Post-Neolithic broadening of agriculture in Yunnan, China: Archaeobotanical evidence from Haimenkou

Xue, Yining; Martello, Rita Dal; Qin, Ling; Stevens, Chris; Ma, Rui; Fuller, Dorian Q.

doi:10.1016/j.ara.2022.100364

Cited by 23 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 85 publications

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“…Over 2,500 Chenopodium seeds were identified from three sample bags, which represent higher quantities compared with other crops, such as Buckwheat, Bean, and Hemp ( Table 1 and Figure 7 ); the PCA and cluster analysis also show that there are distinct differences between Chenopodium and other plant remains ( Figures 5 , 6 ). However, Chenopodium unearthed from the Chashancun cemetery is more likely to have been weeds rather than crops by comparing it with domesticated Chenopodium , which often shows a large size with a thinner coat ( Partap and Kapoor, 1985a , b , 1987 ; Xue et al, 2022 ). Therefore, it was most likely that Chenopodium growing in surrounding areas was mixed into crops during the crop processing and needs further verification.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The lifestyle of Tuyuhun royal descendants: Identification and chemical analysis of buried plants in the Chashancun cemetery, northwest China

Liu²,

Liu³

et al. 2022

Front. Plant Sci.

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The Tuyuhun Kingdom (AD 313–663) was one of the most famous regimes in northwest China during the early medieval period. However, the lifestyle and spiritual pursuit of their descendants who became allied with the Tang Dynasty remain enigmatic. The excavation of the Chashancun cemetery, a Tuyuhun royal descendant (AD 691) cemetery in the Qilian Mountains in northwest China, reveals a large amount of uncharred plant remains. These remains provided a rare opportunity to explore the geographical origin of the buried crops and their social implications. In total, 253,647 crops and 12,071 weeds were identified. Foxtail millet and broomcorn millet represent 61.99 and 30.83% of the total plant remains, with the rest being barley, buckwheat, beans, and hemp. The oxygen isotope and trace elements of the crop and weed remains suggest that broomcorn millet, foxtail millet, barley, buckwheat, and hemp were sourced from different regions. The assemblage of plant remains in the Chashancun cemetery suggests that millet cultivation played an important role in the livelihoods of Tuyuhun descendants, and the location of the elite Tuyuhun cemetery and multisources of different buried crops may reflect their memory of ancestors and homelands. This case study provides a unique perspective to understand the interactions among human subsistence strategy, geopolitical patterns, and local natural environments in northwest China during the late 7th century.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The lifestyle of Tuyuhun royal descendants: Identification and chemical analysis of buried plants in the Chashancun cemetery, northwest China

Liu²,

Liu³

et al. 2022

Front. Plant Sci.

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“…In the Bronze Age sites above ~1,700 masl, rice was also the primary crop, while foxtail millet and wheat were also important. The cropping pattern of the Haimenkou site was more diverse than the crop remains discovered in sites at lower elevations, typically below ~1,700 masl (Figure 3A; Xue et al, 2022). This suggests that cropping patterns in the HMR during the Bronze Age were primarily affected by the altitude of human settlements.…”

Section: Relationship Between the Spatial Pattern Of Human Subsistenc...mentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Archaeobotanical studies from late Neolithic sites in the highlands of the HMR, including Haxiu, Guijiabao, and Karuo, demonstrate that humans utilized foxtail and broomcorn millet in the mountain areas since ~5,300 BP (Chen and Chen, 2006;Yan et al, 2016a;Song et al, 2021). These indigenous crops were also widely cultivated in the HMR during the Bronze Age (Yang, 2016;Xue et al, 2022). Based on this information and our analysis, we conclude that the individuals from Adong M1 and M2 (at least two individuals) likely both consumed millet crops and C 3 food, while those from M3 mainly consumed C 3 foods.…”

Section: Spatial Pattern Of Human Dietary Strategies In the Hmr Durin...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Diverse subsistence strategies related to the spatial heterogeneity of local environments in the Hengduan Mountain Region during the Bronze Age

Zhi-jian

et al. 2023

Front. Earth Sci.

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Human subsistence strategies in East Asia changed significantly during the Bronze Age. The notable spatial variability in these strategies has been mainly attributed to the asynchronous introduction and adoption of new crops and livestock, as well as climate changes. However, the impact of differential local environments on spatial patterns of subsistence strategies in diverse geomorphic areas, such as the Hengduan Mountain Region (HMR), is poorly understood. In this study, we present new carbon and nitrogen isotopic data of human bone collagen from the Adong and Gaozhai tombs in the HMR. Adong is located in a mountain area, and Gaozhai is located on a river terrace. Both sites were dated to the early third Millennium BP (before the present). Our results suggest that human diets at Gaozhai were dominated by C3 foods. Human diets at Adong, alternatively, displayed more differentiation, with greater consumption of C4 foods. Further evidence is needed to discuss the significant differences in δ15N values of human bone collagen between the Gaozhai and Adong tombs. By comparing published isotopic, archaeobotanical, and zooarchaeological data, as well as the altitude and precipitation at the archaeological sites, we propose that precipitation may have affected the diversity of human dietary strategies in the Bronze Age HMR. We conclude that at higher altitudes, humans adopted diverse subsistence strategies and obtained meat resources by hunting. Some of this preferential behavior is likely explained by the survival pressure in the highlands of the HMR during the Bronze Age.

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“…This type of guan jar is suitable for cooking and serving liquids and/ or semi-liquid substances. In the later phase of occupation, guan jars increase in number and pouring vessels, (Wang 2018;Xue 2010;Liu and Chen 2012;Li and Hu 2009;Xiao 2001;YPM 1958). Sites located in the northwest of the province (Fig.…”

Section: Ancient Environment In Yunnanmentioning

confidence: 99%

The origins of multi-cropping agriculture in Southwestern China: Archaeobotanical insights from third to first millennium B.C. Yunnan

Martello

2022

asian archaeol

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Yunnan’s location at the crossroad of temperate China, Northeast India and tropical mainland Southeast Asia makes it a pivotal area for the understanding of early cultural contacts and agricultural spread between these ecologically diverse regions. This paper evaluates current evidence relating to the emergence of the first agricultural systems in Yunnan. It also reviews previous theories on agricultural dispersal to Yunnan, including whether Austroasiatic speakers were responsible for the spread of rice from Yunnan to mainland Southeast Asia, and builds a new framework that allows to tie agricultural development in the region into broader patterns of early migration and exchange networks. Archaeobotanical remains attest to an initial spread of rice and millet from Central China into Yunnan in the third millennium B.C. and the establishment of a mixed-crop economy; the introduction of wheat and barley in the second millennium B.C. allowed for increased diversification of the agricultural system, with a two-season intensification trend in the late first millennium B.C. Differences in early rice cultivation ecologies between Yunnan and mainland Southeast Asia suggest that Yunnan rice farmers may not have had a primary role in the southern dispersal of rice, however, more data is needed to fully clarify the source and development of dryland cultivation of rice in mainland Southeast Asia.

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Post-Neolithic broadening of agriculture in Yunnan, China: Archaeobotanical evidence from Haimenkou

Cited by 23 publications

References 85 publications

The lifestyle of Tuyuhun royal descendants: Identification and chemical analysis of buried plants in the Chashancun cemetery, northwest China

The lifestyle of Tuyuhun royal descendants: Identification and chemical analysis of buried plants in the Chashancun cemetery, northwest China

Diverse subsistence strategies related to the spatial heterogeneity of local environments in the Hengduan Mountain Region during the Bronze Age

The origins of multi-cropping agriculture in Southwestern China: Archaeobotanical insights from third to first millennium B.C. Yunnan

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