Hostname: page-component-74656f9884-2dmjx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-11-07T07:45:40.601Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Early Neolithic plant exploitation in north-western China: archaeobotanical evidence from Beiliu

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 December 2024

Hui Zhou
Affiliation:
Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology, Xi'an, P.R. China School of Cultural Heritage, Northwest University, Xi'an, P.R. China
Xiaoqing Wang*
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
Zhijun Zhao*
Affiliation:
Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, Qingdao, P.R. China
*
*Authors for correspondence ✉ wxq0270@sina.com & zjzhao@cass.org.cn
*Authors for correspondence ✉ wxq0270@sina.com & zjzhao@cass.org.cn
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

China was a centre for early plant domestication, millets in the north and rice in the south, with both crops then spreading widely. The Laoguantai Culture (c. 8000–7000 BP) of the middle Yellow River region encompasses a crucial stage in the transition from hunting and gathering to farming, yet its subsistence basis is poorly understood. The authors present archaeobotanical data from the site of Beiliu indicating that farmers exploited a variety of wild and cultivated plants. The predominance of broomcorn millet accords with other Neolithic cultures in northern China but the presence of rice—some of the earliest directly dated examples—opens questions about the integration of rice cultivation into local subsistence strategies.

Information

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Antiquity Publications Ltd
Figure 0

Figure 1. Early cultures and millet complexes of northern China (c. 8000 cal BP) and the location of the Beiliu site; red triangles represent typical archaeological sites of different cultural zones (map by H. Zhou).

Figure 1

Figure 2. A) overview of the Beiliu site; B) on-site excavation (photographs by H. Zhou).

Figure 2

Figure 3. The plan, profile and location of house F2 (drawing by H. Zhou).

Figure 3

Figure 4. Laoguantai Culture pottery: a) round-bottomed bowl, huandi bo (圜底钵); b) circle foot bowl, quanzu wan (圈足碗); c, d & f) three-legged bowls, sanzu bo (三足钵); e) three-legged jar, sanzu guan (三足罐) (photographs by X.Q. Wang).

Figure 4

Figure 5. A) sample collection; B) sample floatation (photographs by H. Zhou).

Figure 5

Figure 6. Grid plan of house F2 (drawing by H. Zhou).

Figure 6

Figure 7. A selection of seeds, grains and plant remains from Beiliu: a) Setaria italica; b) Panicum miliaceum; c) Oryza sativa; d) Perilla frutescens; e) Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa; f) Celtis sinensis; g) Glycine soja; h) Vitis vinifera; i) Setaria viridis; j) Poa annua; k) clumps of broomcorn seeds; l) Quercus sp. (photographs by H. Zhou).

Figure 7

Table 1. Measurement data of charred rice (mm).

Figure 8

Figure 8. The relative percentage and ubiquity of crop seeds from Laoguantai Culture contexts at Beiliu (figure by H. Zhou).

Figure 9

Table 2. AMS radiocarbon dates processed on samples from Beiliu.

Figure 10

Figure 9. Measurement of broomcorn millet grain size at Xinglonggou, Yuezhuang and Beiliu (mm) (figure by H. Zhou).

Figure 11

Figure 10. Early Neolithic cultures in China, 7000–5000BC and the expansion of rice agriculture northwards to the middle and lower Yellow River: 1) Xinglongwa Culture; 2) Cishan Culture; 3) Houli Culture; 4) Peiligang Culture; 5) Laoguantai Culture; 6) Pengtoushan-Zaoshi Culture; 7) Chengbeixi Culture; 8) Xiaohuangshan-Kuahuqiao Culture; 9) Zengpiyan Culture; 10) Dingshishan Culture; after Liu and Chen (2012, figs. 5.1, 5.2) (map by H. Zhou).

Supplementary material: File

Zhou et al. supplementary material

Zhou et al. supplementary material
Download Zhou et al. supplementary material(File)
File 4.9 MB