The Study On Plant Remains Unearthed At Shimao Site,Shenmu Country,Northern Shaanxi

The Shimao site,a large settlement center in northern China,which is located in northern Shaanxi Province,is the largest prehistoric site in China so far.It has an important influence on the studies of early Chinese civilization.However,in the region of Northern Shaanxi and Hetao,paleoethonobotanical research on the period from late Longshan Culture to early Xia Dynasty is rare.By using flotation technique,This dissertation attempts to recovery the utilization of plant resources and to analyze substantial model from late Longshan period to early Xia Dynasty.A large number of charred plant remains were unearthed by flotation work.The crops of foxtail millet and broomcorn millet have been recovered.In addition,Melilotus,Lespedeza,Astragalus scaberrimus can be used as forage plant remains,and Chenopodiaceae family,Salsola collina might be utilized as additional food.Quantitative analysis indicates that farming is dominant in Shimao subsistence,and livestock husbandry is subsidiary.But from the late Longshan period to early Xia Dynasty,the proportion of livestock husbandry had a gradual increase.Possibly,the current substantial model in northern Shaanxi Province could have connection with the Shimao culture.Based on comparative an analysis of charred plant remains from different contexts,the pits,houses and hearths unearthed relatively abundant charred plant,which reveals that daily activities of the Shimao residents are more concentrated in these areas.In addition,cereals were also recovered at east gate of exterior fort and parapet foundation of Huangchengtai Mound,which provide some clues to explore the construction,utilization and discard of different defense facilities of the Shimao culture.Finally,by comparing the plant remains of the Shimao site and Zhaimaoliang site,which is a subordinated settlement,we find that the ubiquity and density of plant remains in the Shimao site is higher than that of Zhaimaoliang site.This phenomenon is likely to reflect the gaps between the central settlement and secondary settlement.