Agricultural development in southern Shandong, northern China, from the Warring States to the Han dynasty: New archaeobotanical evidence from the site of the ancient capital city of Zhu State

IF 0.9 2区历史学 0 ARCHAEOLOGY

Archaeological Research in Asia Pub Date : 2024-12-10 DOI:10.1016/j.ara.2024.100583

Yingying Wu , Can Wang , Guoquan Lu , Zhaoyang Zhang , Donglei Cao

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Abstract

From the Warring States period to the Han dynasty, China experienced dramatic political, economic, and cultural changes, with agricultural development as a main driver for social development. Southern Shandong was among the most developed crop production areas and the most densely populated region, making it important for understanding the grain preferences of the Yellow River valley and its evolution from the Warring States period to the Han dynasty. Previous agricultural studies of this period mainly rely on historical documents. The crop varieties and structure of this period remain undefined. This study focused on the site of the ancient capital city of Zhu State, a significant site in southern Shandong, for archaeobotanical investigation. Analysis of carbonized seeds and AMS ¹⁴C dating revealed a crop cultivation strategy featuring foxtail millet (Setaria italica) and wheat (Triticum aestivum), supplemented by pulses and small quantities of hemp (Cannabis sativa), barley (Hordeum vulgare), broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum), and rice (Oryza sativa). The proportion of wheat increased during the Qin and Han Dynasties; however, foxtail millet remained the primary food source in this area. While a comparative analysis of the grain preferences showed the presence of a wheat storage area under official control at the site, the artisans and urban residents continued to rely on foxtail millet as their primary food crop. In the Qin and Han dynasties, wheat cultivation significantly increased. This change in cultivation strategy was closely associated with a social transformation from warfare and chaos to unification and stability.

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来源期刊

Archaeological Research in Asia ARCHAEOLOGY-

CiteScore

2.50

自引率

13.30%

发文量

期刊介绍： Archaeological Research in Asia presents high quality scholarly research conducted in between the Bosporus and the Pacific on a broad range of archaeological subjects of importance to audiences across Asia and around the world. The journal covers the traditional components of archaeology: placing events and patterns in time and space; analysis of past lifeways; and explanations for cultural processes and change. To this end, the publication will highlight theoretical and methodological advances in studying the past, present new data, and detail patterns that reshape our understanding of it. Archaeological Research in Asia publishes work on the full temporal range of archaeological inquiry from the earliest human presence in Asia with a special emphasis on time periods under-represented in other venues. Journal contributions are of three kinds: articles, case reports and short communications. Full length articles should present synthetic treatments, novel analyses, or theoretical approaches to unresolved issues. Case reports present basic data on subjects that are of broad interest because they represent key sites, sequences, and subjects that figure prominently, or should figure prominently, in how scholars both inside and outside Asia understand the archaeology of cultural and biological change through time. Short communications present new findings (e.g., radiocarbon dates) that are important to the extent that they reaffirm or change the way scholars in Asia and around the world think about Asian cultural or biological history.