Pedosphere 17(2): 209--218, 2007
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©2007 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press
| Pollen and phytolith analyses of ancient paddy fields at Chuodun site, the Yangtze River Delta |
LI Chun-Hai1 , ZHANG Gang-Ya2, YANG Lin-Zhang2, LIN Xian-Gui2, HU Zheng-Yi2, DONG Yuan-Hua2, CAO Zhi-Hong2, ZHENG Yun-Fei3 and DING Jin-Long4 |
1 Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008 (China). E-mail: chhli@niglas.ac.cn;
2 Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008 (China);
3 Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Hangzhou 310014 (China);
4 Suzhou Museum, Suzhou 215001 (China) |
| ABSTRACT |
| A number of paddy fields pertaining to the Majiabang Cultures (5500-3800 years BC) were discovered during the archaeological excavations that were carried out since 1998 at the Chuodun site in the Yangtze River Delta. The pollen and phytolith analyses of two soil profiles from the northeastern part of this site were carried out to trace the agricultural practices of the Neolithic period. The phytolith results showed that rice domestication in the Yangtze River Delta could be traced back to as early as the Majiabang Culture. The pollen assemblage also revealed low levels of aquatic species, similar to that in modern paddy fields. This finding suggested that humans might have removed weeds for rice cultivation during the Neolithic period. Thus, pollen analysis in association with phytolith analysis was a promising method for identifying ancient paddy fields. |
| Key Words: ancient paddy fields, Neolithic period, pollen analysis, phytolith analysis, Yangtze River Delta |
| Citation: Li, C. H., Zhang, G. Y., Yang, L. Z., Lin, X. G., Hu, Z. Y., Dong, Y. H., Cao, Z. H., Zheng, Y. F. and Ding, J. L. 2007. Pollen and phytolith analyses of ancient paddy fields at Chuodun site, the Yangtze River Delta. Pedosphere. 17(2): 209-218. |
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