Environmental Context and Archaeobotanical Results of the Chengdu Plain Archaeological Survey

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Chengdu Plain Archaeology Survey (2004–2011): Highlights from the Final Report" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The constraints and advantages presented by the natural environment of the Chengdu Plain had important impacts on how ancient humans exploited and occupied this environment. This poster considers how that the Plain was subject to a high degree of geomorphological remodeling due to frequent flooding and erosion in the Longmen Chain. It is likely that this has impacted our ability to identify ephemeral archaeological sites, particularly those belonging to forager populations. Compared to the highlands that surround it, the Chengdu Plain also benefits from warmer temperatures, an almost frost-free year, and easily amenable water resources. All of these factors have made the plain an environment that is particularly well adapted to rice agriculture. Prior to CPAS, little survey archaeobotany had been carried in contexts like the Chengdu plain. The low-lying, flat, and deeply alluviated nature of the plain presented challenges to carrying out the types of archaeobotanical survey that has been employed with success in other regions. This poster summarizes the challenges we met when trying to target archaeobotanical remains in this unique environment and our results.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Chengdu Plain Archaeology Survey (2004–2011): Highlights from the Final Report   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36551.0