Ecological environment of early-mid Holocene millet cultivation in northern China: Insights from the Xinglong site

Abstract

The Xinglong site in Bashang Grassland has yielded crucial archaeological materials from the Paleolithic-Neolithic transition to mid-Neolithic period, including early-mid Holocene settlement and millet remains, providing critical insights into prehistoric human-environment interactions. This study analyzes pollen and phytolith data from the TG1E profile, revealing three distinct climatic stages following the Younger Dryas: 1) a moderately warm-humid phase with intermittent aridity during the Holocene onset (11,700–10,000 cal. a BP); 2) sustained warm-humid conditions in the early-mid Holocene (10,000–5000 cal. a BP); and 3) an progressive cool-arid phase during the mid-late Holocene (since 5000 cal. a BP). Vegetation transitioned from steppe to forest-steppe and subsequently to sparse wood grassland. The early-mid Holocene (ca. 10,000–7100 cal. a BP) presented optimal environmental conditions, though woody plant fluctuations suggest anthropogenic impacts of wood consumption from sedentism and ecological impacts of proto-agricultural practices in low-level food production system. Hydrological evidence indicates intermittent wetland presence near the site during 11,700–1800 cal. a BP, with significant water-level variability. Settlement patterns reveal strategic occupation of northwest hill-southeast aquatic basin micro-landscape, with millet cultivation emerging as a subsistence supplement to hunting-gathering by at least 8600 cal. a BP. Further multi-proxy analyses are required to elucidate environmental-cultural dynamics during this period.