Animal diversities and characteristics of environmental change revealed by skeletons unearthed at Zhongba Site of Chongqing City, China

Zhu, Cheng; Ma, Chao; Ouyang, Jie; Li, Zhongxuan; Yin, Qinyan; Sun, Zhibin; Huang, Yunping; Flad, Rowan K.; Li, Lan; Li, Yumei

doi:10.1007/s11434-008-5014-7

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 7 publications

(5 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Research progress in this area has primarily been made by the environmental archaeology studies contrasting typical Neolithic sites in Zhongba (in Zhongxian Coun-ty), Yuxi (in Fengdu County), Zhangjiawan, and Shuangyantang (in Wushan County) with Dajiuhu peat records of Shennongjia, taking advantage of the rescue archaeologi-cal excavations prior to the Three Gorges Project in the Yangtze River [70][71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79]. The most important research focused on the Zhongba Site, where archaeological and cultural layers are almost intact in all historical times during the 5000 years ranging from the Neolithic Age to modern times [71].…”

Section: The Ba Cultural Area Of the Three Gorges Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The most important research focused on the Zhongba Site, where archaeological and cultural layers are almost intact in all historical times during the 5000 years ranging from the Neolithic Age to modern times [71]. Since then, more than 200,000 pieces of artifacts have been unearthed, along with a large number of animal bones (from more than 200 excavation units; in one excavation unit alone more than 200,000 bones were discov-ered from at least 42 species of mammals, fish, birds, amphibians, and reptiles); the Zhongba Site was named one of the nation's top ten archaeological discoveries in 1999 [74]. Paleofloods are a recurring feature of the geographical history of China.…”

Section: The Ba Cultural Area Of the Three Gorges Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, detailed research was conducted on the animal diversity and envi-ronmental changes revealed by unearthed animal skeletons [74], the application of enamel and bone fossil carbon-nitrogen-oxygen isotopes to reconstruct the past sur-vival patterns of mammals [82,83], the human-landscape interactions reflected by the evolution of the production tools in the Neolithic Age [84], the relationship between the anomaly of magnetic susceptibility in the site profile and human activities [85], the history of the salt industry reflected by the Na-Ca element in site strata, and the rela-tionship between the three different evolutionary stages of human activities and the paleoclimate since approximately 4.25 ka BP recorded by Hg, Rb, Sr, P, Ca, Mg, and TOC contents [73,86].…”

Section: The Ba Cultural Area Of the Three Gorges Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Holocene Environmental Archaeology of the Yangtze River Valley in China: A Review

Zhu

et al. 2021

Land

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Yangtze River Valley is an important economic region and one of the cradles of human civilization. It is also the site of frequent floods, droughts, and other natural disasters. Conducting Holocene environmental archaeology research in this region is of great importance when studying the evolution of the relationship between humans and the environment and the interactive effects humans had on the environment from 10.0 to 3.0 ka BP, for which no written records exist. This review provides a comprehensive summary of materials that have been published over the past several decades concerning Holocene environmental archaeology in the Yangtze River Valley, to further understand large-scale regional Holocene environmental and cultural interaction within this area. The results show that: 1) in recent years, Holocene envi-ronmental archaeology research in the Yangtze River Valley has primarily taken paleoflood and sea-level change stratigraphical events to be the foundational threads for study. This began with research on the spatiotemporal distribution of archaeological sites, typical archaeological site stratigraphy, and research on background features concerning environmental evolution recorded by the regional natural sedimentary strata. 2) Significant progress has been made at the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, indicating that Holocene environmental ar-chaeology research along the Yangtze River Valley is deepening and broadening. 3) Dramatic changes to Neolithic cultures that occurred approximately 4.0 ka BP were influenced by climate change and associated consequences, although the impacts differed on the various Neolithic cultures in the Yangtze River Valley. Local topography, regional climate, and varying survival strategies may have contributed to these differences. 4) Newly-published research pays particular attention to the sedimentary records of the past with resolutions as high as one year to several months, the degree to which humans altered the quality of their natural environment, and human adjustments to settlement and subsistence practices during periods of Holocene climate change. The application of technologies such as remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and molecular biological analysis are also gradually being extended into the research field of Holocene environmental archaeology in the Yangtze River Valley.

show abstract

Section: The Ba Cultural Area Of the Three Gorges Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Ba Cultural Area Of the Three Gorges Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Ba Cultural Area Of the Three Gorges Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Holocene Environmental Archaeology of the Yangtze River Valley in China: A Review

Zhu

et al. 2021

Land

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This indicates that the climate, temperature and Pollen analysis for this area shows that the predominant pollen of trees and shrubs were high, and the pollen of aquatic herbs, ferns, Gramineae and Raununculaceae also were high between 3200 BC and 500 BC. This indicates that it was warm and moist, and that there was no large oscillation in climate during this period [38]. The Zhongba site belongs to the middle subtropics, and is in the valley of the upper course of the Yangtze River.…”

Section: Palaeoclimate and Palaeoenviromentmentioning

confidence: 95%

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses of mammal bone fossils from the Zhongba site in the Three Gorges Reservoir region of the Yangtze River, China

Tian

Zhu

Sun³

et al. 2011

Chin. Sci. Bull.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Based on AMS 14 C dating data, carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses were conducted on mammal bone collagen of deer, cattle and pigs from the Zhongba site in the Three Gorges Reservoir region of the Yangtze River. These analyses were conducted to reconstruct palaeodiets of mammals, palaeoecology, palaeoenviroment and previous human activities in the study area. Results show that the collagen loss of bone did not change the in vivo isotopic composition of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes, and most of the bone fossils were well preserved. The bone collagen of samples from deer had a mean δ 13 C of -23.1‰ and a mean δ 15 N of 4.7‰, suggesting that deer subsisted in a closed habitat and fed on branches and leaves. The bone collagen of cattle had a mean δ 13 C of -19.6‰ and a mean δ 15 N of 5.2‰, which indicates that cattle subsisted in an open habitat and fed on grasses and stems. The δ 13 C values show that both deer and cattle fed on C 3 plants and lived in the same ecosystem, but the t-test results show that deer δ 13 C and δ 15 N values were both more negative than those of cattle, indicating that they inhabited different niches. The δ 13 C and δ 15 N values of cattle partially overlapped those of deer, suggesting some competition in diets between them. The t-tests show that the δ 13 C and δ 15 N values of pigs were more positive than those of cattle and deer, which signifies that pigs occupied a higher trophic level compared to cattle and deer. The wide range of pig δ 13 C values demonstrates that pig trading had been taking place from early Neolithic Age to late Bronze Age. There were no significant differences in deer δ 13 C and δ 15 N values among different archaeological periods, making it clear that climatic, ecological and environmental conditions were kept relatively stable from 2200 to 4200 a BP. This stability may have been responsible for the extensive and complete cultural layers at the Zhongba site. The minimum number of samples required to estimate the mean δ 13 C values of deer, pigs and cattle are 8, 73 and 16, respectively, and for mean δ 15 N values of deer, pigs and cattle, the minimum numbers are 4, 5 and 6, respectively. Zhongba site, bone collagen, δ 13 C, δ 15 N, palaeodiet, palaeoclimate, palaeoecology Citation: Tian X S, Zhu C, Sun Z B, et al. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses of mammal bone fossils from the Zhongba site in the Three Gorges Reservoir region of the Yangtze River, China.

show abstract

“…In particular, China's rich Holocene zooarchaeological and fossil records reveal numerous human‐caused regional mammal extirpations (e.g. Asian elephant Elephas maximus , giant panda Ailuropoda melanoleuca , Javan rhinoceros Rhinoceros sondaicus , Sumatran rhinoceros Dicerorhinus sumatrensis ; Wei et al ., ; Elvin, ; Zhu et al ., ; Jablonski et al ., ) and global extinctions of wild populations of locally endemic species (e.g. Père David's deer Elaphurus davidianus , short‐horned buffalo Bubalus mephistopheles ; Cao, ; Yang et al ., ) associated with escalating human overpopulation, natural resource overexploitation and habitat modification throughout recent millennia (Elvin & Liu, ; Elvin, ; Ren, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Holocene range collapse of giant muntjacs and pseudo‐endemism in the Annamite large mammal fauna

Turvey

Hansford

Brace

et al. 2016

Journal of Biogeography

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aim To clarify the post-glacial biogeography of the Annamite and eastern Chinese ungulate faunas, and determine whether current understanding of Asian mammalian biogeography is biased by pseudo-extinctions and pseudo-endemism associated with a historical extinction filter.Location Modern-day specimens of giant muntjac (Muntiacus vuquangensis) from the Annamite Mountains of Laos and Vietnam were compared with zooarchaeological specimens of extinct giant muntjac (M. gigas) from eastern China, and with a reference sample of northern red muntjac (M. vaginalis) from China, Southeast Asia and South Asia.Methods We analysed a data set of antler measurements using Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs), principal component analyses (PCAs) and scaling relationships, to quantify morphometric variation between extinct and living giant muntjacs in relation to variation shown by a different sympatric large-bodied muntjac species. We also attempted ancient biomolecule analysis of Holocene samples from China.Results Although the combined giant muntjac sample can be differentiated from the reference red muntjac sample in all of our multivariate morphometric analyses, no significant differences are shown between extinct and living giant muntjacs using any analyses, matching the pattern seen when comparing conspecific red muntjac samples from across the same geographical region.Main conclusions We find no support for recognizing extinct and living giant muntjacs as distinct taxa, and post-glacial populations from China and the Annamites should probably all be referred to M. gigas. The likely conspecificity of giant muntjacs across Eastern and Southeast Asia demonstrates that current-day Asian mammalian biogeography has been shaped by an extinction filter and challenges the idea that the Annamite region represents a cradle of evolution; instead, it may represent a refuge of diversity for some taxa, preserving remnant pseudo-endemic populations of species that have been extirpated across other parts of their former ranges.

show abstract

Animal diversities and characteristics of environmental change revealed by skeletons unearthed at Zhongba Site of Chongqing City, China

Cited by 4 publications

References 7 publications

Holocene Environmental Archaeology of the Yangtze River Valley in China: A Review

Holocene Environmental Archaeology of the Yangtze River Valley in China: A Review

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses of mammal bone fossils from the Zhongba site in the Three Gorges Reservoir region of the Yangtze River, China

Holocene range collapse of giant muntjacs and pseudo‐endemism in the Annamite large mammal fauna

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About