Archaeobotanical records of the Middle and Late Neolithic plant food utilization from North Jiangsu Plain

Summary

As an transition zone between the southern and northern China, the Huai river valley possesses distinct uniqueness in climate environment, agriculture, archaeological culture and other aspects. We have taken a series of archaeobotany case study on the Neolithic sites of different period,such as Shunshanji, Longqiuzhuang, Wanbei, in the lower Huai river valley. Combined with previous archaeobotany research in this area, so we can summarize the plant food utilization in various periods.

The clue of plant food utilization is not consistent in the lower Huai river. According to the existing archaeobotany evidence, this area stayed in a stage of low-level food production for a long time during 8500-6500 a BP. Gathering was the uppermost way to obtain plant food, rice farming was a supplementary means of livelihood. As a lack of enough archaeobotany evidence, it is not clear how the plant food utilization developed during 6500-6000 a BP. The rice farming tradition was in continuation. After 6000 a BP, the mixed-farming of rice and millet came into being and developed rapidly in the lower Huai river valley. But it was different from the mode of the upper reaches, rice farming was of equal importance with millet farming.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Advances in Archaeology of Prehistoric and Early China

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16689