The Process Of Agricultural Development In The Lower Reaches Of Min River During The Mid-late Holocene And Its Environmental Background

The emergence and development of agriculture have provided a stable economic foundation for the progress of human society and the establishment of ancient civilizations.The origin and dispersal of agriculture have always been the focus of archaeologists,anthropologists and environmentalists.In the context of food globalisation in prehistory,the southeast coast of China,including Fujian province,is of particular interest as a key junction for crop dispersal into Taiwan and the Pacific islands from mainland China.And the area of the lower Min River is an important frontier for cultural communications between Fujian and Taiwan during prehistoric times.However,due to poor preservation of macro-plant fossils caused by the acidic soils,there is still a lack of direct evidence of early agriculture in the lower reaches of Min River.Questions about when and where rice and millets first arrived in this region remain a source topic of debate.The process of agricultural development and the crop structure are still unclear.In this study,six prehistory sites were selected for phytoliths analysis,including Dapingding,Baitoushan,Zhuangbianshan,Tanshishan,Hengyu,and Huangqiyu which extends from the inland to the coast in the lower reaches of Min River.The time covers the relatively complete archeological cultural sequence of this region in the Neolithic age,containing the first phase of the Dapingding site(ca.7,500 cal a BP),the lower Tanshishan culture(5,500?5,000 cal a BP)to the Huangtulun culture(3,400?2,700 cal a BP).Multiple dating methods,including charred carbon dating,phytolith carbon dating,and optically stimulated luminescence were used to construct the chronologies of the sites.Not only the crop structure and the history of agricultural development during the mid-late Holocene were reconstructed,but also the relationship between agricultural development and environmental evolution were preliminarily discussed.Some results were summarized as follows:(1)The traces of rice husks and the diagnostic rice phytoliths in the first phase of the Dapingding site show that rice had planted at the lower reaches of Min River around 7,500 cal a BP.At present,the agricultural remains of rice cultivation found in the sites along the inland route of rice spreading to the southeast coastal areas are all later than 7,500 cal a BP.In addition,the pottery with rice husks found in the Dapingding site showed similarities with the Shangshan culture and Kuahuqiao culture in Zhejiang.Evidence about sea routes of rice dispersal shows that rice may spread from north to south along the coastline from the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.(2)The preliminary analysis of rice bulliform phytoliths from the first phase of the Dapingding site,the lower Tanshishan cultural layer,the Tanshishan cultural layer,and the Huangguashan cultural layer show that the rice domestication in the lower Min River was not accomplished overnight,but went through a long time.(3)Millet phytoliths in the lower Tanshishan cultural layer of the Baitoushan site show that millet arrived at the lower reaches of Min River at 5,500 cal a BP.Millet may have spread to this region along sea routes.Coasts,river valleys and other natural pathways were the corridors of agriculture.These results provide new insights into the emergence of agriculture in this region and the south dispersal routes of rice and millet.(4)Around 7,500 cal a BP,rice began to appear in the lower reaches of Min River,and it had always been the main crop during the Neolithic period in this area.Millets began to appear at the lower Tanshishan culture(5,500?5,000 cal a BP),but the proportion was relatively low.Rice and millets coexisted in the sites farther from the sea,while the crop structure was relatively single in the sites closer to the sea.(5)The emergence and development of early agriculture in the lower reaches of Min River may be closely related to sea-level rise and fall.During the period of high sea-level,a natural corridor for cultural exchanges was formed between Fujian and other areas.Abundant food resources attracted some ancient humans to settle here,agriculture appeared and gradually developed in this area.Until the late Holocene around 3,000?2,000 cal a BP,seawater exited the Fuzhou Basin,providing space resources for agricultural development,agriculture began to develop rapidly.