Functionality and Morphology
Identifying Si Agricultural Tools from Among Hemudu Scapular Implements in Eastern China
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12427140 |
|---|---|
| Authors | L Xie (0000-0002-6840-2589, University of Toronto, corresponding author), Xuejiao Lu (Zhejiang Museum of Natural History), Guoping Sun (0000-0002-4325-900X, Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology), Weijin Huang (0000-0002-4246-8889, Zhejiang Museum of Natural History) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 377-423 |
| Publication date | 2016-01-06 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1072-5369 • E-ISSN: 1573-7764 |
| Publisher | Springer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10816-015-9271-x |
| PMID | 29266130 |
| OpenAlex | W2223081114 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 18 |
| References cited | 22 |
Most Chinese archaeologists assume that the scapular implements used in the Hemudu culture in eastern China (7000-5000 BP) were the si agricultural implements (tools for breaking ground and turning soils over to assist in seeding) recorded in ancient Chinese literatures and, accordingly, assume the Hemudu culture was a farming society. However, ethnographic and historical literatures worldwide have suggested inconclusive functions for similar implements. We conducted a range of experiments under realistic conditions, including hide and plant processing and earth-working, followed by use-wear analysis, to identify the functions of the Hemudu scapular implements. The results suggest that no more than half of the implements were employed as si and that their penetrability and durability were rather limited. These findings help explain why Hemudu should not be labeled as a farming society. Through experimentation and use-wear analysis, we produced relatively large datasets that make a significant contribution to the identification of soil-derived wear patterns on bone tools. We also included quantitative measurements of soil properties to ensure similarities in use contexts between our experimental and archaeological analogies in order to reach reliable functional identifications. Our approaches and results, therefore, provided a solid base for re-evaluating previous research as well as building a standardized database of scientific value for future evaluation and adjustment, even if that future research is done in isolation and in different soil contexts
Agriculture · Agroforestry · Archaeology · Biology · China · Evolutionary biology · Geography · Morphology (biology · Computer Science · Environmental and Cultural Studies in Latin America and Beyond · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies · Yersinia bacterium, plague, ectoparasites research · Ecology · Paleontology
Institutions and Environment in Ancient Southern East Asia (3000 BCE to 300 CE)
Food in Ancient China
Hemudu – Chinese early Neolithic culture
Ε‐Polylysine Composite Microcapsules for In‐Situ Conservation of Waterlogged Wooden Cultural Relics
Reconstruction of ancient craftsmanship techniques during the Xiongnu-Xianbei period, based on the analysis of bone tools found at the Chultukov Log-9 site in Altai
Neolithic bone shovels of Britain
New insights into the origins of oracle bone divination
Microwear analysis on experimental ground stone earth-working implements and its implication for investigating ancient agricultural practices
Scapulae for shovels
Beyond rice
Anthrosols and ancient agriculture at Sanyangzhuang, Henan Province, China
Analysis of alterations and damages at the Neolithic earthen settlement and agricultural cultivation site in Tianluoshan, China
Human adaptation to Holocene environments
Small-scale bone working in a complex economy
An assessment of bone tool cleaning procedures in preparation for traceological analysis
Neolithic bone meal with acorn
Raw material preferences for scapular tools
A Posthumanist Approach to the Origins of Rice Agriculture in Southern China
Letters and Notes on the Manners, Customs and Conditions of North American Indians : The Complete Volumes I and II
The Domestication Process and Domestication Rate in Rice
The nature of selection during plant domestication
Recent Research on the Hemudu Culture and the Tianluoshan Site
Chinese Mythology
Evidence for the early beginning (c. 9000 cal. BP) of rice domestication in China
Rice fields and modes of rice cultivation between 5000 and 2500 BC in east China
The Experimental Earthwork on Morden Bog, Wareham, Dorset, England
Experimental series and use-wear in bone tools
Plains Anthropologist
Scapula Skin-Dressing And Fiber-Processing Tools
Habitat, Economy and Society
The Early Exploitation of Southeast Asian Mangroves
An Experiment in Field Archaeology
Presumed domestication? Evidence for wild rice cultivation and domestication in the fifth millennium BC of the Lower Yangtze region
The origins of rice agriculture
Labor Costs for Prehistoric Earthwork Construction
Use Wear on Bone and Antler Tools from the Mackenzie Delta, Northwest Territories
| Unique citing works | 18 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,8 |
| Citation span | 2016 - 2026 (11) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 18 |