Archaeobotanical analysis of a mountainous metallurgical settlement: Evidence from the Jicha site, Yunnan Province, Southwest China

Abstract

While there has been recent momentum in the understanding of subsistence strategies among prehistoric communities in southwest China, various mountainous regions, including northwest Yunnan, remain underexplored. To address this knowledge gap, we present new archaeobotanical evidence from Jicha, a Bronze Age settlement (1890–105 cal. BC) well known for its metallurgical activities. The study aims to elucidate the plant-based resource strategies that sustained complex craft production in this highland community. By analyzing plant macro-remains recovered through flotation, our results inform the understanding of diachronic changes in the ancient economy at Jicha. The initial settlement (1890 cal. BC) was sustained by the cultivation of rice (Oryza sativa) and millet (Setaria italica). Wheat (Triticum aestivum) was introduced around 1635–1280 cal. BC and rapidly adopted, becoming a key staple alongside rice. From 780–400 cal. BC, rice and wheat cultivation intensified, with millet as a supplement, ensuring a resilient food surplus. During the late occupational phase (400–105 cal. BC), rice and wheat remained dominant, while millet cultivation appears to have diminished. The integration of high-yield, high-demand cereals (rice and wheat) with ecologically hardy millet resulted in a multi-cropping farming system that exploited the varied landscape near Jicha. Such an economy perhaps may have played a role in sustaining the component of the society specialized in metal production.