Multi-proxy evidence of environmental change related to collapse of the Liangzhu Culture in the Yangtze Delta, China
Multi-proxy evidence of environmental change related to collapse of the Liangzhu Culture in the Yangtze Delta, China
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中国长江三角洲良渚文化崩溃相关环境变化的多代理证据
DOI：
10.1007/s11430-020-9767-5
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发表时间：
2021-05-17
影响因子：
5.7
通讯作者：
Wang, Ningyuan
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
He, Keyang;Lu, Houyuan;Wang, Ningyuan
良渚文化（距今5300-4300 cal. aBP）被认为是长江三角洲新石器时代的顶峰，是一个古老的国家。然而，良渚文化崩溃的原因仍然存在争议。一些学者将其归因于社会冲突或外国入侵，而另一些学者则认为环境恶化，如寒冷事件，洪水和古台风事件，破坏了文明。良渚群遗址广泛覆盖的黄色粉砂质沉积物被认为是解决这些问题的重要线索之一。其形成过程和原因是理解良渚文化衰落的关键。本研究在良渚古城采集了两个典型剖面，分别由良渚文化层和淡黄色粉砂质沉积物组成。多种代理，包括花粉，植硅石和硅藻，沿着与放射性碳和光释光测年和合成地球化学证据，从不同的沉积物，重建生态和水文变化，并讨论其与文化崩溃的联系。4800-4400 cal. aBP，良渚古城的区域生态是典型的淡水湿地，这为良渚古城的稻作生产和大规模的建筑工程提供了条件。微化石和微黄色粉砂质沉积物测年证据表明，良渚古城在4300-3400 cal. aBP废弃后受到海水的显著影响。微量元素和Sr-Nd同位素组成等地球化学证据表明，黄河、长江、钱塘江、东海等河流的沉积物是由黄海沿岸流和海侵搬运到良渚古城的混合物。因此，结合长江三角洲地区的考古和数值模拟证据，推测在4400 cal. aBP左右的短期加速相对海平面上升，导致太湖周边地区海侵，形成大范围的淡黄色粉砂质沉积物，破坏了稻作生产，最终导致良渚文化的崩溃。
The Liangzhu Culture (5300-4300 cal. a BP) has been regarded as the culmination of the Neolithic Age in the Yangtze Delta and as an archaic state. However, the reason behind the collapse of the Liangzhu Culture remains controversial. Some scholars attributed it to social conflicts or foreign invasions, while others suggested that environmental deterioration, such as cold episodes, inundation and palaeo-typhoon events, disrupted the civilization. Notably, the yellowish silty sediments widely overlying the Liangzhu group sites have been presumed to be one of the vital clues to resolving these issues. The process and cause of their formation are key to understanding the decline in Liangzhu Culture. In this study, two typical profiles composed of the Liangzhu cultural layer and yellowish silty sediments were collected in the Liangzhu Ancient City. Multiple proxies, including pollen, phytoliths and diatoms, along with radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating and synthesized geochemical evidence from different sediments, were applied to reconstruct ecological and hydrological changes and discuss their linkage to cultural collapse. The regional ecology was typical freshwater wetlands during 4800-4400 cal. a BP, which facilitated rice farming and large-scale architectural engineering in Liangzhu Ancient City. Evidence from microfossils and dating of the yellowish silty sediments indicated that Liangzhu Ancient City was significantly affected by seawater after abandonment during 4300-3400 cal. a BP. Furthermore, geochemical evidence, including trace element and Sr-Nd isotopic compositions, suggested that the primary provenance of the yellowish silt was a mixture of sediments from the Qiantang River, East China Sea, Yangtze River and Yellow River, which had been transported to Liangzhu Ancient City by the Yellow Sea Coastal Current and a marine transgression. Therefore, based on evidence from archaeological sites and numerical simulation in the Yangtze Delta, it was supposed that the short-term accelerated relative sea-level rise at approximately 4400 cal. a BP caused a marine transgression around Taihu Lake, formed a large range of yellowish silty sediments, destroyed rice farming production, and ultimately led to the collapse of the Liangzhu Culture.