scholarly journals The ancient Chinese civilization left remarkable signals in the marine environment since the Bronze Age

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang Sun ◽  
Limin Hu ◽  
Bangqi Hu ◽  
Xueshi Sun ◽  
Xiao Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Fire Activity ◽  
Central South Yellow Sea ◽  
Coking Technology ◽  
The Ancient Chinese ◽  
In Fire ◽  
The Bronze Age

Abstract To understand the onset of human civilization evolution recorded in the marine environment, a 6000-year record of black carbon (BC), including char and soot, was examined in a sediment core from the central South Yellow Sea. The results showed that the colder and drier climate dominated the variation in fire activity in northern China after mid-Holocene via decreased precipitation and vegetation cover. The char released from the fire activity, can barely retrieve traces preserved in the marine sediments during the civilization evolution in China since ~1 ka BP. Fortunately, the soot-BC signal demonstrated that anthropogenic forces have overwhelmed the natural causes of soot emission since ~4 ka BP (Bronze Age) in northern China. The variation in soot closely matched periods when there was large-scale use of coal or charcoal after ~2 ka BP and when indigenous coking technology was promoted after ~1.3 ka BP, and times with low soot abundance coincided with periods of social unrest. This work provides evidence that the soot signal could be a robust tracer for tracking the civilization evolution, and the ancient Chinese civilization left remarkable soot signals in the marine environment since the Bronze Age.

Remarkable signals of the ancient Chinese civilization since the Early Bronze Age in the marine environment

2022 ◽  
Vol 804 ◽  
pp. 150209
Author(s):  
Xiang Sun ◽  
Limin Hu ◽  
Bangqi Hu ◽  
Xueshi Sun ◽  
Xiao Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Early Bronze Age ◽  
The Ancient Chinese

scholarly journals Ancient DNA shows domestic horses were introduced in the southern Caucasus and Anatolia during the Bronze Age

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (38) ◽  
pp. eabb0030
Author(s):  
Silvia Guimaraes ◽  
Benjamin S. Arbuckle ◽  
Joris Peters ◽  
Sarah E. Adcock ◽  
Hijlke Buitenhuis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Early Neolithic ◽  
The Caucasus ◽  
Domestic Horses ◽  
Third Millennium Bce ◽  
History Of ◽  
Southern Caucasus ◽  
The Bronze Age

Despite the important roles that horses have played in human history, particularly in the spread of languages and cultures, and correspondingly intensive research on this topic, the origin of domestic horses remains elusive. Several domestication centers have been hypothesized, but most of these have been invalidated through recent paleogenetic studies. Anatolia is a region with an extended history of horse exploitation that has been considered a candidate for the origins of domestic horses but has never been subject to detailed investigation. Our paleogenetic study of pre- and protohistoric horses in Anatolia and the Caucasus, based on a diachronic sample from the early Neolithic to the Iron Age (~8000 to ~1000 BCE) that encompasses the presumed transition from wild to domestic horses (4000 to 3000 BCE), shows the rapid and large-scale introduction of domestic horses at the end of the third millennium BCE. Thus, our results argue strongly against autochthonous independent domestication of horses in Anatolia.

The impact of early trans-Eurasian exchange on animal utilization in northern China during 5000–2500 BP

The Holocene ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 095968362094116
Author(s):  
Guanghui Dong ◽  
Linyao Du ◽  
Wenyu Wei
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Late Neolithic ◽  
Human Environment ◽  
Wild Mammals ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Animal Utilization ◽  
Human Subsistence ◽  
The Bronze Age

Transcontinental exchange emerged and intensified in northern China since the late fifth millennium BP (Before present), especially in the arc, which was the core area of the eastern part of the trans-Eurasian exchange during the Late Neolithic and the Bronze Age. In the arc, the exchange profoundly affected the human subsistence strategy and human-environment relationship. Relative to the crop patterns and human diets during the Bronze Age in northern China, systematic investigations of zooarcheological data based on broad spatial and temporal framework to understand the influence of introduced livestock and indigenous livestock on human subsistence are lacking. To show the spatial-temporal variation in animal utilization patterns and its relation to prehistoric trans-Eurasian exchange, the zooarcheological data from 40 sites in northern China dated between 5000 and 2500 BP were analyzed. The strategy of animal utilization in northern China changed substantially from 5000 to 2500 BP, with notable spatial features in different chronological phases. From 5000 to 4300 BP, wild mammals and indigenous livestock (pig, dog) use dominated in the arc and the North China Plain (NCP). During 4300–3500 BP, the importance of introduced livestock (cattle, sheep/goat, horse) exceeded that of indigenous livestock in the arc, whereas indigenous livestock continued to dominate in the NCP. Indigenous livestock acted as the most important animal subsistence in northern China, although the exploitation of introduced livestock increased during 3500–2000 BP. These spatio-temporal differences in animal utilization appear to be closely associated with the prehistoric trans-Eurasian exchange, but were also affected by local environment, agriculture development, and climate change.

Cultural Interaction Patterns in the Bronze Age: Ritual Bronze Artifacts from Korea and Japan

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 68-73
Author(s):  
A. L. Nesterkina ◽  
E. A. Solovieva ◽  
I. S. Gnezdilova
Keyword(s):  
Social Status ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Distribution Center ◽  
Interaction Patterns ◽  
Cultural Interaction ◽  
Complex Construction ◽  
Korean Type ◽  
High Social Status ◽  
The Bronze Age

This study focuses on ritual bronze items that are very informative for reconstructing cultural ties and migrations between Korea and Japan in 400 BC to 300 AD. Their large-scale introduction to Korea is related to the culture of Korean-type daggers, whose distribution center was located in northwestern Korea. We give a detailed description of Bronze Age artifacts, including weapons and ritual items from that area. They occur mostly in single burials with a complex construction, possibly attesting to high social status. In Japan, Korean-type artifacts fi rst appear in northern Kyushu during the Yayoi age, in burials with wooden coffi ns and urns. The analysis of molds for casting narrow-bladed daggers, socketed spearheads, and picks suggests that Korean-type items spread from northern Kyushu. Late Yayoi ritual bronze artifacts include mostly mirrors of the Han type, evidently indicating migrations from the mainland.

scholarly journals 7300 years of vegetation history and climate for NW Malta: a Holocene perspective

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 4505-4567 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Gambin ◽  
V. Andrieu-Ponel ◽  
F. Médail ◽  
N. Marriner ◽  
O. Peyron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Vegetation History ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Moderate Increase ◽  
Pollen Record ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
North West ◽  
In Fire ◽  
The Bronze Age ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract. This paper investigates the Holocene vegetation dynamics for Burmarrad in north-west Malta and provides a pollen-based quantitative palaeoclimatic reconstruction for this centrally located Mediterranean archipelago. The pollen record from this site provides new insight into the vegetation changes from 7280 to 1730 cal BP which correspond well with other regional records. The climate reconstruction for the area also provides strong correlation with southern (below 40° N) Mediterranean sites. Our interpretation suggests an initially open landscape during the early Neolithic, surrounding a large palaeobay, developing into a dense Pistacia scrubland ca. 6700 cal BP. From about 4450 cal BP the landscape once again becomes open, coinciding with the start of the Bronze Age on the archipelago. This period is concurrent with increased climatic instability (between 4500 and 3700 cal BP) which is followed by a gradual decrease in summer moisture availability in the late Holocene. During the early Roman occupation period (1972 to 1730 cal BP) the landscape remains generally open with a moderate increase in Olea. This increase, corresponds to archaeological evidence for olive oil production in the area, along with increases in cultivated crop taxa and associated ruderal species, as well as a rise in fire events. The Maltese archipelago provides important insight into vegetation, human impacts and climatic changes in an island context during the Holocene.

A refinement of models projecting future Canadian fire regimes using homogeneous fire regime zones

2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 365-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Boulanger ◽  
Sylvie Gauthier ◽  
Philip J. Burton
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines ◽  
Energy Flows ◽  
Fire Activity ◽  
Ecological Patterns ◽  
Administrative Units ◽  
In Fire

Broad-scale fire regime modelling is frequently based on large ecological and (or) administrative units. However, these units may not capture spatial heterogeneity in fire regimes and may thus lead to spatially inaccurate estimates of future fire activity. In this study, we defined homogeneous fire regime (HFR) zones for Canada based on annual area burned (AAB) and fire occurrence (FireOcc), and we used them to model future (2011–2040, 2041–2070, and 2071–2100) fire activity using multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS). We identified a total of 16 HFR zones explaining 47.7% of the heterogeneity in AAB and FireOcc for the 1959–1999 period. MARS models based on HFR zones projected a 3.7-fold increase in AAB and a 3.0-fold increase in FireOcc by 2100 when compared with 1961–1990, with great interzone heterogeneity. The greatest increases would occur in zones located in central and northwestern Canada. Much of the increase in AAB would result from a sharp increase in fire activity during July and August. Ecozone- and HFR-based models projected relatively similar nationwide FireOcc and AAB. However, very high spatial discrepancies were noted between zonations over extensive areas. The proposed HFR zonation should help providing more spatially accurate estimates of future ecological patterns largely driven by fire in the boreal forest such as biodiversity patterns, energy flows, and carbon storage than those obtained from large-scale multipurpose classification units.

scholarly journals 7300 years of vegetation history and climate for NW Malta: a Holocene perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Gambin ◽  
V. Andrieu-Ponel ◽  
F. Médail ◽  
N. Marriner ◽  
O. Peyron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Vegetation History ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Moderate Increase ◽  
Pollen Record ◽  
Early Neolithic ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
In Fire ◽  
The Bronze Age ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract. This paper investigates the Holocene vegetation dynamics for Burmarrad in Northwest Malta and provides a pollen-based quantitative palaeoclimatic reconstruction for this centrally located Mediterranean archipelago. The pollen record from this site provides new insight into the vegetation changes from 7280 to 1730 cal BP which correspond well with other regional records. The climate reconstruction for the area also provides strong correlation with southern (below 40° N) Mediterranean sites. Our interpretation suggests an initially open landscape during the early Neolithic, surrounding a large palaeobay, developing into a dense Pistacia scrubland ca. 6700 cal BP. From about 4450 cal BP the landscape once again becomes open, coinciding with the start of the Bronze Age on the archipelago. This period is concurrent with increased climatic instability (between 4500 and 3700 cal BP) which is followed by a gradual decrease in summer moisture availability in the late Holocene. During the early Roman occupation period (1972–1730 cal BP) the landscape remains generally open with a moderate increase in Olea. This increase corresponds to archaeological evidence for olive oil production in the area, along with increases in cultivated crop taxa and associated ruderal species, as well as a rise in fire events. The Maltese archipelago provides important insight into vegetation, human impacts, and climatic changes in an island context during the Holocene.

scholarly journals PENDULUM MIGRATIONS IN THE CIRCUM-PONTIC STEPPE AND CENTRAL EUROPE DURING THE PALEOMETAL EPOCH AND THE PROBLEM OF GENESIS OF THE YAMNA CULTURE

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-146
Author(s):  
S. V. Ivanova ◽  
A. G. Nikitin ◽  
D. V. Kiosak
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Northern Europe ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Genetic Element ◽  
North Caucasus ◽  
Genetic Determinants ◽  
Cultural Changes ◽  
The North ◽  
The Bronze Age

This article is dedicated to the problem of the origin and spread of the Yamna cultural-historical community (YCHC) in the context of the hypothesis recently expressed by geneticists about the massive migration of population groups genetically related to YCHC and carrying the genetic determinants of the Iranian Neolithic agrarians and hunters and fishers of the North Caucasus from the Ponto- Caspian steppe to central and northern Europe at the beginning of the Bronze Age. Based on an in-depth archeological and genetic analysis, we propose that the genetic «invasion» of the Iranian-Caucasian genetic element into Europe at the beginning of the Bronze Age, recently proposed by paleogenetisits on the basis of a large-scale study of ancient DNA, was not the result of a large-scale migration of representatives of YCHC from the Ponto-Caspian steppes to central and northern Europe, but the result of global population and cultural changes in Eurasia at the end of the Atlantic climatic optimum. We further suggest that before the steppe genetics appeared in Europe at the beginning of the Bronze Age, central European genetic determinants appeared in the steppe in the Eneolithic, and that the movement of the steppe genetic element to Europe was at least in part the second phase of the «pendular» migration of European expatriates, returning to the historical zone of habitation. We also come to the conclusion that the very concept of distinguishing YCHC as a monolithic entity is inappropriate, and that the groups of nomadic tribes of the Ponto-Caspian steppe most likely existed as discrete communities, although united by a common ideology and a genetic relationship that included both the Iranian-Caucasian (throughout the entire range), and European / Anatolian agricultural (locally) genetic elements.

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