Plant-Use Patterns in the Central Plain and the Northern Zone of China during the Early and Middle Holocene

Abstract:

The origins of cereal domestication in North China can be traced back to the onset of the Holocene, concurring with the development of a strong East Asian monsoonal system. The flourishing of the Neolithic cultures also broadly coincided with the Mid-Holocene Climatatic Optimum. However, the plant-use patterns, including cereal-based food production (e.g., millets and Job’s tears) and collection/cultivation of many other plants (e.g., tuberous, roots, and nuts), show significant regional variations. This paper compares different subsistence strategies in two regions, the Central Plain of the Middle Yellow River and the Northern Zone in Inner Mongolia, during the early and middle Holocene. The data is derived from two sets of archaeological remains. One is macro-botanical remains recovered by flotation methods, and the other is micro-botanical remains, such as starch grains, extracted from stone tools. This paper will discuss different patterns of agricultural practice associated with the rise and fall of Neolithic cultures in these regions, and will consider how socioeconomic changes may have been affected by climatic fluctuations related to the monsoonal systems.