Archaeobotanical study of the Tangzigou site reveals wild plant exploitation in the terminal Paleolithic of southwest China

Abstract

Wild plants have been an important part of the diet of ancient people, and their remains at archaeological sites are therefore a good proxy for disentangling human exploitation of plant foods in the history. Yunnan in southwest China has been poorly explored in archaeobotany, especially for periods before the Neolithic when gathering was still dominant in plant utilization. Here, we present an archaeobotanical assemblage consisting of fruit and seed remains from the regionally terminal Paleolithic (8740 ± 30 BP) Tangzigou site in western Yunnan. Our taxonomic identification shows that the archaeobotanical assemblage is poor in diversity with only four taxa, i.e., Celtis sp. (hackberry), Prunus persica (wild peach), Vitis sp. (wild grape) and Choerospondias axillaris (Nepal hog plum), which have served as potential food resources to ancient people of the site. However, the full picture of plant exploitation by the Tangzigou people cannot be gained only from the low abundance and diversity of plant remains at the site itself. Based on what is known of the practices of hunter-gatherers today, most fruits and seeds were probably eaten by Tangzigou people during the course of foraging trips, with only a small fraction being carried back to the site for processing and consumption. The fruit stone remains of C. axillaris have been processed with fire accidently or intentionally; the intentional fire-processing was probably for consumption of the seeds inside, which is compatible with the processing of animal foods with fire by the Tangzigou people. Our study brings to light the possible incorporation of plant food resources into the diet of the latest Paleolithic Tangzigou people who are suggested to have lived under a warm subtropical climate. It also enriches our knowledge of the historical use of wild plants by early Holocene humans in southwest China.