Acta Anthropologica Sinica ›› 2019, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (01): 119-131.doi: 10.16359/j.cnki.cn11-1963/q.2017.0075

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The discovery and discussion of rice remains from the Archaeological Site of Dongyang, Huaxian County, Shaanxi Province

XIA Xiumin1,2(), YIN Yupeng3, XU Weihong3, WU Yan1,4()   

  1. 1. Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044
    2. Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049
    3. Shannxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, Xi’an 710054;
    4. CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044
  • Received:2017-06-18 Revised:2017-11-08 Online:2019-02-15 Published:2020-09-11
  • Contact: WU Yan E-mail:zhengdaxiaxiumin@126.com;wuyan@ivpp.ac.cn

Abstract:

The origin and spread of rice has always been a hot topic in academia. However, it is still unclear regarding the time when rice was first introduced into the middle reaches of the Yellow River and then spread to the Guanzhong area, which should be studied further. Located in Guanzhong area and excavated in 2014, Dongyang site is a transitional site from the Early Yangshao Period to the Middle Yangshao Period, dating from ca. 5900 to 5600 cal. BP. Based on the analysis of the plant remains from the Dongyang site, we attempt to explore the cultivation and utilization of rice, and analyze the reason for its emergence and diffusion process along Guangzhong area. Phytoliths and macroremains studies indicate the earliest dating rice remains in Guanzhong area so far. Furthermore, it reveals that ancient people of the Dongyang site who mainly grow millets, had already begun to cultivate slight rice. Mixed rice and millets farming pattern also formed at that time. Under the combination of various factors, rice was introduced into Guanzhong area. In addition, by summarizing the prehistoric rice remains from the upper and middle reaches of the Yellow River, it can be concluded that rice was imported at least 5800 years ago. The rice was then made great development from the Late Yangshao to the Longshan Period, and nearly disappeared there by the end of Longshan Period. Our study may refresh the earliest record of rice remains in the semi-arid and semi-humid region of Northern China and provide the basic data for further studying the origin and spread of rice.

Key words: Rice, Dongyang site, Guanzhong area, Spread, Rice and millet farming

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