Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-02T19:38:31.011Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The origins of rice agriculture: recent progress in East Asia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Gary W. Crawford  and
Chen Shen
Gary W. Crawford
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 4L6, [email protected]
Chen Shen
Affiliation:
Department of Near Eastern & Asian Civilizations, Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park, Toronto, Canada M5S 2C6, [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Knowledge of rice domestication and its archaeological context has been increasing explosively of late. Nearly 20 years ago rice from the Hemudu and Luojiajiao sites (FIGURE 1) indicated that rice domestication likely began before 5000 BC (Crawford 1992; Lin 1992; Yan 1990). By the late 1980s news of rice from the south-central China Pengtoushan site a thousand years older than Hemudu began to circulate (Bellwood et al. 1992; Hunan 1990; Pei 1989). Undocumented news of sites having a median date of 11,500 BP with domesticated rice has recently made the rounds (Normile 1997). In addition, the first domesticated rice in Southeast Asia, once thought to be to be older than the first rice in China, is not as old as once thought (Glover & Higham 1996: 422; Higham 1995). Finally, wild rice (Oryza rufipogon) was reported to be growing in the Yangzi valley, well outside its purported original range, making domestication there plausible (Yan 1989; 1990; 1997). Significant progress continued to be made in the 1990s and unlike research on other major crops, the literature is generally not accessible to western scholars, with some exceptions (Ahn 1993; Crawford 1992; Glover & Higham 1996; Higham 1995; MacNeish et al. 1997; Underhill 1997).

Keywords

riceOryza sativadomesticationNeolithicYangzi ValleyChinaJapanKorea
Type
Special section: Rice domestication
Information
Antiquity , Volume 72 , Issue 278 , December 1998 , pp. 858 - 866
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 1998

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ahn, S.-M. 1993. Origin and differentiation of domesticated rice in Asia. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Institute of Archaeology, University of London.Google Scholar
An, Z. 1991. Radiocarbon dating and the prehistoric archaeology of China, World Archaeology 23: 193–200.Google Scholar
An, Z. 1994. Radiocarbon dates and prehistoric chronology in China, Cultural Relics (Wen Wu) 3: 83–7.Google Scholar
An, Z. 1998. A comment on the origin of rice cultivation and its transmission to the east. Agricultural Archaeology (Nongye Kaogu) 1: 241–5.Google Scholar
Bellwood, P., Gillespie, R., Thompson, G.B., Vogel, J.S., Ardika, I.W. & Datan, I. 1992. New dates for prehistoric Asian rice, Asian Perspectives 31: 161–70.Google Scholar
Chang, K.-C. 1986. The archaeology of ancient China. New Haven (CT): Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Chang, T.-T. 1976. Rice, in Simmonds, N.W. (ed.), Evolution of crop plants: 98–104. London: Longman.Google Scholar
Chang, T.-T. 1983. The origins and early cultures of the cereal grains and food legumes, in Keightley, D.N. (ed.). The origins of Chinese civilization: 65–94. Berkeley (CA): University of California Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, B. & Jiang, Q. 1997. Antiquity of the earliest cultivated rice in central China and its implications, Economic Botany 51:307–10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, T. & Hedges, R.E.M. 1994. AMS radiocarbon dating of pottery from Pengtoushan and Hujiawuchang sites and the earliest rice remains in China, Cultural Relics (Wen Wu) 3: 88–94.Google Scholar
Cheng, K. 1994. Archaeological study of the origin of cultivated rice in Asia, Agricultural Archaeology (Nongye Kaogu): 52–8.Google Scholar
Cooperative Team of Wild Rice Resources Survey and Exploration of China. 1984. Survey and exploration of chinese wild rice resources, Journal of Chinese Agricultural Science: 27–34.Google Scholar
Crawford, G.W. 1992. Prehistoric plant domestication in East Asia, in Cowan, C.W. & Watson, P.J. (ed.), The origins of agriculture: an international perspective: 7–38. Washington (DC): Smithsonian Institution Press.Google Scholar
D’Andrea, A.C., Crawford, G.W., Yoshizaki, M. & Kudo, T. 1995. Late Jomon cultigens in northeastern Japan, Antiquity 69: 146–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elston, R.G., Cheng, X., Madsen, D.B., Kan, Z., Bettinger, R.L., Jingzen, L., Brantingham, P.J., Huiming, W. & Jun, Y. 1997. New dates for the north China Mesolithic, Antiquity 71: 985–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glover, I.C. & Higham, C.F.W. 1996. New evidence for early rice cultivation in South, Southeast and East Asia, in Harris, D.R. (ed.), The origins and spread of agriculture and pastoralism in Eurasia: 413–41. Washington (DC): Smithsonian Institution Press.Google Scholar
He, J. 1989. Investigation of the early Neolithic in the Lake Dongting region, Hunan, Collected Papers of Hunan Archaeology (Hunan Kaogu Jikan) 5: 125–34.Google Scholar
Heu, M.-H. 1997. Korean wild rice. Paper presented to the 2nd IACAA, Nanchang, China.Google Scholar
Heu, M.-H., Lee, Y.-J. & Woo, J.-Y. 1997. The character of the carbonized grains excavated at the Chodong-ni Bronze, Age site. Paper presented to the 2nd IACAA, Nanchang, China.Google Scholar
Higham, C. 1995. The transition to rice cultivation in Southeast Asia, in Price, T.D. & Gebauer, A.B. (ed.), Last hunters-first farmers: 127–55. Santa Fe (NM): School of American Research Press.Google Scholar
Huang, Y, Cai, H. & Wang, X. 1996. Study on different centers of origin of Asian cultivated rice, in Wang, & Sun, (ed.): 92–100.Google Scholar
Hunan Archaeological Institute & CPAM Lixian. 1990. Excavation of the early Neolithic site at Pengtoushan in Lixian, Hunan, Cultural Relics (Wen Wu) 8: 17–29.Google Scholar
Kim, J.-H. & Lee, Y-J. 1997. Rice agriculture in Korea through plant-opal analysis of Neolithic pottery. Paper presented to the 2nd IACAA, Nanchang, China.Google Scholar
Lee, Y.-J. & Park, T.-S. 1997. New materials on prehistoric rice cultivation in Korea from the Kawaji site, Kyongki Province. Paper presented to the 2nd IACAA, Nanchang, China.Google Scholar
Li, F. 1993. Brief discussion of the origin and development of cultivated plants in China, Agricultural Archaeology (Nongye Kaogu) 1: 49–55.Google Scholar
Lin, C. 1990. A preliminary study of ancient cultures in the Xiling Gorge area of the Yangtze River, in Lin, C. (ed.), Collected works on the archaeology and cultural relics in the Gezhouba Dam Project: 27–46. Wuhan: Wuhan University Press.Google Scholar
Lin, C. & Hu, H. 1993. Chengbeixi-Pengtoushan cultures and early rice horticulture in China, Agricultural Archaeology (Nongye Kaogu) 1: 116–22.Google Scholar
Lin, H. 1992. The origin of the rice horticulture in China and its spread to Japan, Agricultural Archaeology (Nongye Kaogu) 1: 52–73.Google Scholar
Liu, G. 1994. Challenging the theory of rice origins in Yunnan, Agricultural Archaeology (Nongye Kaogu) 3: 76–83.Google Scholar
Liu, Z. 1975. The origin and development of cultivated rice in China, Acta Genetica Sinica 2: 23–9.Google Scholar
MacNeish, R.S., Cunnar, G., Zhao, Z., Redding, R., Hill, D. & Libby, J. 1997. Second annual report of the Sino-American Jiangxi (PRC) origin of rice project (SAJOR). Andover (MA).Google Scholar
Meng, H. 1993. A study of cultural chronology and spatial variation in the Xiajiang Neolithic cultures, Huaxia Archaeology (Huaxia Kaogu) 3: 35–54.Google Scholar
Normile, D. 1997. Yangtze seen as earliest rice site, Science 275: 309.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pei, A. 1989. Rice remains of the Pengtoushan culture and Chinese prehistoric rice domestication, Agricultural Archaeology (Nongye Kaogu) 2: 102–8.Google Scholar
Pei, A. 1998. Rice remains from Pengtoushan Culture sites, Agricultural Archaeology (Nongye Kaogu) 1: 193–203.Google Scholar
Sato, Y. 1996. Origin of rice and rice cultivation based on DNA analysis. Tokyo: NHK Books.Google Scholar
Sato, Y. 1997. Origin and dissemination of cultivated rice in Asia. Paper presented to the 2nd IACAA, Nanchang, China.Google Scholar
Second, G. 1984. The study of isozymes in relation to the distribution of the genus Oryza in the paleoenvironment and the subsequent origin of cultivated rice, in Whyte, R.O. (ed.), Evolution of the East Asian environment: 665–81. Hong Kong: Centre of Asian Studies.Google Scholar
Stuiver, M. & Reimer, P.J. 1993. Extended 14C data-base and revised Calib 3.0 14C calibration program, Radiocarbon 35: 215–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sun, C, Wang, X. & Li, Z. 1998. Analysis of the origin and evolution of cultivated rice (O. sativa L.) by examining indica-japonica differentiation in common wild rice (O. rufipogon Griff.) DNA, Agricultural Archaeology (Nongye Kaogu) 1: 21–9.Google Scholar
Takamiya, H. 1997. Subsistence adaptation processes in the prehistory of Okinawa. Unpublished Ph.D thesis, Department of Archaeology, University of California (Los Angeles).Google Scholar
Tang, S., Min, S. & Sato, Y.I. 1993. Investigating the origin of keng rice (japonica) in China, Journal of Chinese Rice Science 7: 129–36.Google Scholar
Tang, S., Sato, Y.I. & Yu, W. 1994. Discovery of wild rice grains (O. rufipogon) in the Hemudu ancient carbonized rice, Agricultural Archaeology (Nongye Kaogu) 3: 88–122.Google Scholar
Tang, L., Zhang, M., Li, M. & Sun, J. 1996. Primitive rice cultivation at the Lonqiuzhuang site of Goyou, in Wang, & Sun, (ed.): 61–7.Google Scholar
Underhill, A.P. 1997. Currrent issues in Chinese Neolithic archaeology, Journal of World Prehistory 11: 103–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, X. 1994. Preliminary research on the origin of the common wild rice in China, Agricultural Archaeology (Nongye Kaogu) 1: 48–51.Google Scholar
Wang, X. & Sun, C. (ed.). 1996. Origin and differentiation of Chinese cultivated rice. Beijing: China Agricultural University.Google Scholar
Wang, X., Sun, C. & Zhang, J. 1998. Status and prospect of research on the origin of Chinese cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.), Agricultural Archaeology (Nongye Kaogu) 1: 11–20.Google Scholar
Wei, S. 1995. Alternative perspectives of prehistoric rice horticulture in China, Agricultural Archaeology (Nongye Kaogu) 1: 55–65.Google Scholar
Yan, W. 1989. Second discussion on the origin of rice horticulture in China, Agricultural Archaeology (Nongye Kaogu) 2: 72–80.Google Scholar
Yan, W. 1990. New discoveries of rice remains in prehistoric China, Jianghan Archaeology (Jianghan Kaogu) 3: 27–32.Google Scholar
Yan, W. 1997. New achievements on the origins of growing rice in China, Archaeology (Kaogu) 7: 71–6.Google Scholar
Yoshizaki, M. 1997. Domesticated plants of the Jomon Period, Quaternary Research 36: 343–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
You, X. 1986. The origin of domesticated rice in the Lake Tai region and related problems, History of Chinese Agriculture (Zhonggou Nongshi) 1: 132–45.Google Scholar
You, X. & Zheng, Y. 1995. Research progress and new perspectives on rice remains from Hemudu, Agricultural Archaeology (Nongye Kaogu) 1: 66–70.Google Scholar
Zhang, W. 1996. Scanning electron microscope observation of the structure of bi-peak tubercles in the lemma of rice, in Wang, & Sun, (ed.): 28–32.Google Scholar
Zhang, W. & Pei, A. 1996. Analysis of ancient rice from Bashidang in Mengxi, Lixian county, in Wang, & Sun, (ed.): 47–53.Google Scholar
Zhang, J. & Wang, X. 1998. Notes on the recent discovery of ancient cultivated rice at Jiahu, Henan Province: a new theory concerning the origin of Oryza japonica in China, Antiquity 72: 897–901.Google Scholar
Zhao, Z. 1997. Rice domestication in China: phytolith evidence from the Diaotonghuan Cave, northern Jiangxi. Paper presented to the 2nd IACAA, Nanchang, China.Google Scholar
Zhao, Z. 1998. The Middle Yangtze region in China is one place where rice was domesticated: phytolith evidence from the Diaotonghuan Cave, Northern Jiangxi, Antiquity 72: 885–97.Google Scholar