Paleodietary Analysis of Humans in Guanzhong Basin, Shaanxi Province Since 8000 BP

Radiocarbon ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 1435-1446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Cheng ◽  
Weijian Zhou ◽  
Wei Gong ◽  
YiZhi Zhu ◽  
Yachang Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Foxtail Millet ◽  
Shaanxi Province ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Broomcorn Millet ◽  
Plant Remains ◽  
Guanzhong Basin ◽  
Main Food Source ◽  
Dry Farming ◽  
Fundamental Shift ◽  
Isotopic Measurements

AbstractWe identified human paleodietary changes from inhabitants of the Guanzhong basin since 8000 BP, based on published carbon and nitrogen isotopic measurements on bones, fauna and plant remains. We also directly measured 14C ages, δ13C and δ15N values from bones unearthed at the Zhouyuan site, west of Guanzhong, in order to reconstruct paleodietary changes of the ancient inhabitants. We found that during the Laoguantai period, animal foods were the main source of nourishment with supplementary plant-derived foods. After this period, plant-derived foods became the main food source, with supplementary animal sources. The development of dry farming led to increased consumption of foxtail millet and broomcorn millet. This trend persisted and marked a fundamental shift from hunting, gathering, and fishing to farming and animal domestication. The dietary trends of the ancient inhabitants also show pronounced regional differences through time. The use of domestic animals was proportionally higher in the eastern part of the Guanzhong region, while wild animals were more common in the west.

Plant remains unearthed at the Donghulin site in Beijing: discussion on results of flotation

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 193-200
Author(s):  
Zhijun Zhao ◽  
Chaohong Zhao ◽  
Jincheng Yu ◽  
Tao Wang ◽  
Tianxing Cui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Morphological Analysis ◽  
North China ◽  
Foxtail Millet ◽  
Setaria Italica ◽  
Setaria Viridis ◽  
Dryland Agriculture ◽  
Plant Seeds ◽  
Broomcorn Millet ◽  
Plant Remains ◽  
Domestication Process

Abstract A number of charred plant seeds were recovered from the Donghulin site by means of flotation. The site is located in suburban Beijing and dates from 11,000 to 9000 BP. A total of 14 charred grains of foxtail millet have been collected and identified as of the domesticated species (Setaria italica) according to morphological analysis. One grain of broomcorn millet was also identified. These are the earliest domesticated millet grains recovered by flotation, providing crucial archaeological evidence for understanding the timing, locations, and processes of millet domestication. Moreover, the charred seeds of Setaria viridis provide important clues for exploring the wild ancestral plants of foxtail millet and the domestication process. The results of flotation at the Donghulin site are important for understanding the origins of dryland agriculture in North China, which was predominated by millet farming.

Geochemical study of groundwater mineralization in Guanzhong Basin, Shaanxi province, NW China

2012 ◽  
Vol 42 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 317-322
Author(s):  
Ma Zhi-yuan ◽  
Dou Hui-ping ◽  
Li Ting ◽  
Hu Wei-wei ◽  
Yan Hua
Keyword(s):  
Shaanxi Province ◽  
Nw China ◽  
Geochemical Study ◽  
Guanzhong Basin ◽  
Groundwater Mineralization

How ‘Best’ to Determine Trophic Levels in Archaeological Agricultural Communities

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Reynard
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Trophic Level ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Isotope Ratios ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Agricultural Communities ◽  
Plant Remains ◽  
Isotope System

Stable isotope ratios of bone collagen have been used to determine trophic levels in diverse archaeological populations. The longest established and arguably most successful isotope system has been nitrogen, followed by carbon, and more recently hydrogen. These trophic level proxies rely on a predictable change in isotope ratio with each trophic level step; however, this requirement may not always be met, which can lead to difficulties in interpreting archaeological evidence. In agricultural communities, in particular, there are several possible complications to the interpretation of nitrogen and carbon isotopes. Recent approaches to overcome these limitations include better quantification and understanding of the influences on consumer isotope ratios; inclusion of evidence from plant remains; further investigation of apatite δ13C—collagen δ13C spacing in bones; measurement of carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in individual amino acids, rather than collagen; and development of other stable isotope proxies for trophic level, such as hydrogen isotopes.

Palaeoenvironment and agriculture of ancient Loulan and Milan on the Silk Road

The Holocene ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianping Zhang ◽  
Houyuan Lu ◽  
Naiqin Wu ◽  
Xiaoguang Qin ◽  
Luo Wang
Keyword(s):  
Food Source ◽  
Foxtail Millet ◽  
Silk Road ◽  
Ancient Lake ◽  
Naked Barley ◽  
Main Food Source ◽  
Staple Crop ◽  
The City ◽  
Lop Nor ◽  
The Silk Road

Ancient Loulan, an important city on the Silk Road, disappeared about 1500 years ago. The environmental conditions associated with the vicissitude of ancient Loulan have been debated since the city was rediscovered in ad 1900. However, little paleobotanical evidence concerning vegetation and environment in this area has so far been available. In this study, phytoliths and diatoms extracted from 16 samples including two fossil camel coprolites from sites of Loulan and Milan indicate that the landscape of ancient Loulan was a typical oasis, where reeds, grasses of Paniceae and Pooideae probably grew along with some shrubs. Also, some typical brackish diatoms might live in some water bodies in the catchment of an ancient lake, Lop Nor. Our results also suggest that common millet as staple crop, and foxtail millet and possibly naked barley as non-staple crops were the main food source for ancient Loulan and Milan residents between ad 50 and 770.

scholarly journals Intraspecific carbon and nitrogen isotopic variability in foxtail millet (Setaria italica)

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (13) ◽  
pp. 1475-1487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Lightfoot ◽  
Natalia Przelomska ◽  
Martha Craven ◽  
Tamsin C. O′Connell ◽  
Lu He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Foxtail Millet ◽  
Setaria Italica ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen

scholarly journals Impact of contamination and pre-treatment on stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of charred plant remains

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (23) ◽  
pp. 2497-2510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra Vaiglova ◽  
Christophe Snoeck ◽  
Erika Nitsch ◽  
Amy Bogaard ◽  
Julia Lee-Thorp
Keyword(s):  
Isotopic Composition ◽  
Stable Carbon ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Plant Remains ◽  
Nitrogen Isotopic Composition ◽  
Pre Treatment

Prehistoric sheep/goats husbandry in Xinjiang, China—Evidence from bone stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weimiao Dong
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Isotopes ◽  
Foxtail Millet ◽  
Northwest China ◽  
Arid Environment ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Stable Carbon ◽  
Sample Number ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen Isotopes ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Fertilized Soil

<p>Sheep and goats have been introduced into northwest China as important livestock for some four thousand years. The frequency of sheep/goats’ bones in prehistoric archeological sites in Xinjiang can be a proof of their importance in people’s life. This study focuses on food reconstruction of prehistoric sheep/goats across Xinjiang to illustrate whether there is a difference on sheep/goats husbandry. Bone samples from 11 sites were isotopically analyzed together with 4 sets of published data, 220 pairs of sheep/goats bone stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in total from 15 sites across Xinjiang with time span of ca, 4000 cal BP to ca. 2000 cal BP were produced. 9 sites each with sample number no less than 10 were further studied. It revealed that generally sheep/goats from 4 oasis sedimentary farming societies have both higher <sup>13</sup>C values and higher <sup>15</sup>N values, although highly fluctuated. It is highly likely that C<sub>4</sub> plants such as foxtail millet or common millet must have not been a stranger around their environment. As for their remarkably high <sup>15</sup>N values, drought stress in arid environment may have been one reason, fertilized soil after long time relatively intensive human activity may have also contributed to this. In the meanwhile, sheep/goats from 5 pastoralism or transhumance societies have homogenous and more negative <sup>13</sup>C values, most of which are lower than -18‰, meaning that there was barely no C<sub>4</sub> plants in their diet. In contrast, <sup>15</sup>N values of them are lower than that of farming societies as a whole but more scattered, seasonally different pastures with diversified <sup>15</sup>N background could be the reason.</p>

Some recent Discoveries of Millet (Panicum MiliaceumL. andSetaria italica(L.) P. Beauv.) at Excavations in Turkey and Iran

1988 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 85-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Nesbitt ◽  
G. D. Summers
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Near East ◽  
Foxtail Millet ◽  
Late Bronze Age ◽  
Grass Family ◽  
Plant Remains ◽  
Full Discussion ◽  
Northwestern Iran ◽  
The Rich

Although a relatively unimportant crop in the Near East, millet has an especially interesting history that may throw some light on the cultural relationships of the Middle–Late Bronze Ages and the Iron Age. Thus the prompt, separate, publication of a large deposit of foxtail millet (Setaria italica(L.) P. Beauv.), recently identified from an Iron Age level at Tille Höyük, seems justified. This is the first find of the cereal in such large quantities—definitely as a crop—from the Near East or Greece. The rest of the plant remains from this level will be published in conjunction with the rich samples that are expected to be found in the massive Late Bronze Age burnt level at Tille. The opportunity is also taken in this paper to present other previously unpublished millet samples, from second millennium B.C. levels at Haftavan Tepe, northwestern Iran, and from Hellenistic, Roman and Medieval levels at Aşvan Kale, eastern Turkey.A full discussion of these criteria will be included in the first author's forthcoming publication of the Aşvan plant remains. Knörzer (1971) has published a useful key to millet seeds. Three genera of millets (all belonging to the tribePaniceaeof the grass family) have grains of the relatively wide, large embryoed type discussed here.

Agricultural adaptations to topography and climate changes in Central China during the mid- to late-Holocene

The Holocene ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 095968362110332
Author(s):  
Xin Jia ◽  
Haiming Li ◽  
Harry F Lee ◽  
Zhen Liu ◽  
Yong Lu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Late Holocene ◽  
Asian Summer Monsoon ◽  
Foxtail Millet ◽  
Cold Climate ◽  
Rice Cultivation ◽  
Central China ◽  
Human Settlements ◽  
Broomcorn Millet ◽  
Wet Climate

The development of pre-historic agriculture and its determining factors have been extensively investigated in recent years. Based on the identification of charred seeds and radiocarbon dating, we found that foxtail millet-based agriculture dominated Neixiang County in Central China during the mid-late-Holocene. There were three different farming patterns in the Nanyang Basin, including rice cultivation in the plains, foxtail millet cultivation in the pediment plains, and broomcorn millet cultivation in the valleys. In addition, during the Neolithic-Bronze Age, the distribution of human settlements with rice cultivation matched with the climate pattern at 31.0–36.5° N in China. The emergence of rice cultivation had been facilitated by a significant increase in East Asian summer monsoon and increased precipitation in Central China since 8500 BP and gradually flourished during the Peiligang (8500–7000 BP) and Yangshao (7000–4500 BP) Period, corresponding to a relatively warm and wet climate. However, the average latitude of the human settlements with rice cultivation shifted southward to 33.29° N during the Longshan Period (4500–4000 BP) due to the cold climate brought by the “4.2 ka event.” Afterward, rice cultivation was basically not constrained by climate change, probably owing to the improved farming methods in the Bronze Age.

scholarly journals THE CHANGES OF CHEMICAL PARAMETERS OF PEAT-FORMING PLANTS DURING DECOMPOSITION PRO-CESSES ON KARST-SUFFUSION MIRES OF THE MIDDLE-RUSSIAN UPLAND

2020 ◽  
pp. 283-292
Author(s):  
Elena Mikhaylovna Volkova ◽  
Ol'ga Ivanovna Boykova ◽  
Nikolay Viktorovich Khlytin
Keyword(s):  
Plant Material ◽  
Ash Content ◽  
Chemical Parameters ◽  
Sphagnum Mosses ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Peat Deposits ◽  
Plant Remains ◽  
Chemical Composition Of Plants ◽  
Weight Method ◽  
Microscopy Method

The variety of biosphere functions of mire ecosystems is associated with the intensity of vertical growth of peat deposits, which is correlated with the rate of decomposition of plant remains. This process depends on the complex of ecological conditions and accompanies by changes in the chemical composition of plants. For studying of dynamics of the chemical parameters of the main peat-forming plants on the model karst-suffusion mire, an experiment was conducted with the laying of plant material in the peat. Plant samples were placed in peat to a depth of 5–7 cm in different parts of the mire, which is corresponded to the original place of species growing. After 1 and 2 years, the samples were removed from the peat and elemental analysis was carried out on the CHN-analyzer Carlo Erba 1100, ash content was determined by weight method and the degree of decomposition of plant remains was done by microscopy method. The results shows, that during the 2-year experiment the degree of decomposition of plants remains was changed by different ways. The herbs are least resistant for decomposition in the peat, but sphagnum mosses are the most resistant. The process of decomposition of plant remains is accompanied by a decreasing of ash content in vascular plants and increasing in sphagnum mosses, which is associated with their ability to accumulate surface runoff substances and atmospheric dust. During the transformation of plant material the content of carbon and nitrogen are changing. The C/N ratio indicates an uneven proportion of carbon and nitrogen at different stages of decomposition in different plant species, which correlates with the degree of decomposition.

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