.…”