The Macro Plant Remains From Xiaogao Site In Shandong Province

During the excavation in 2017,a large number of flotation soil samples were collected and a large number of macro plant remains were obtained from Xiaogao Site Houli period.Few sites have done systemetic work of paleoethnobotany.Those materials are very important.This paper attempts to use the results of macro plant remains to further understand the socio-economic status of the Houli culture period and the life of the ancients from the perspectives of food structure,subsistence strategy,and settlement degree.Combining the remains of plants with the archaeological excavation background,we found that people began to cultivate plants such as millet,rice,etc.,and cultivated crops were mostly excavated in the pits that were used to preserve things in the past,and the proportion of cultivated crops found in the houses was higher than earlier ones.They live on the edge of the woodland near the highlands of the river.Based on the results of the above analysis,combined with the archaeological findings of other sites at the same time,the results show that the Xiaogao site is in low-level food or resource production stage in the Houli culture period,and the proportion of wild plant resources in the plant food structure is higher.The discovery of cultivated crops and pits that were used for perserve things indicates that the degree of settlement in Xiaogao site is relatively high,unlike seasonal camps,where people live for a comparatively long time.Rice and millets were discoverd from Xiaogao site at the same time.This may told us that the people lived in Houli period plant rice and millets together.Those make us think about the origin of agriculture and early spread,which is closely related to people migration or cultural exchange.This article does not attempt to analysis the specific proportion of cultivated crops in people's diets and the specific residence years of Xiaogao site.The diachronic changes of plant remains tell us that the proportion of food or resource production behaviors is rising.The degree of settlement is getting higher and higher.