Xin-Ying Zhou
Biographic Data
| ID | 2739973 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Xin-Ying Zhou |
| GIVEN NAMES | Xin-Ying |
| FAMILY NAME | Zhou |
| SIGNATURE | ZHOU X |
| AFFILIATIONS | Chinese Academy of Sciences |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5570-4863 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 41 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 159 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 41 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2007 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 8 |
Mortuary Practices in Neolithic Central Asia
The Neolithic period was accompanied by fundamental changes in the lifestyles, subsistence strategies, social structures, and belief systems of human societies. One of the most important reflections of these developments can be observed in burial rituals and behaviors related to death. Archaeological excavations at the Zardali Neolithic site in Uzbekistan have led to the identification of Neolithic cultural layers and a human burial, which has be…
Dietary transition in the western inner Asian mountain corridor
Ancient human-environment interactions in the Tianshan mountains
Terminal Pleistocene ochre use at Fodongdi Cave, southwestern China
Morphological diversity of the Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) from Oxus civilization 4000 BP, Central Asia
The adaptation of dryland crops to the climate in southern China
Early transhumance recorded by the microfossils of sheep coprolites in the Tongtian Cave, China
Environmental reconstruction and dating of Shixiakou Locality 1 on China's West Loess Plateau
Technological diversity in the tropical-subtropical zone of Southwest China during the terminal Pleistocene
Synchronous change in the intensified millet cultivation and ecological environment from the early to middle Holocene on the Inner Mongolia Plateau, northern China
The mechanisms of the origin and dispersal of millet agriculture in northern China are poorly understood. We used plant macroremains, stable isotope compositions of human bone collagen, and pollen records from the Sitai site to reconstruct changes in subsistence strategies and their relationship with the ecological environment from the early to middle Holocene on the Inner Mongolian Plateau in northern China. Charred weed-like seeds, the bones of…
Evidence from the Dayao Paleolithic site, Inner Mongolia for human migration into arid northwest China during mid-Pleistocene interglacials
The Dayao Paleolithic site, located in Inner Mongolia on the eastern margin of China's vast northwestern drylands, was a lithic quarry-workshop utilized by Pleistocene human migrants through the region. Determining the age of this activity has previously yielded controversial results. Our magnetostratigraphic and OSL dating results suggest the two artifact-bearing paleosols are correlated with MIS 5 and 7, respectively. Correlating paleoclimatic …
Early and Middle Pleistocene vegetation and its impact on faunal succession on the Liaodong Peninsula, Northeast China
Evaluation of the potential of surface pollen spectra from caves in SW China for vegetation reconstruction
Archaeobotanical evidence of the use of medicinal cannabis in a secular context unearthed from south China
Feeding Shimao
Renewed excavations at Shimao, the largest stone walled urban site in northern China dating to around 4200–3700 BP, have focused on Shimao’s unusual architecture and material culture, but there remains much to be known about the subsistence system and agricultural strategies the inhabitants employed around this site. In this paper we provide new archaeobotanical and isotopic evidence for the agricultural systems and strategies that supported Shim…
Year-old cereal grains from the eastern Altai Mountains redate the trans-Eurasian crop exchange
Climate-influenced cave deposition and human occupation during the Pleistocene in Zhiren Cave, southwest China
Forest cover and composition on the Loess Plateau during the Middle to Late-Holocene
The question of what the ecology communities of the Loess Plateau looked like before the extensive anthropogenic reshaping processes of the late-Holocene has stirred a long debate. A better understanding of these human-induced changes will not only help us understand the extent of paleoeconomic practices, but also inform future conservation actions on this ecologically fragile landscape. This paper presents a systematic study of wood charcoal fro…
Water management and wheat yields in ancient China
The evaluation of ancient crop production and its response to climate change is key to exploring the ancient demographic and social changes. Wheat is currently the third most widely cultivated crop worldwide and was a major component across of the agricultural systems of the ancient Eurasia. In this study, the Δ 13 C values of 116 charred wheat grains from 28 archaeological sites, with direct AMS 14 C dating of 3952 ± 66 to 389 ± 73 cal yr BP, ac…
Late onset of the Holocene rainfall maximum in northeastern China inferred from a pollen record from the sediments of Tianchi Crater Lake
The timing of the Holocene summer monsoon maximum (HSMM) in northeastern China has been much debated and more quantitative precipitation records are needed to resolve the issue. In the present study, Holocene precipitation and temperature changes were quantitatively reconstructed from a pollen record from the sediments of Tianchi Crater Lake in northeastern China using a plant functional type-modern analogue technique (PFT-MAT). The reconstructed…
Archaeobotanical Evidence of Hazelnut ( Corylus heterophylla , Betulaceae) Exploitation in the Neolithic Northern China
Hazelnut is an important nut food that was widely consumed throughout prehistory. Archaeologists frequently find the charred plant macrofossils of Corylus at archaeological sites throughout Eurasia. We present new records of charred Siberian hazelnut ( Corylus heterophylla) that were recovered from the Beiniu site (109.32°E, 34.46°N) in Shaanxi Province, North West China, that are directly dated around 5,400 cal. yr BP. They are basic evidence th…
The earliest human occupation of the high-altitude Tibetan Plateau 40 thousand to 30 thousand years ago
Paleolithic occupation of Tibet Human colonization of the high-altitude Tibetan Plateau has generally been thought to have been confined to the past few thousand years of the Holocene. Zhang et al. report an investigation of the Nwya Devu archaeological site in central Tibet, 4600 meters above sea level, with Paleolithic occupation dates of ∼40 thousand to 30 thousand years ago (see the Perspective by Zhang and Dennell). The site has yielded a ra…
Fruit collection and early evidence for horticulture in the Hexi Corridor, NW China, based on charcoal evidence
Evolution of Luyang Lake since the last 34,000 years
Wood types and human impact between 4300 and 2400 yr BP in the Hexi Corridor, NW China, inferred from charcoal records
Based on identification of fossil charcoals from 11 sites in the Hexi Corridor, we reconstruct the local vegetation community and human impact on it in the period from 4300 to 2400 cal. yr BP. More than 20 broadleaved taxa and 4 coniferous trees are present. The charcoal identifications show that vegetation in the period 4300–2400 cal. yr BP differed regionally because of variations in local topography and water supply, with limited diversity in …
Early cultivated wheat and broadening of agriculture in Neolithic China
Evidence for cultivated wheat at 4650 cal. yr BP, as part of a broadening agricultural-based society (4650—4300 cal. yr BP), is presented from Xishanping in northwest China. This was established from archaeobotanical evidence and radiocarbon dating. Crops from SW Asia had therefore been adopted in China about 2500 years earlier than previously thought, and long before the `Silk Road' route was known to be used. The data show that the early infilt…
Subsistence and the isotopic signature of herding in the Bronze Age Hexi Corridor, NW Gansu, China
Temporal trends in millet consumption in northern China
Early Neolithic diets at Baijia, Wei River valley, China
Holocene agriculture in the Guanzhong Basin in NW China indicated by pollen and charcoal evidence
The emergence and rapid spread of agriculture from the early Holocene has made a great impact on the development of human societies and landscape change. Guanzhong Basin in the middle of Yellow River valley has a long continuous history of agriculture since the Neolithic. The pollen and charcoal records from Xindian in western Guanzhong Basin, together with the known distribution of archaeological sites, provide proxies to reconstruct the history…
Technological diversity in the tropical-subtropical zone of Southwest China during the terminal Pleistocene
Feeding Shimao
Renewed excavations at Shimao, the largest stone walled urban site in northern China dating to around 4200–3700 BP, have focused on Shimao’s unusual architecture and material culture, but there remains much to be known about the subsistence system and agricultural strategies the inhabitants employed around this site. In this paper we provide new archaeobotanical and isotopic evidence for the agricultural systems and strategies that supported Shim…
Human activity and its impact on the landscape at the Xishanping site in the western Loess Plateau during 4800–4300 cal yr BP based on the fossil charcoal record
Variations in spruce ( Picea sp.) distribution in the Chinese Loess Plateau and surrounding areas during the Holocene
Based on published pollen data from 44 sites in the Loess Plateau and surrounding areas, we recalculate values of Picea abundance digitized from the original diagrams and construct six isopoll maps to reconstruct the distribution of spruce forest at 2000 yr intervals during the Holocene. Spruce forest gradually expanded from about 10 ka BP ago and reached its peak distribution around 8 ka BP. It retained its maximum extent between 8 ka BP and 6 k…
Early transhumance recorded by the microfossils of sheep coprolites in the Tongtian Cave, China
Forest cover and composition on the Loess Plateau during the Middle to Late-Holocene
The question of what the ecology communities of the Loess Plateau looked like before the extensive anthropogenic reshaping processes of the late-Holocene has stirred a long debate. A better understanding of these human-induced changes will not only help us understand the extent of paleoeconomic practices, but also inform future conservation actions on this ecologically fragile landscape. This paper presents a systematic study of wood charcoal fro…
Water management and wheat yields in ancient China
The evaluation of ancient crop production and its response to climate change is key to exploring the ancient demographic and social changes. Wheat is currently the third most widely cultivated crop worldwide and was a major component across of the agricultural systems of the ancient Eurasia. In this study, the Δ 13 C values of 116 charred wheat grains from 28 archaeological sites, with direct AMS 14 C dating of 3952 ± 66 to 389 ± 73 cal yr BP, ac…
Wood types and human impact between 4300 and 2400 yr BP in the Hexi Corridor, NW China, inferred from charcoal records
Based on identification of fossil charcoals from 11 sites in the Hexi Corridor, we reconstruct the local vegetation community and human impact on it in the period from 4300 to 2400 cal. yr BP. More than 20 broadleaved taxa and 4 coniferous trees are present. The charcoal identifications show that vegetation in the period 4300–2400 cal. yr BP differed regionally because of variations in local topography and water supply, with limited diversity in …
Use of coal in the Bronze Age in China
People in northern and western China were probably the first in the world to use coal as a source of energy in a consistent way. The ages cluster around 1900–2200 bc in modern day Inner Mongolia and Shanxi provinces. These are areas where near-surface coal is abundant today and woody vegetation was scant in the Bronze Age. Since coal is bulky to transport, it was probably not a cost-effective energy source in areas with abundant wood supply. The …
Morphological diversity of the Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) from Oxus civilization 4000 BP, Central Asia
The adaptation of dryland crops to the climate in southern China
Environmental reconstruction and dating of Shixiakou Locality 1 on China's West Loess Plateau
Synchronous change in the intensified millet cultivation and ecological environment from the early to middle Holocene on the Inner Mongolia Plateau, northern China
The mechanisms of the origin and dispersal of millet agriculture in northern China are poorly understood. We used plant macroremains, stable isotope compositions of human bone collagen, and pollen records from the Sitai site to reconstruct changes in subsistence strategies and their relationship with the ecological environment from the early to middle Holocene on the Inner Mongolian Plateau in northern China. Charred weed-like seeds, the bones of…
Fruit collection and early evidence for horticulture in the Hexi Corridor, NW China, based on charcoal evidence
Early cultivated wheat and broadening of agriculture in Neolithic China
Evidence for cultivated wheat at 4650 cal. yr BP, as part of a broadening agricultural-based society (4650—4300 cal. yr BP), is presented from Xishanping in northwest China. This was established from archaeobotanical evidence and radiocarbon dating. Crops from SW Asia had therefore been adopted in China about 2500 years earlier than previously thought, and long before the `Silk Road' route was known to be used. The data show that the early infilt…
Early bronze in two Holocene archaeological sites in Gansu, NW China
Understanding of the origin and development of bronze technology in eastern Asia remains unresolved. Here we report on the distribution of copper and associated cations in sediments from Huoshiliang in northwestern Gansu, China, strontium and lead isotope analyses of ore and slag samples, and some artifact fragments at archaeological sites at Ganggangwa and Huoshiliang in the Black River valley. We conclude that bronze production began perhaps as…
Increases of population and expansion of rice agriculture in Asia, and anthropogenic methane emissions since 5000BP
Holocene agriculture in the Guanzhong Basin in NW China indicated by pollen and charcoal evidence
The emergence and rapid spread of agriculture from the early Holocene has made a great impact on the development of human societies and landscape change. Guanzhong Basin in the middle of Yellow River valley has a long continuous history of agriculture since the Neolithic. The pollen and charcoal records from Xindian in western Guanzhong Basin, together with the known distribution of archaeological sites, provide proxies to reconstruct the history…
Variations in spruce ( Picea sp.) distribution in the Chinese Loess Plateau and surrounding areas during the Holocene
Based on published pollen data from 44 sites in the Loess Plateau and surrounding areas, we recalculate values of Picea abundance digitized from the original diagrams and construct six isopoll maps to reconstruct the distribution of spruce forest at 2000 yr intervals during the Holocene. Spruce forest gradually expanded from about 10 ka BP ago and reached its peak distribution around 8 ka BP. It retained its maximum extent between 8 ka BP and 6 k…
Subsistence and the isotopic signature of herding in the Bronze Age Hexi Corridor, NW Gansu, China
Early Neolithic diets at Baijia, Wei River valley, China
Human activity and its impact on the landscape at the Xishanping site in the western Loess Plateau during 4800–4300 cal yr BP based on the fossil charcoal record
Origin and spread of wheat in China
Plant diversity of the Tianshui Basin in the western Loess Plateau during the mid-Holocene – Charcoal records from archaeological sites
Impact of agriculture on an oasis landscape during the late Holocene
Use of coal in the Bronze Age in China
People in northern and western China were probably the first in the world to use coal as a source of energy in a consistent way. The ages cluster around 1900–2200 bc in modern day Inner Mongolia and Shanxi provinces. These are areas where near-surface coal is abundant today and woody vegetation was scant in the Bronze Age. Since coal is bulky to transport, it was probably not a cost-effective energy source in areas with abundant wood supply. The …
Temporal trends in millet consumption in northern China
Late Holocene Indian Summer Monsoon Variations Recorded at Lake Erhai, Southwestern China
In this study we report changes in Indian summer monsoon (ISM) intensity during the past ~ 3500 yr inferred from proxy indices at Lake Erhai, southwestern China. Both the pollen concentrations and other proxy indices, including sediment grain size, total organic carbon contents (TOC), and elemental contents (e.g., Fe, Al), clearly indicate a long term decreasing trend in ISM intensity over the late Holocene. During the period from approximately A…
Abrupt Holocene Indian Summer Monsoon failures
Knowledge of the millennial abrupt monsoon failures is critical to understanding the related causes. Here, we extracted proxy indices of Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) intensity during the early to mid-Holocene, from peat deposits at Lake Xihu, in southwestern China. There are a series of abrupt, millennial-scale episodes of ISM weakening inferred from the Lake Xihu records, which are generally synchronous with those inferred from other archives ove…
The quantitative reconstruction of temperature and precipitation in the Guanzhong Basin of the southern Loess Plateau between 6200 BP and 5600 BP
Understanding the features of the paleoclimate and paleoenvrionment from key areas is crucial for predicting the climate variation of the future. In this study, fossil charcoal coupled with high-accuracy accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14 C dating from the Guanzhong Basin is analyzed to reconstruct the paleoclimate. Here, the coexistence approach (CA) was applied, and the result showed that the mean annual temperature (MAT) was about 14.8°C, …
Evolution of Luyang Lake since the last 34,000 years
Wood types and human impact between 4300 and 2400 yr BP in the Hexi Corridor, NW China, inferred from charcoal records
Based on identification of fossil charcoals from 11 sites in the Hexi Corridor, we reconstruct the local vegetation community and human impact on it in the period from 4300 to 2400 cal. yr BP. More than 20 broadleaved taxa and 4 coniferous trees are present. The charcoal identifications show that vegetation in the period 4300–2400 cal. yr BP differed regionally because of variations in local topography and water supply, with limited diversity in …
The earliest human occupation of the high-altitude Tibetan Plateau 40 thousand to 30 thousand years ago
Paleolithic occupation of Tibet Human colonization of the high-altitude Tibetan Plateau has generally been thought to have been confined to the past few thousand years of the Holocene. Zhang et al. report an investigation of the Nwya Devu archaeological site in central Tibet, 4600 meters above sea level, with Paleolithic occupation dates of ∼40 thousand to 30 thousand years ago (see the Perspective by Zhang and Dennell). The site has yielded a ra…
Fruit collection and early evidence for horticulture in the Hexi Corridor, NW China, based on charcoal evidence
Late onset of the Holocene rainfall maximum in northeastern China inferred from a pollen record from the sediments of Tianchi Crater Lake
The timing of the Holocene summer monsoon maximum (HSMM) in northeastern China has been much debated and more quantitative precipitation records are needed to resolve the issue. In the present study, Holocene precipitation and temperature changes were quantitatively reconstructed from a pollen record from the sediments of Tianchi Crater Lake in northeastern China using a plant functional type-modern analogue technique (PFT-MAT). The reconstructed…
Archaeobotanical Evidence of Hazelnut ( Corylus heterophylla , Betulaceae) Exploitation in the Neolithic Northern China
Hazelnut is an important nut food that was widely consumed throughout prehistory. Archaeologists frequently find the charred plant macrofossils of Corylus at archaeological sites throughout Eurasia. We present new records of charred Siberian hazelnut ( Corylus heterophylla) that were recovered from the Beiniu site (109.32°E, 34.46°N) in Shaanxi Province, North West China, that are directly dated around 5,400 cal. yr BP. They are basic evidence th…
Year-old cereal grains from the eastern Altai Mountains redate the trans-Eurasian crop exchange
Climate-influenced cave deposition and human occupation during the Pleistocene in Zhiren Cave, southwest China
Forest cover and composition on the Loess Plateau during the Middle to Late-Holocene
The question of what the ecology communities of the Loess Plateau looked like before the extensive anthropogenic reshaping processes of the late-Holocene has stirred a long debate. A better understanding of these human-induced changes will not only help us understand the extent of paleoeconomic practices, but also inform future conservation actions on this ecologically fragile landscape. This paper presents a systematic study of wood charcoal fro…
Geography (37 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (31 works) · Archaeology (30 works) · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology (24 works) · Biology (21 works) · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research (21 works) · China (20 works) · Geology (19 works) · Physical geography (18 works) · Ecology (17 works)