Ecology and hydrology of early rice farming
Geoarchaeological and palaeo-ecological evidence from the Late Holocene paddy field site at Maoshan, the Lower Yangtze
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5397009 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Yuxiang Jin (Peking University), Duowen Mo (0000-0003-1448-3122, Peking University), Yiyin Li (Peking University), Pin Ding, Ding Pin (Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology), Yongqiang Zong (University of Hong Kong), Yijie Zhuang (0000-0001-5546-0870, University College London) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 1851-1863 |
| Publication date | 2019-05-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1866-9557 • E-ISSN: 1866-9565 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s12520-018-0639-1 |
| OpenAlex | W2800231655 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 26 |
The well-preserved Maoshan paddy fields (4700-4300 bp) were built on an intermediate landscape between the foothills and alluvial plain of the Lower Yangtze River. Despite several interdisciplinary research, there has been a lack of detailed environmental and ecological data to contextualise the reconstructed rice farming practices within a wider paleo-environmental background. Our research provides key information on the chronology, vegetation, and long-term hydrological fluctuations at and surrounding the paddy fields. Our 14C and OSL dates show that the initial occupation began at around 5740 ± 140 cal. bp, and the paddy fields were built at around 4675 ± 145 cal. bp and were in use continuously until around 4000 cal. bp. Our pollen, diatom and phytolith data shows that whilst the vegetation in the field was sensitive to changes caused by water management and rice farming, the ecological system surrounding the fields was relatively stable. We suggest that this high frequency of in-field vegetation changes was closely related to intensifying water management for rice farming. This thesis is supported by our geophysical and geochemical analyses of bulk sediments, which shows that the steady build-up of the alluvial sequence was punctuated by several short-term episodes of high-energy surface runoff, including strong flushing in of sandy sediments into the fields perhaps through irrigation activities. Our paleo-ecological and geoarchaeological investigation at Maoshan permits an overview of the development of rice farming and intensifying water management practices in a wider environmental context and offers significant insights to the ongoing debate on the wet-dry dichotomy of early rice farming
Agriculture · Alluvium · Context (archaeology · Geoarchaeology · Geography · Holocene · Hydrology (agriculture · Paddy field · Phytolith · Vegetation (pathology · Wetland · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies · Ecology · Geology · Paleontology
Food in Ancient China
China's major Late Neolithic centres and the rise of Erlitou
History of Mid- and Late Holocene Palaeofloods in the Yangtze Coastal Lowlands, East China
Intensification of rice farming and its environmental consequences recorded in a Liangzhu reservoir, China
Synthesis of stable isotopic data for human bone collagen
A 7000‐year record of environmental change
A functional study of ground stone knives and sickles in the Lower Yangtze River Region during the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age
Mid-Holocene coastal hydrology and salinity changes in the east Taihu area of the lower Yangtze wetlands, China
The Rice Economies
Diatoms as a tool for reconstructing sedimentary environments in coastal wetlands; methodological aspects
The Domestication Process and Domestication Rate in Rice
Fire and flood management of coastal swamp enabled first rice paddy cultivation in east China
The Liangzhu Culture
A Companion to Chinese Archaeology
Mid-Holocene sea-level highstand along the Southeast Coast of China
Palaeoecological records of environmental change and cultural development from the Liangzhu and Qujialing archaeological sites in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River
Water management and agricultural intensification of rice farming at the late-Neolithic site of Maoshan, Lower Yangtze River, China
Evidence for the early beginning (c. 9000 cal. BP) of rice domestication in China
Water management and labour in the origins and dispersal of Asian rice
Phytoliths and rice
The emergence of complex society in China
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2019 - 2024 (6) |
| Highly cited | No |