The development of agriculture and its impact on cultural expansion during the late Neolithic in the Western Loess Plateau, China
The development of agriculture and its impact on cultural expansion during the late Neolithic in the Western Loess Plateau, China
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西部黄土高原新石器时代晚期农业发展及其对文化扩张的影响
DOI：
10.1177/0959683612450203
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发表时间：
2013-01-01
期刊：
影响因子：
2.4
通讯作者：
Zhang, Keren
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Jia, Xin;Dong, Guanghui;Zhang, Keren
本文通过对甘肃定西马家窑和齐家时期布子坪遗址的植物和动物化石进行放射性碳年代测定和分析，结合黄土高原西部及邻区植物考古学研究成果，探讨了马家窑和齐家时期的生存策略。本文还讨论了黄土高原西部农业的发展及其对新石器时代晚期文化扩张的影响。在马家窑时期（4890-4710 cal. yr BP，C-14测年），人类首次定居在布子坪。现场烧焦的种子表明人们从事以小米为基础的农业生产。在齐家时期的第二个占领阶段（根据C-14测年，距今4130-3880 cal. yr），人们继续这种类型的农业，但从马家窑到齐家时期，谷子与高粱的比例增加了。饲养家畜是齐家时期的另一种生活方式。主要的家畜可能是猪和狗，尽管也有狩猎野生动物的活动。新石器时代晚期，甘肃省东部的集约农业迅速发展，影响了堡子坪遗址的生存。研究结果表明，在马家窑和齐家早中期，粟作农业在黄土高原西部地区自东向西传播，并可能促进了这两种文化在该地区的扩张。气候变化可能也促进了马家窑和齐家的扩张，并可能促进了该地区采用雨养农业。
Based on radiocarbon dating and our analysis of plant and animal remains from Buziping, a Majiayao (5300-4300 BP) and Qijia (4200-3800 BP) period site located in Dingxi, Gansu Province, China, and our review of archaeobotanical studies in the Western Loess Plateau and adjacent areas, we discuss subsistence strategies during the Majiayao and Qijia periods. We also discuss the development of agriculture in the Western Loess Plateau and its influence on cultural expansion during the late Neolithic period. Humans settled at Buziping for the first time during the Majiayao period (4890-4710 cal. yr BP by C-14 dating). Charred seeds from the site indicate that people engaged in millet-based agricultural production. People continued this type of agriculture during a second phase of occupation (4130-3880 cal. yr BP by C-14 dating) during the Qijia period, but the proportion of foxtail millet to broomcorn millet increased from the Majiayao to Qijia period. Raising domestic animals was another aspect of subsistence during the Qijia period. The main domestic animals were likely pigs and dogs, although hunting of wild animals also took place. Subsistence at Buziping site was affected by the rapid development of intensive agriculture that diffused across eastern Gansu Province during the late Neolithic. Our work suggests that millet-based agriculture spread from east to west across the Western Loess Plateau and likely promoted the expansions of those two cultures in the area during the Majiayao period and early-mid Qijia period. Climate change might have also promoted Majiayao and Qijia expansions and probably facilitated the adoption of rain-fed agriculture in this region.