Research On Plant Remains From Neolithic To Early Bronze Age In Upper West Liao River Region

The purpose of this study is to investigate the change of ecologicalenvironment and the origin and development of the dry-land agriculturein the upper West Liao River region, subsistence strategy in differentarchaeological culture and human interaction with plant resources. UpperWest Liao River region mainly refers to Inner Mongolia region. It coversthe West Liao River, upper Laoha River and Xilamulun River Basin.“Northern rain-fed agriculture” mainly refers to the cultivation of foxtailmillet and broomcorn millet in northern China primitive agriculture. It is10000-3500years ago, which is about the equivalent of the earlyHolocene warm period till the end, or Neolithic to Early Bronze Age.Since the1960s, by the study of the Neolithic to Early Bronze Agearchaeological culture, the different stages of economic development andcultural pattern, other issues like subsistence strategy has also graduallyexpanded, and made a series of achievements. However, the lack ofprehistoric culture of the upper West Liao River morphological andeconomic development research results, and because of the lack ofarchaeological excavations in the past, valid scientific information relatedto the tangible remains, for example, plant remains are very scarce toreflect ancient agricultural economics.With the rapid development of the archaeobotanical work in recentyears, especially the widespread application of flotation, a lot of new datadiscovered to reflect the subsistence strategy of upper West Liao region.By using flotation in the excavation of Neolithic to Early Bronze Agesites (Xinglonggou,Weijiawopu, Haminmangha, Sanzuodian andErdaojingzi, etc.), we recover a large number of carbonized plantremainssa. The identification and analysis of plant remains help toexplore the origins and development of northern rain-fed agriculture inupper West Liao region, and subsistence strategy change in otherarchaeological cultures and periods. These new data will help to understand the origins and development of rain-fed agriculture in upperWest Liao River, ecological impacts on northern rain-fed agriculture, andproportion of agriculture in the subsistence strategy.Flotation result of Neolithic to Early Bronze Age sites in upper WestLiao region, growth habit and quantitative analysis of plant remainshelp to discuss the human activity in upper West Liao River region.Research of plant remains and subsistence strategy in Xiaohexi culture,Xinglongwa culture, Zhangbaogou culture, Hongshan culture, Xiaoheyanculture and Lower Xiajiadian culture period contributed to investigate theprocess of ancient civilization in upper West Liao River region.The thesis is divided into seven chapters:Chapter1, Introduction. To make the object of study, researchmethods and research ideas, and systematically sort out the domestic andinternational research profile, purpose and significance of the paper.Chapter2, Archaeological background and description of plantremains from the site of Xinglonggou first location. By identification andlaboratory analysis of the samples, morphology and size analysis ofcarbonized foxtail millet and broomcorn millet, the charred seed is thevarieties of millet between wild and cultivated. Microenvironment studyof the site suggests that upper West Liao River region is one of the originof northern rain-fed agriculture.Chapter3, Archaeological background and description of plantremains from Weijiawopu site. By identification and laboratory analysisof the samples, morphology and size analysis of plant remains,Weijiawopu in early and middle Hongshan period represented northerndry farming, but the absolute number and ubiquity indicate that theagriculture was a relatively low level, hunting-gathering and fishing isdominant in subsistence economic.Chapter4, Archaeological background and description of plantremains from Haminmangha site. By identification and laboratoryanalysis of the samples, morphology and size analysis of plant remains, Haminmangha in late Hongshan period indicated the dry farming, but theabsolute number and ubiquity suggested that the agriculture is a relativelyprimitive state, and that fishing and hunting is important in subsistencestrategy.Chapter5, Archaeological background and description of plantremains from Erdaojingzi site. By identification and laboratory analysisof the samples, morphology and size analysis of plant remains, fourcrops(two types of millet, soybeans and cannabis) are major cultivatedplant in subsistence strategy. The ubiquity and absolute number of thosecrops are very high, agriculture may dominant in subsistence economicand the emergence of new crop species reduce the risk of agriculturesystem. However, the carbonized plant remains include a large number ofweed seeds, it is a rapid development compare to Neolithic agriculturalbut not the stage of fine agricultural system. And the large number ofanimal bones unearthed in the site indicate that hunting and animalhusbandry is important complement to agriculture in the economic life ofour ancestors.Chapter6, Changes of ecosystem and subsistence strategy in theupper West Liao River region. To systematically introduce and analyzeecosystem variation from early Holocene to the end of Warm Period inupper West Liao River areas, and comprehensively discuss aboutdistribution of the Neolithic to the early Bronze Age sites in upper WestLiao River. And to make regional survey and plant flotation of sites ofdifferent archaeological periods (besides Xinglonggou first location,Weijiawopu, Hamingmangha and Erdaojingzi) in different altitude inupper West Liao River region. By comparative analyzation, this paperdiscuss similarities and differences in human activity and subsistencestrategy between upper West Liao River and Yellow River Valley.Chapter7, Conclusion. To discribe the relationship between humanactivities and plant in the upper West Liao River region from Neolithic tothe early Bronze Age, the differences of plant remains in the different archaeological periods produced different influence. It also included theinsufficient in this research and future research issues.