Mid-Holocene hydroclimatic changes drove Neolithic agricultural development in the Luoyang Basin of the Central Plains, China

Abstract

Agriculture has historically served as both the economic foundation of societal development and a crucial link between climate change and human activity. Examining the relationship between agriculture and climate change can provide insights into the causes of past social upheavals. The Luoyang Basin of the Central Plains, China, is recognized as one of the cradles of Chinese civilization, yet the connection between local Neolithic agricultural practices and climate change remains uncertain. This study uses pollen data as indicators of hydroclimatic changes and agricultural activities to investigate their relationship during ca. 8000–3890 yr BP. The pollen content of trees and aquatic plants reveals three distinct phases of increased regional precipitation and corresponding wetland expansion: ca. 7400–6550, ca. 5650–5050 and ca. 4350–3950 yr BP. Notably, the late two distinct phases of heightened agricultural intensity, as indicated by cereal Poaceae content, followed these wetland expansion with slight lags. This suggests that newly exposed land following lake shrinkage is suitable for cultivation. During the period of ca. 7400–6550 yr BP, the small number of settlements and the predominance of hunting and gathering as human subsistence strategy, resulted in only a modest increase in agricultural intensity during the first high-precipitation interval. After ca. 6000 yr BP, as agriculture became the dominant subsistence strategy, high precipitation and ensuing wetland expansion facilitated agricultural development, as evidenced by marked increases in cereal Poaceae content during ca. 5450–4900 and ca. 4250–3950 yr BP. These two phases of high agricultural intensity contributed to local settlement number increase and population growth, laying the foundation for two major Neolithic cultural booms in the Luoyang Basin during the late Yangshao culture period (ca. 5500–4900 yr BP) and the late Longshan culture period (ca. 4300–3800 yr BP).