Sustainable intensification of millet–pig agriculture in Neolithic North China

Yang, Jinman; Zhang, Dongju; Yang, Xiaoyan; Wang, Weiwei; Perry, Linda; Fuller, Dorian Q.; Li, Haiming; Wang, Jian; Ren, Lele; Xia, Huan; Wang, Hui; Yang, Yishi; Yao, Juanting; Gao, Yu; Chen, Fahu

doi:10.1038/s41893-022-00905-9

Cited by 38 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…7, existing δ 15 N values of charred foxtail and common millet seeds recovered from the Dadiwan site for the 6500 − 4800 cal. yr BP range from 4.4‰ to 6.6‰ (mean ± SD: 5.5 ± 0.7‰) and 5.2‰ to 5.8‰ (mean ± SD: 5.4 ± 0.2‰), respectively (Yang et al, 2022). The results showed that the δ 15 N ratios for the two millet crops were not remarkable different (Kruskal-Wallis H Test, P = 0.9985 0.05).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Diversity of Late Yangshao agricultural intensification at Xishanping, Gansu

Sheng,

Allen,

Wang

2023

Preprint

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Previous work at the Xishanping site, located in the upper Wei River basin in eastern Gansu Province, China, identified the earliest regional evidence for rice cultivation (5070 cal. yr BP).This study presents the first integrated archaeobotanical and isotopic research on charred cereal crop remains at Xishanping site obtain via flotation. This is combined with new archaeobotanical and cereal crop seed δ15N data suggests. We suggest that late Yangshao populations at Xishanping not only implemented a mixed-crop millet-based agricultural regime, but intensified their cultivation during the period 5300 − 4800 cal. yr BP. This study enriches current understandings of the spatial and temporal changes in agricultural practices in the late Neolithic Wei River Basin on the eve of the formation of complex society in north China.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Diversity of Late Yangshao agricultural intensification at Xishanping, Gansu

Sheng,

Allen,

Wang

2023

Preprint

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“…For example, the staple crops in the Shimao site, a super-large central settlement dated 4300-3800 cal. a BP, mainly comprised foxtail (73 %) and broomcorn millets (26 %) (Yang et al, 2022).…”

Section: Comparison Of Cropping Patterns Between the Mly And Apementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Besides, a recent study in the Dadiwan site also suggested that an intensive crop-livestock system was in practice around 5500 cal. BP (Yang et al, 2022). Considering that the yield of foxtail millet was typically twice that of broomcorn millet, the dramatic increase in soil fertilization may promote the conscious choice of high-yield foxtail millets to maximize agricultural productivity.…”

Section: Transition and Diffusion Of Millet Agriculture In Northern C...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Holocene spatiotemporal millet agricultural patterns in northern China: a dataset of archaeobotanical macroremains

Lü

Zhang

et al. 2022

Earth Syst. Sci. Data

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Abstract. Millet agriculture, i.e., broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) and foxtail millet (Setaria italica), initially originated in northern China and provided the basis for the emergence of the first state in the Central Plains. However, owing to the lack of a comprehensive archaeobotanical dataset, when, where, and how these two millet types evolved across different regions and periods remains unclear. Here, we presented a dataset of archaeobotanical macroremains (n=538) spanning the Neolithic and Bronze ages in northern China and suggested a significant spatiotemporal divergence of millet agriculture in the subhumid mid-lower Yellow River (MLY) and semiarid agro-pastoral ecotone (APE). The key timing of the diffusion and transition of millet agriculture occurred around 6000 cal. a BP, coinciding with the Holocene Optimum (8000–6000 cal. a BP) and Miaodigou Age (6200–5500 cal. a BP). It spread westward and northward from the MLY to APE and underwent a dramatic transition from low-yield broomcorn millet to high-yield foxtail millet. The combined influence of warm-wet climate, population pressure, and field management may have promoted the intensification, diffusion, and transition of millet agriculture around 6000 cal. a BP. Thereafter, the cropping patterns in the MLY were predominated by foxtail millet (∼ 80 %), while those in APE focused on both foxtail (∼ 60 %) and broomcorn millet under a persistent drying trend since the mid-Holocene. This study provided the first quantitative spatiotemporal cropping patterns during the Neolithic and Bronze ages in northern China, which can be used for evaluating prehistoric human subsistence, discussing past human–environment interaction, and providing a valuable perspective of agricultural sustainability for the future. The dataset is publicly available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6669730 (He et al., 2022).

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“…The millet husks had been taken as one staple food for feeding pigs in the Late Neolithic period (Yang et al 2022). It suggests that the humans had mastered the advanced technology of crops husking possibly by using the ground and aked stones, since these stone tools were abundantly recovered from the Neolithic archaeological sites in the northern China and widely used to process many kinds of plant seeds (e.g.…”

Section: Pottery Functions and The Food Processing In The Mijiaya Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Food, Cooking and Potteries: A Preliminary Study on the Social Developments of the Neolithic Mijiaya Site in Guanzhong Area, China

Zhu

Yang

et al. 2022

Preprint

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The origins of agriculture and pottery were generally believed to contribute to the changes of human food resources and the innovations of cooking technologies in the Neolithic China. Hence, the investigations of the co-evolutions in human food resources, cooking technologies and pottery functions will provide a new perspective for understanding the ancient social developments. Here, taking the Mijiaya site as an example, we present the multiple analyses on the plant microfossils of pottery remains, the AMS 14C dating and isotopes of animal bones, and the types and textures of potteries in comparison with those from some surrounding sites in northern China during the Late Neolithic period. The results indicate that the diets of Mijiaya peoples (ca. 3093‒1961 cal BC) were heavily reliant on the diversified crops and livestock supplemented with some gathering plants and hunting animals; meanwhile, Mijiaya peoples used a variety of ways to refine the pottery functions for the complex food processing. Moreover, the food processing also potentially promoted the development in animal husbandry, basing on their feeding strategy and eating patterns. These preliminarily suggest that the coordinated development in the food, cooking and potteries had contributed to the social complexity in the Late Neolithic China.

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Sustainable intensification of millet–pig agriculture in Neolithic North China

Cited by 38 publications

References 50 publications

Diversity of Late Yangshao agricultural intensification at Xishanping, Gansu

Diversity of Late Yangshao agricultural intensification at Xishanping, Gansu

Holocene spatiotemporal millet agricultural patterns in northern China: a dataset of archaeobotanical macroremains

Food, Cooking and Potteries: A Preliminary Study on the Social Developments of the Neolithic Mijiaya Site in Guanzhong Area, China

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