Early mixed farming of millet and rice 7800 years ago in the Middle Yellow River region, China.

The Peiligang Culture (9000-7000 cal. yr BP) in the Middle Yellow River region, North China, has long been considered representative of millet farming. It is still unclear, however, if broomcorn millet or foxtail millet was the first species domesticated during the Peiligang Culture. Furthermore, it is also unknown whether millet was cultivated singly or together with rice at the same period. In this study, phytolith analysis of samples from the Tanghu archaeological site reveals early crop information in the Middle Yellow River region, China. Our results show that broomcorn millet was the early dry farming species in the Peiligang Culture at 7800 cal. yr BP, while rice cultivation took place from 7800 to 4500 cal. yr BP. Our data provide new evidence of broomcorn millet and rice mixed farming at 7800 cal. yr BP in the Middle Yellow River region, which has implications for understanding the domestication process of the two crops, and the formation and continuance of the Ancient Yellow River Civilization

How Can We Understand the Past from Now On? Three-Dimensional Modelling and Landscape Reconstruction of the Shuanghuaishu Site in the Central Plains of China

The Shuanghuaishu (SHS) site in China is one of the 100 most important archaeological discoveries over the past 100 years; its historical heritage can be traced directly back 5300 years. Understanding the early landscape of the site would provide important information about the origin of Chinese civilization. The SHS site is buried and surface traces are difficult to see; therefore, we attempted to reconstruct the early landscape of the site based on a current surface landscape model and environmental archaeological analysis. We created a modern three-dimensional (3D) landscape model of the study area from high spatial resolution unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) aerial photographs and analysed the distance change between the Yellow River and SHS site in the past 60 years from CORONA and Landsat images. By combining environmental archaeological survey results, archaeological excavation data, relevant papers, and field measurements, we reconstructed the paleotopography of the SHS site during the Yangshao period (7000–5000 aBP). On this basis, 3D natural and human landscapes during the Yangshao period were rebuilt. The results show that (1) Satellite images acquired at different resolutions can provide multiscale spatial information about the site, and high-precision models of current conditions can be quickly generated from UAV aerial photography. (2) From 1960 to 2020, the shortest distance between the SHS site and the Yellow River was approximately 512 m. The location of bedrock on Mang Mountain can be used to infer the early extent of the northern terrace at the site. (3) Environmental archaeology provided information about the palaeoenvironment of the site area. By incorporating spatial information technology and 3D visualization, we can better restore the early landscape of the SHS site. Our work integrates environmental archaeology, field archaeology, and spatial technology, enabling data and modelling support for the visual interpretation of the SHS site

Main phytolith types from the Tanghu site.

<p>A–c = rice bulliform; d–g = rice double peaked; h, i = phytoliths from broomcorn millet husk; j = long saddle; k = scutiform-bulliform from reed; l = common bulliform; m = <i>Cyperus</i> type; n = trapeziform sinuate (tooth type); o = woody phytolith.</p

Ratio of phytolith from rice and broomcorn millet in H92 from the Tanghu site.

<p>Ratio of phytolith from rice and broomcorn millet in H92 from the Tanghu site.</p

Possible rice bulliforms with dissolved surface from the Tanghu site.

<p>Possible rice bulliforms with dissolved surface from the Tanghu site.</p

Comparison of morphological characteristics of rice bulliform in difference archaeological sites.

<p>The data from the Majiabang, Songze, and Liangzhu Cultures obtained from Zheng <i>et al. </i><a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0052146#pone.0052146-Zheng1" target="_blank">[34]</a>. The standard deviations of the references are not provided in the original paper. Phytolith portrait is after Fujiwara <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0052146#pone.0052146-Fujiwara1" target="_blank">[37]</a>.</p

Archaeological sites and related cultures mentioned in the article.

<p>The map cited from <a href="http://maps.ngdc.noaa.gov/viewers/bathymetry/" target="_blank">http://maps.ngdc.noaa.gov/viewers/bathymetry/</a>.</p

Sampling locations from the Tanghu site.

<p>The plan positions of archaeological units is after Xin <i>et al.</i> (2010).</p

Prolonged landscape stability sustained the continuous development of ancient civilizations in the Shuangji River valley of China's Central Plains

The continuous development of the Neolithic to Bronze-Age cultures on China's Central Plains is well contested by archaeological and historical research. Environmental factors that sustained such an exceptionally long cultural continuity are, however, poorly understood. The evolution of fluvial landscapes and its relationship with cultural developments are key to disentangle the close interaction between the environment and civilizational discourse on the Central Plains. Here, we present OSL and AMS 14C ages and other environmental data collected from a range of typical geomorphological locations in the Shuangji River valley, which is situated at the heartland of the Central Plains and long considered to be one of the most important regions for the rise of the Chinese civilization. Combining the OSL and 14C dates, results of particle size and soil/sediment micromorphological analyses, and geoarchaeological field observations, we reconstructed the evolution of Holocene geomorphological landscape in the Shuangji River valley. The results show that the Neogene alluvial fan was incised into a wide valley during the early Pleistocene. Subsequent alluvial processes were constrained within this general framework of regional landform. The period of 20 ka BP and 10–8 ka BP saw two episodes of basin-scale alluvial incision, which created two alluvial terraces (i.e., T4 and T3), respectively. Despite the occurrence of episodic floods and some large-scale alluvial siltation during 8–3 ka BP, the alluvial surfaces remained stable for a prolonged period of time and thus provided optimal living conditions for prehistoric inhabitation. We argue that the geomorphological foundation and prolonged landscape stability were instrumental to the continuous cultural developments on the Central Plains as seen in the Shuangji River valley as a representative of such long-term human-environment interactions. Our geoarchaeological survey for the first time reveals basin-scale evidence on the mechanism responsible for this distinctive relationship between alluvial landscape and cultural development, in which the terrace-surface stability, alongside many other cultural factors, profoundly shaped the celebrated cultural continuity on prehistoric Central Plains