Local Adaptation and Subsistence Strategy of Yangshao Migrants in Northwestern Sichuan in China During the Middle Neolithic (5300-4700 cal. BP)

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Migration is a frequent phenomenon in human history. Previous studies mainly used migration as a general term to explain any cultural changes observed in migrant communities. Recent studies, however, have recognized that migration is embedded in both environmental and social contexts, thus making it necessary to study the consequence of migration on a case-by-case basis. To better understand the changes associated with migrational processes, this case study investigates the subsistence pattern of a Neolithic site, Liujiazhai, in Northwestern Highland Sichuan by employing microbotanical residue analysis on pottery vessels. Our results contain millet phytoliths and thus contribute to the overall picture of millet agriculture in Yangshao and Majiayao migrant communities and enrich our understanding of how varying crop patterns in Neolithic western China are likely a consequence of migration. In addition, we suggest that Liujiazhai migrants adapted to the high-altitude environment by adopting more local wild plant resources. This study shows that, although Yangshao migrants were still connected to their homeland in terms of material culture, relocating to the challenging environment in NW Sichuan required adaptive strategies that distinguished the Yangshao migrants, including those at Liujiazhai, from their home culture. Hence, this study exemplifies how migration is an agent of change.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38262.0