Mid-Holocene climate change and its effect on prehistoric cultural evolution in eastern Qinghai Province, China

Quaternary Research - Tập 77 - Trang 23-30 - 2012
Guanghui Dong1, Xin Jia1, Chengbang An1, Fahu Chen1, Yan Zhao1, Shichen Tao1, Minmin Ma1
1MOE Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental System, Research School of Arid Environment and Climate Change, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China

Tóm tắt

We studied the mid-Holocene climate change in eastern Qinghai Province, China and its impact on the evolution of Majiayao (3980–2050 BC) and Qijia (2183–1635 BC) cultures, near the important Neolithic site of Changning. The investigation focused on analyses of grain size, magnetic susceptibility, ratios of elemental contents, and pollen assemblage from a loess-paleosol sequence. The results indicate that the climate was wet during 5830–4900 cal yr BP, which promoted the development of early-mid Majiayao culture in eastern Qinghai Province. However, 4900–4700 cal yr BP were drought years in the region, responsible for the decline and eastward movement of prehistoric culture during the period of transition from early-mid to late Majiayao culture. The climate turned wet again during 4700–3940 cal yr BP, which accelerated the spread of Qijia culture to the middle reaches of the Huangshui River, including the Changning site.

Tài liệu tham khảo

10.1016/j.asr.2007.01.077 10.1002/jqs.849 10.1017/S0033822200017562 10.1191/0959683603hl639ft 10.1038/375391a0 10.1016/S0140-1963(02)90981-X 10.1016/S1571-0866(07)09009-4 10.1073/pnas.0809960106 Lu, 1994, Magnetic susceptibility of the modern soils in China and paleoclimatic significance, Science in China. Series B, 24, 1290 Bureau of National Cultural Relics, 1996, Atlas of Chinese Cultural Relics-Fascicule of Qinghai Province 10.1016/S0277-3791(99)00031-1 Hou, 2009, Prehistorical cultural transition forced by environmental change in Mid-Holocene in Gansu"Qinghai region, Acta Geographica Sinica, 64, 53 Wu, 2004, Possible role of the “Holocene event 3” on the collapse of Neolithic Cultures around the Central Plain of China, Quaternary International, 117, 153, 10.1016/S1040-6182(03)00125-3 Wang, 2008, Spatiotemporal variations of Zr/Rb ratio in three last interglacial paleosol profiles across the Chinese Loess Plateau and its implications for climatic interpretation, Chinese Science Bulletin, 53, 1413 Jiang, 2003, Sedimentology, 2 1986, Machang, qijia and xindian graves at Zongzhai in Huzhu national minority Autonomous County, Qinghai, Archaeology, 32, 306 Shang, 1987, An overview of original agricultural archaeology in Qinghai province, Agricultural Archaeology, 1, 62 10.1360/02tb9421 10.1016/j.quascirev.2005.03.013 10.1007/s11434-010-3226-0 10.1016/j.yqres.2005.02.004 Faegri, 1989, Textbook of Pollen Analysis 10.1016/j.jhg.2008.08.006 Chen, 1982, Primary discussion on the remains of the Changshanxiaceng culture in Zhenyuan, east Gansu province, Archaeology, 27, 392 10.1126/science.1059827 Hou, 2010, Three expansions of prehistoric humans towards northeast margin of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and environmental change, Acta Geographica Sinica, 65, 65 Xian, 2006, Evidence for abrupt changes of the Asian monsoon during the Holocene: from the peat records of Tibetan Pleateau, Marine Geology and Quaternary Geology, 26, 41 Bureau of National Cultural Relics, 2007, Important Archaeological Discoveries in China in 2006 10.1126/science.1057759 10.1016/j.jas.2006.06.016 Wu, 2009, Holocene climate change and the rise and fall of Neolithic Cultures in the Ganqing areas, Cultural Relics of Central China, 4, 31 An, 1993, Episode of strengthened summer monsoon climate of Younger Dryas age on the Loess Plateau of central China, Quaternary Research, 39, 45, 10.1006/qres.1993.1005 10.1016/j.yqres.2006.01.007 10.1006/qres.1996.0029 McFadgen, 1982, Dating New Zealand archaeology by radiocarbon, New Zealand Journal of Science, 25, 379 Ji, 2007, Environmental Archaeological Pespective Dispersal of Anatomically Modern Human and Origin of Agriculture in Northern China Hou, 2004, Pre-history and climate change of eastern Qinghai, Acta Geographica Sinica, 59, 841 10.1017/S0033822200032999 10.1016/S0009-2541(96)00070-8 10.1016/j.epsl.2007.10.015 10.1017/S0033822200038212 Liu, 2005, The impact of abrupt climate change in Mid-Holocene on the prehistoric culture in northeast Qinghai, Acta Geographica Sinica, 60, 733 Wang, 2000, Lake records of the Holocene climatic changes in China, 146 10.1016/j.epsl.2009.12.039 10.1130/0091-7613(1998)026<0135:APROHC>2.3.CO;2 Moss, 2007, Mid-Holocene culture and climate on the Northwest Coast of North America, 491 Jing, 1981, River Team of the Institute of Archaeology, CASS, Archaeology, 26, 201 Xie, 2002, Prehistoric Archaeology of Gansu Province and Qinghai Province 10.1126/science.1058775 10.1016/0098-3004(87)90022-7 10.1006/qres.1995.1003 10.1038/299715a0 10.1016/j.quaint.2007.12.002 Brenner, 2001, Abrupt climate change and pre-Columbian cultural collapse, 87 10.1016/j.epsl.2005.02.025 Voorhies, 2007, Culture and climate in Mesoamerica during the Middle Holocene, 157 10.1016/j.quascirev.2005.10.012 10.1016/0034-6667(81)90002-6 10.1017/S003382220003160X 10.1126/science.1080444 10.1360/02tb9095 10.1126/science.261.5124.995 10.1130/0091-7613(2000)28<379:CCATCO>2.0.CO;2