The Origins And Spread Of Millet Cultivation

华盛顿大学圣路易斯分校的刘信义博士将与美国、中国、英国和印度的同事一起，沿着进行研究，研究小米种植的起源和传播。该项目考虑了两种生态上最顽强的谷类作物：高粱（Panicum miliaceum）和谷子（Setaria italica）。今天，这两种杂粮的消费频率较低，因此很少引起科学关注，但它们曾经是地理上最广泛的粮食作物之一，起源中心在中国北方，并在史前传播到印度和欧洲。本文运用多学科的方法，试图回答两个问题：（1）小米是什么时候开始成为人类的主食的？谷子栽培是何时、如何从中国北方的原产地扩展到中亚和南亚的？所调查的两种谷子的生态优点使它们在现代系统的粮食安全方面特别重要，因为它们能够在边缘地区生长。了解这两个耐旱哈代物种的历史也可以提高人们对它们未来效用的认识。为了验证有关小米消费和传播的假设，刘博士和研究团队将进行三种类型的分析：（1）考古动物骨胶原和植物材料的大量碳和氮同位素分析;（2）考古人类和动物骨胶原的化合物特定碳同位素分析;（3）来自中亚和南亚的考古小米颗粒的直接放射性碳测量。这些数据是建立在近十年来样品制备和方法改进方面的重大改进的基础上。通过采取多学科方法，该项目不仅提供了对这两种特定作物的深入了解，而且还提供了对使用它们的社区的深入了解。为什么选择这些作物作为粮食生产的主要目标？为什么位于经常性景观（山麓/山脉边缘）的社区似乎总是对这些植物感兴趣？为什么人们似乎吃了很多农作物，却吃不了很多肉？早期关于东西方接触的讨论主要集中在洲际物质商品交换上。然而，该项目将把重点转移到强调农业生产的主要代理人，即普通农业社区本身所发挥的作用，他们并不总是拥有很多物质产品，但在古代世界开创了全球化进程。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Dr. Xinyi Liu, of Washington University in St. Louis, along with colleagues in US, China, UK and India, will undertake research to study the origins and spread of millet cultivation. This project considers two of the ecologically hardiest of cereal crops: broomcorn (Panicum miliaceum) and foxtail millet (Setaria italica). Today, these two minor cereals are consumed less frequently, thereby attracting little scientific attention, however they were once among the most expansive food crops in geographical terms, with a center of origin in northern China and spreading to India and Europe in prehistory. Using a multidisciplinary approach, we seek answers to two questions: (1) when did millet first become a staple food for human consumption? and (2) when and how did millet cultivation expand from its place of origin in north China to Central and South Asia? The ecological merits of the two millets under investigation make them particularly important in the context of food security in modern systems in their capacity to grow in marginal areas. Understanding the history of these two drought hardy species can also raise awareness of their capacity for future utility.In order to test hypotheses about the consumption and spread of millet, Dr Liu and the research team will undertake three types of analyses: (1) bulk carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of archaeological animal bone collagen and plant materials; (2) compound specific carbon isotope analyses of archaeological human and animal bone collagen; and (3) direct radiocarbon measurements of archaeological millet grains from across Central and South Asia. These data are built on significant improvements in sample preparation and methodological refinements in the recent decade. In taking a multidisciplinary approach, this project provides insight into not only the two specific crops, but the communities who utilize them. Why were these crops chosen as primary targets of food production? Why are communities situated in a recurrent landscape (foothills / edges of the mountains) seemingly always interested in these plants? Why do people seemingly consume a lot of crops but not a lot of meat? Early discussions on East-West contacts have primarily focused on the inter-continental exchange of material goods. This project will however shift the focus to emphasize the role played by the primary agents of agricultural production, the ordinary farming communities themselves, who do not always own much material goods, but pioneered the globalization process in the ancient world.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.