Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-24T17:51:17.945Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Charcoal evidence for environmental change ca. 3.5 ka and its influence on ancient people in the West Liao River Basin of northeastern China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2021

Xin Jia Open the ORCID record for Xin Jia [Opens in a new window] ,
Shuzhi Wang ,
Yonggang Sun ,
Yiyin Li ,
Yanjing Jiao ,
Zhijun Zhao  and
Harry F. Lee
Xin Jia*
Affiliation:
Jiangsu Center for Collaborative Innovation in Geographical Information Resource Development and Application, Nanjing, 210023, China Key Laboratory of Virtual Geographic Environment (Nanjing Normal University), Ministry of Education, Nanjing, 210023, China School of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China
Shuzhi Wang*
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, 100710, China
Yonggang Sun
Affiliation:
School of History and Culture, Chifeng University, Chifeng, 024000, China
Yiyin Li
Affiliation:
College of Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
Yanjing Jiao
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, 100710, China
Zhijun Zhao
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, 100710, China
Harry F. Lee
Affiliation:
Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China
*
*Corresponding authors’ email addresses: [email protected], [email protected]
*Corresponding authors’ email addresses: [email protected], [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Fossil charcoals from archaeological sites provide direct evidence for the relationship between environmental change and ancient peoples’ livelihoods in the past. Our identification of 5811 fossil charcoal fragments from 84 samples suggested temperate deciduous and mixed conifer-broadleaved forests as the dominant vegetation at the Erdaojingzi site in northeastern China ca. 3500 cal yr BP; the major representative taxa were Quercus, Pinus, and Ulmus. Four woody plants probably supplied humans with food resources at the Erdaojingzi site, including Quercus, Ulmus, Amygdalus/Armeniaca, and Ziziphus. The nuts of Quercus were utilized as staple foods because of their rich starch content. The leaves of Ulmus may have been used by humans because of their massive dietary fibre. Amygdalus/Armeniaca and Ziziphus probably provided fruits for humans. Based on the coexistence approach (CA) used on the fossil charcoals, we found that the MAT anomaly was 7.9 ± 5.9°C at ca. 3500 cal yr BP, which is almost the same as the modern one (7.8°C), while the MAP was halved from 772 ± 301 mm at ca. 3500 cal yr BP to 370 mm currently. The wet climate might have facilitated significant development of rain-fed agriculture, promoted the emergence of large settlements, and eventually facilitated the birth of civilization.

Keywords

ArchaeobotanyCivilization originSubsistence strategyVegetationFruitQuercusXiajiadian
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 102 , July 2021 , pp. 142 - 152
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © University of Washington. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2021

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

REFERENCES

An, C.B., Li, H., Dong, W.M., Chen, Y.F., Zhao, Y.T., Shi, C., 2014. How prehistoric humans use plant resources to adapt to environmental change: a case study in the western Chinese Loess Plateau during Qijia Period. The Holocene 24, 512–517.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
An, C.B., Tang, L.Y., Barton, L., Chen, F.H., 2005. Climate change and cultural response around 4000 cal yr BP in the western part of Chinese Loess Plateau. Quaternary Research 63, 347–352.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
An, Z.S., Porter, S.C., Kutzbach, J.E., Wu, X.H., Wang, S.M., Liu, X.D., Li, X.Q., Zhou, W.J., 2000. Asynchronous Holocene optimum of the East Asian monsoon. Quaternary Science Reviews 19, 743–762.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Asouti, E., Austin, P., 2005. Reconstructing woodland vegetation and its exploitation by past societies, based on the analysis and interpretation of archaeological wood charcoal macro-fossils. Environmental Archaeology 10, 1–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Asouti, E., Fuller, D.Q., 2008. Trees and Woodlands of South India: Archaeological Perspectives. Left Coast Press, Walnut Creek, California.Google Scholar
Birks, H.J.B., Line, J.M., 1992. The use of Rarefaction Analysis for estimating palynological richness from Quaternary pollen-analytical data. The Holocene 2, 1–10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blackford, J.J., 2000. Charcoal fragments in surface samples following a fire and the implications for interpretation of subfossil charcoal data. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 164, 33–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Butzer, K.W., 2012. Collapse, environment, and society. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109, 3632–3639.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cao, J.N., Sun., J.S., Dang, Y., 2010. Excavation on the Erdaojingzi site in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia. Archaeology, 103–105.Google Scholar
Cao, X., Tian, F., Telford, R.J., Ni, J., Xu, Q., Chen, F., Liu, X., Stebich, M., Zhao, Y., Herzschuh, U., 2017. Impacts of the spatial extent of pollen-climate calibration-set on the absolute values, range and trends of reconstructed Holocene precipitation. Quaternary Science Reviews 178, 37–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, F.H., Dong, G.H., Zhang, D.J., Liu, X.Y., Jia, X., An, C.B., Ma, M.M., et al. , 2015b. Agriculture facilitated permanent human occupation of the Tibetan Plateau after 3600 B.P. Science 347, 248–250.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, F.H., Xu, Q.H., Chen, J.H., Birks, H.J.B., Liu, J.B., Zhang, S.R., Jin, L.Y., et al. ., 2015a. East Asian summer monsoon precipitation variability since the last deglaciation. Scientific Reports 5: 11186. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep11186.Google Scholar
Cheng, J.Q., Yang, J.J., Liu, P., 1992. China Timber Atlas. China Forest Publishing House, Beijing.Google Scholar
Chen, Z.Y., Wang, Z.H., Schneiderman, J., Tao, J., Cai, Y.L., 2005. Holocene climate fluctuations in the Yangtze delta of eastern China and the Neolithic response. The Holocene, 915–924.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Christine, H., Pessenda, L., Lang, A., Paterne, M., 2001. Development of accurate and reliable 14C chronologies for loess deposits: application to the loess sequence of Nussloch (Rhine Valley, Germany). Radiocarbon 43, 611–618.Google Scholar
Cui, H.T., Li, Y.Y., Hu, J.M., Yao, X.S., Li, Y., 2002. Vegetation reconstruction of Bronze Age by using microscopic structure of charcoals. Chinese Science Bulletin 47, 2014–2017.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cullen, H.M., Demenocal, P.B., Hemming, S., Hemming, G., Brown, F.H., Guilderson, T., Sirocko, F., 2000. Climate change and the collapse of the Akkadian empire: evidence from the deep sea. Geology 28, 379–382.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
deMenocal, P.B., 2001. Cultural responses to climate change during the Late Holocene. Science 292, 667–673.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fang, H., 1998. The stage and age of the Yueshi Culture. Archaeology, 343–359. [in Chinese]Google Scholar
Fang, J.Y., Wang, Z.H., Tang, Z.Y., 2009. Atlas of Woody Plants in China. Higher Education Press, Beijing. [in Chinese]Google Scholar
Fang, J.Y., Yoda, K., 1990. Climate and vegetation in China III water balance and distribution of vegetation. Ecological Research 5, 9–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Figueiral, I., Mosbrugger, V., 2000. A review of charcoal analysis as a tool for assessing Quaternary and Tertiary environments: achievements and limits. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 164, 397–407.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fontenari, S., Franceschetti, S., Sorrentino, D., Mussi, F., Pasolli, M., Napolitano, M., Flor, R., 2005. r. walk. GRASS GIS Computer Program. http://grass.fbk.eu/grass62/manuals/html62_user/r.walk.html.Google Scholar
Fuller, D.Q., Harvey, E., Qin, L., 2007. Presumed domestication? Evidence for wild rice cultivation and domestication in the fifth millennium BC of the Lower Yangzte region. Antiquity 81, 316–331.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fuller, D.Q., Qin, L., 2010. Declining oaks, increasing artistry, and cultivating rice: the environmental and social context of the emergence of farming in the Lower Yangtze Region. Environmental Archaeology 15, 139–159.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Geyh, M.A., Schotterer, U., Grosjean, M., 1997. Temporal changes of the 14C reservoir effect in lakes. Radiocarbon 40, 921–931.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guo, L.C., Xiong., S.F., Ding, Z.L., Jin, G.Y., Wu, J.B., Ye, W., 2018a. Role of the mid-Holocene environmental transition in the decline of late Neolithic cultures in the deserts of NE China. Quaternary Science Reviews 190, 98–113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guo, L.C., Xiong, S.F., Yang, P., Ye, W., Jin, G.W., Wu, W.W., Zhao, H., 2018b. Holocene environmental changes in the Horqin desert revealed by OSL dating and δ13C analyses of paleosols. Quaternary International 469, 11–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herzschuh, U., Cao, X., Laepple, T., Dallmeyer, A., Telford, R.J., Ni, J., Chen, F., Kong, Z., Liu, G., Liu, K.-B., 2019. Position and orientation of the westerly jet determined Holocene rainfall patterns in China. Nature Communications 10, 1–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hsiang, S.M., Burke, M., Miguel, E., 2013. Quantifying the influence of climate on human conflict. Science 341, 1235367. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1235367.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jérémy, J., Disnar, J.R., Arnaud, F., Chapron, E., Debret, M., Lallier, V.E., Desmet, M., Revel, R.M., 2008. Millet cultivation history in the French Alps as evidenced by a sedimentary molecule. Journal of Archaeological Science 35, 814–820.Google Scholar
Jia, X., Lee, H.F., Zhang, W.C., Wang, L., Sun, Y.G., Zhao, Z.J., Yi, S.W., Huang, W.B., Lu, H.Y., 2016b. Human-environment interactions within the West Liao River Basin in Northeastern China during the Holocene Optimum. Quaternary International 426, 10–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jia, X., Sun, Y.G., Wang, L., Sun, W.F., Zhao, Z.J., Lee, H.F., Huang, W.B., Wu, S.Y., Lu, H.Y., 2016a. The transition of human subsistence strategies in relation to climate change during the Bronze Age in the West Liao River Basin, Northeast China. The Holocene 26, 781–789.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jia, X., Yi, S.W., Sun, Y.G., Wu, S.Y., Lee, H.F., Wang, L., Lu, H.Y., 2017. Spatial and temporal variations in prehistoric human settlement and their influencing factors on the south bank of the Xar Moron River, Northeastern China. Frontiers of Earth Science 11, 137–147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jin, G.Y., Liu, T.S., 2001. Mid-Holocene climate change in North China, and the effect on cultural development. Chinese Science Bulletin 47, 408–413.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, M.K., Liu, X.Y., 2009. Origins of Agriculture in East Asia. Science 324, 730–731.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kong, Z.C., Du, N.Q., Liu, G.M., Yang, H., 1991. A preliminary study on environmental archaeology in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 8000–2400 BP. In: Zhou, K.S. (Ed.), Research on Environmental Archaeology (1st series). Science Press, Beijing, 112–119. [in Chinese]Google Scholar
Lawler, A., 2007. Climate spurred Later Indus decline. Science 316, 978–979.Google ScholarPubMed
Lawler, A., 2009. Beyond the Yellow River: how China became China. Science 325, 930–933, 935.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Li, F.R., Gaillard, M.J., Cao, X.Y., Herzschuh, U., Sugita, S., Tarasov, P.E., Wagner, M., et al. ., 2020. Towards quantification of Holocene anthropogenic land-cover change in temperate China: a review in the light of pollen-based REVEALS reconstructions of regional plant cover. Earth-Science Reviews 203, 103119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103119.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, H., An, C.B., Dong, W.M., Hu, W., Wang, Z.Y., Zhao, S.Z., Yang, X.Y., Yang, Y.S., 2017. Woodland vegetation composition and prehistoric human fuel collection strategy at the Shannashuzha site, Gansu Province, northwest China, during the middle Holocene. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 26, 213–221.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liu, F.W., Li, H.M., Cui, Y.F., Yang, Y.S., Lee, H.F., Ding, D.T., Hou, Y.G., Dong, G.H., 2019a. Chronology and plant utilization from the earliest walled settlement in the Hexi Corridor, northwestern China. Radiocarbon 61, 971–989.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liu, F.W., Yang, Y.S., Shi, Z.L., Storozum, M.J., Dong, G.H., 2019b. Human settlement and wood utilization along the mainstream of Heihe River basin, northwest China in historical period. Quaternary International 516, 141–148.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, X.Q., Sun, N., Dodson, J., Zhou, X.Y., and Zhao, K.L., 2013. The vegetation characteristics in the Western Loess Plateau during the mid-Holocene, based on charcoal fossils. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 22, 61–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, Y.Y., Wilis, K.J., Zhou, L.P., Cui, H.T., 2006. The impact of ancient civilization on the northeastern Chinese landscape: palaeoecological evidence from the Western Liaohe River Basin, Inner Mongolia. The Holocene 16, 1109–1121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Local History Compilation Committee of Chifeng, 1996. City Annals of Chifeng. People's Publishing House of Inner Mongolia, Hohhot 429. [in Chinese]Google Scholar
Long, H., Shen, J., Wang, Y., Gao, L., Frechen, M., 2015. High-resolution OSL dating of a late Quaternary sequence from Xingkai Lake (NE Asia): chronological challenge of the “MIS 3a Mega-paleolake” hypothesis in China. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 428, 281–292.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Matthias, I., Semmler, M.S.S., Giesecke, T., 2015. Pollen diversity captures landscape structure and diversity. Journal of Ecology 103, 880–890.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ma, Z.K., Yang, X.Y., Zhang, C., Sun, Y.G., Jia, X. 2016. Early millet use in West Liaohe area during early-middle Holocene. Science China Earth Sciences 59(8), 1554–1561.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McGinnes, E.A., Szopa, P.S., Phelps, J.E., 1974. Use of Scanning Electron Microscopy in Studies of Wood Charcoal Formation. Scanning Electron Microscopy/1974, Proceedings of the Workshop on Scanning Electron Microscope and the Plant Sciences. ITT Research Institute, Chicago, pp. 469–476.Google Scholar
Mosbrugger, V., Utescher, T., 1997. The coexistence approach-a method for quantitative reconstructions of Tertiary terrestrial palaeoclimate data using plant fossils. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 134, 61–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mu, Y., Qin, X., Zhang, L., Xu, B., 2016. Holocene climate change evidence from high-resolution loess/paleosol records and the linkage to fire-climate change-human activities in the Horqin dunefield in northern China. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 121, 1–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Odgaard, B.V., 1999. Fossil pollen as a record of past biodiversity. Journal of Biogeography 26, 7–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perry, C.A., Hsu, K.J., 2000. Geophysical, archaeological, and historical evidence support a solar-output model for climate change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 97, 12433–12438.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pimm, S.L., Russell, G.J., Gittleman, J.L., Brooks, T.M., 1995. The future of biodiversity. Science 269, 347–350.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Piperno, D.R., 1988. Phytolith Analysis: An Archaeological and Geological Perspective. Academic Press, San Diego, 280 pp.Google Scholar
Piperno, D.R., Pearsall, D.M., 1998. The Origin of Agriculture in the Lowland Neotropics. Academic Press, San Diego, 400 pp.Google Scholar
Reimer, P.J., Austin, W.E.N., Bard, E., Bayliss, A., Blackwell, P.G., Bronk Ramsey, C., Butzin, M., et al. , 2020. The IntCal20 Northern Hemisphere radiocarbon age calibration curve (0–55 kcal BP). Radiocarbon 62, 725–757.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ren, G.Y., 1998. Pollen evidence for increased summer rainfall in the medieval warm period at Maili, northeast China. Geophysical Research Letters 25, 1931–1934.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rodríguez, M.F., 2004. Woody plant resources in the southern Argentine Puna: Punta de la Pena 9 archaeological site. Journal of Archaeological Science 31, 1361–1372.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salisbury, E.J., Jane, F.W., 1940. Charcoals from Maiden Castle and their significance in relation to the vegetation and climatic conditions in prehistoric times. The Journal of Ecology 28, 310–325.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shackleton, C.M., Prins, F., 1992. Charcoal analysis and the “Principle of least effort”—a conceptual model. Journal of Archaeological Science 19, 631–637.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shelach, G., 1994. Social complexity in North China during the Early Bronze Age: a comparative study of the Erlitou and Lower Xiajiadian cultures. Asian Perspectives 33, 261–292.Google Scholar
Shelach, G., Raphael, K., Jaffe, Y., 2011. Sanzuodian: the structure, function and social significance of the earliest stone fortified sites in China. Antiquity 85, 11–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Staubwasser, M., Sirocko, F., Grootes, P.M., Segl, M., 2003. Climate change at the 4.2 ka BP termination of the Indus valley civilization and Holocene South Asian monsoon variability. Geophysical Research Letters 30, 1425. https://doi.org/10.1029/2002GL016822.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stein, M., Lazar, B., Goldstein, S.L., 2013. Radiocarbon reservoir ages as freshwater-brine monitors in Lake Lisan, Dead Sea system. Radiocarbon 55, 1050–1057. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200058185.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sun, G.P., Huang, W.J., Zheng, Y.F., 2007. Excavation report of the Neolithic Tianluoshan Site in Yuyao City, Zhejiang Province, in 2004. Cultural Relics, 5–24. [in Chinese]Google Scholar
Sun N., Li, Dodson J, X.Q.., Zhou, X.Y., Yang, Q., 2016. The quantitative reconstruction of temperature and precipitation in the Guanzhong Basin of the southern Loess Plateau between 6200 BP and 5600 BP. The Holocene 26, 1200–1207.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sun, N., Li, X.Q., 2012. The quantitative reconstruction of the palaeoclimate between 5200 and 4300 cal yr BP in the Tianshui Basin, NW China. Climate of the Past 8, 625–636.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sun, N., Li, X.Q., Shang, X., Zhou, X.Y., Dodson, J., 2014. Vegetation characteristics and palaeoclimate of Xiahe site in the southern Loess Plateau during the mid-Holocene based on fossil charcoal records. Quaternary Science 34, 27–34. [in Chinese, with English abstract]Google Scholar
Sun, Q.L., Liu, Y., Wünnemann, B., Peng, Y.J., Jiang, X.Z., Deng, L.J., Chen, J., Li, M.T., Chen, Z.Y., 2019. Climate as a factor for Neolithic cultural collapses approximately 4000 years BP in China. Earth-Science Reviews 197, 102915. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2019.102915.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sun, Y.G., Zhao, Z.J., Cao, J.E., Sun, J.S. Dang, Y., 2014. Report of the 2009 flotation results at Erdaojingzi site, Inner Mongolia. Agricultural Archaeology 34, 1–9. [in Chinese]Google Scholar
Thomas, C.D., Cameron, A., Green, R.E., Bakkenes, M., Beaumont, L.J., Collingham, Y.C., Erasmus, B.F.N., et al. , 2004. Extinction risk from climate change. Nature 427, 145–148.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thornthwaite, C.W., 1948. An approach toward a rational classification of climate. Geographical Review 38, 55–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vita-Finzi, F.C., 1969. Early man and environment. In: Cooke, R.U., Johnson, J.H. (Eds.), Trends in Geography—An Introductory Survey. Pergamon, Oxford, pp. 102–109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, H.S., 1992. Floristic Plant Geography. Science Press, Beijing. [in Chinese]Google Scholar
Wang, S.Z., Wang, Q.Q., Wang, Z.X., Liang, G.J., Qi, W.U., Ren, X.Y., 2016. Timber utilization and ecological environment indicated by the charcoal remains in Jinchankou site during the mid-late period of the Qijia Period. Agricultural Archaeology 143, 19–25. [in Chinese]Google Scholar
Wang, W., 2004. A study on the causes of the wide range cultural changes in China around 2000 B.C. Archaeology, 67–77. [in Chinese]Google Scholar
Wang, Y.J., Lu, H.Y., 1993. The Study of Phytolith and Its Application. China Ocean Press, Beijing, 228 pp. [in Chinese]Google Scholar
Weiss, H., Courty, M.A., Wetterstrom, W., Guichard, F., Senior, L., Meadow, R., Curnow, A., 1993. The genesis and collapse of third millennium north Mesopotamian civilization. Science 261, 995–1004.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wilson, E.O., Ehrlich, P.R., 1991. Biodiversity studies: science and policy. Science 253, 758–762.Google Scholar
Wu, L., Zhu, C., Zheng, C.G., Li, F., Wang, X.H., Li, L., Sun, W., 2014. Holocene environmental change and its impacts on human settlement in the Shanghai Area, East China. Catena 114, 78–89.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wu, W.X., Liu, T.S., 2004. Possible role of the “Holocene Event 3” on the collapse of Neolithic cultures around the Central Plain of China. Quaternary International 117, 153–166.Google Scholar
Wu, Z., 1980. The Vegetation of China. Science Press, Beijing. [in Chinese]Google Scholar
Xia, Z.K., Deng, H., Wu, H.L., 2000. Geomorphologic background of the prehistoric culture evolution in the Xar Moron River Basin, Inner Mongolia. Acta Geographica Sinica 55, 329–336. [in Chinese with English abstract]Google Scholar
Xu, D.K., Lu, H.Y., Chu, G.Q., Liu, L., Shen, C.M., Li, F.J., Wang, C., Wu, N.Q., 2019. Synchronous 500-year oscillations of monsoon climate and human activity in Northeast Asia. Nature Communications 10, 1–10.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Xu, L.C., Liu, Y., Sun, Q.L., Chen, J., Cheng, P., Chen, Z.Y., 2017. Climate change and human occupations in the Lake Daihai basin, north-central China over the last 4500 years: a geo-archeological perspective. Journal of Asian Earth Science 138, 367–377.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Xu, Q.H., Li, M.Y., Zhang, S.R., Zhang, Y.H., Zhang, P.P., Lu, J.Y., 2015. Modern pollen processes of China: progress and problems. Scientia Sinica Terrae 58, 1661–1682. [in Chinese]Google Scholar
Xu, Q.H., Yang, Z.J., Cui, Z.J., Yang, X.L., Liang, W.D., 2002. A study on pollen analysis of Qiguoshan section and ancestor living environment in Chifeng area, Nei Mongol. Scientia Geographica Sinica 22, 453–457. [in Chinese with English abstract]Google Scholar
Xu, T.Z., 1996.The primitive agriculture during the Peiligfang period from the Shigu site in Changge, Henan. In: Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology in Henan Province (Eds.), Collection of Archaeological Studies on Cultural Relics in Henan Province. People's Publishing House of Henan, Zhengzhou, pp. 12–16. [in Chinese]Google Scholar
Xue, W.P., Jin, H.L., Liu, B., Sun, L.Y., Liu, Z.Y., 2020. History of moisture change indicated by aeolian deposit in the Horqin sandy land, northeastern China since the Last Glacial Maximum. Quaternary International 547, 50–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yang, L.H., Wang, T., Zhou, J., Lai, Z.P., Long, H., 2012. OSL chronology and possible forcing mechanisms of dune evolution in the Horqin dunefield in northern China since the Last Glacial Maximum. Quaternary Research 78, 185–196.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yang, X.Y., Yu, J.C., Lü, H.Y., Cui, T.X., Guo, J.N., Ge, Q.S., 2009. Starch grain analysis reveals function of grinding stone tools at Shangzhai site, Beijing. Science in China Series D: Earth Sciences 52, 1164–1171.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yao, X.S., 1988. Structure of Main Chinese Wood. China Forest Publishing House, Beijing. (in Chinese)Google Scholar
Zhang, C.L., 1997. Research on the relationship among the pre-Shang Culture, the Yueshi Cuture and the Lower Xiajiadian Culture. World of Antiquity, 34–51. [in Chinese]Google Scholar
Zhang, C., Pollard, A.M., Rawson, J., Huan, L.M., Liu, R.L., Tang, X.J., 2019. China's major Late Neolithic centres and the rise of Erlitou. Antiquity 93, 588–603.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhang, Z., Li, Y.C., Li, C.Z., Xu, Q.H., Zhang, R.C., Ge, Y.W., Li, B., Deng, C.L., Li, Z.G., Zhang, L., 2020. Pollen evidence for the environmental context of the early Pleistocene Xiashagou fauna of the Nihewan Basin, north China. Quaternary Science Reviews 236, 106298. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106298.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhao, C.H., 2006. Donghulin prehistoric site in Mentougou District, Beijing. Archaeology, 3–8. [in Chinese]Google Scholar
Zhao, K.L., Li, X.Q., Shang, X., Zhou, X.Y., Sun, N., 2009. Agricultural characteristics of Middle-late Bronze Age in western Liaoning Province. Chinese Bulletin of Botany 44, 718–724. [in Chinese with English abstract]Google Scholar
Zhao, S., Xia, D.S., Jin, H.L, Jia, J., Liu, B., 2018. A multi-proxy late Holocene climate record from aeolian deposits of the Horqin sandy land, northeast China and its societal implications. Aeolian Research 35, 29–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhao, Z.J., 2010. Paleoethnobotany: Theories, Methods and Practice. Science Press, Beijing. [in Chinese]Google Scholar
Zhao, Z.J., 2014. The process of origin of agriculture in China: archaeological evidence from flotation results. Quaternary Science 34, 73–84. [in Chinese with English abstract]Google Scholar
Zhou, X.Y., Yu, J.J., Spengler, R.N., Shen, H., Zhao, K.L., Ge, J.Y., Bao, Y.G., et al. , 2020. 5,200-year-old cereal grains from the eastern Altai Mountains redate the trans-Eurasian crop exchange. Nature Plants 6, 1–10.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed