Recent research at Jaketown, a Late Archaic earthwork site in the Lower Mississippi Valley, sugge... more Recent research at Jaketown, a Late Archaic earthwork site in the Lower Mississippi Valley, suggests that the culture-historical framework used to interpret Jaketown and contemporary sites in the region obscures differences in practices across sites. As an alternative, we propose a framework focused on variation in material culture, architecture, and foodways between Jaketown and Poverty Point, the regional type site. Our analysis indicates that people used Poverty Point Objects and imported lithics at Jaketown by 4525–4100 cal BP—earlier than elsewhere in the region. By 3450–3350 cal BP, people intensively occupied Jaketown, harvesting a consistent suite of wild plants. Between 3445 and 3270 cal BP, prior to the apex of earthwork construction at Poverty Point, the community at Jaketown built at least two earthworks and multiple post structures before catastrophic flooding sometime after 3300 cal BP buried the Late Archaic landscape under alluvium. These new data lead us to conclude...
ABSTRACT This report presents results of re-excavation and reanalysis of unit 5276N 4790E, locate... more ABSTRACT This report presents results of re-excavation and reanalysis of unit 5276N 4790E, located on Ridge West 3 (RW3) at the Poverty Point site. Jon Gibson excavated this unit and others in 1991 and argued that RW3 was constructed rapidly. We test the fast construction hypothesis by applying new methods (micromorphology, magnetic susceptibility, sequential loss-on-ignition) and by obtaining new radiocarbon dates. Before construction, the ground surface beneath RW3 was cleared and occupied. Preconstruction deposits are composed of anthropogenically enriched sediments. RW3 was constructed in layers of mixed heterogeneous natural and anthropogenically enriched sediments. The surfaces of these layers were used briefly during construction. The goal of the builders was to quickly raise the ridge to its full height. Magnetic susceptibility measurements and artifact density data show that the top of the constructed ridge is buried 10 to 30 cm below the modern surface. The construction of this section of RW3 was exceptionally rapid. The ridge was built after 3355–3210 cal BP and was under construction by at least 3450–2975 cal BP. Analysis of existing excavations offers great opportunity for pursuing vital research questions while having a limited effect on the integrity of archaeological deposits at Poverty Point.
Although archaeological analysis emphasizes the importance of climatic events as a driver of hist... more Although archaeological analysis emphasizes the importance of climatic events as a driver of historical processes, we use a variety of environmental and archaeological data to show that human modification of the environment was a significant factor in shaping the early history of the Yellow River region of North China. Humans began to modify site-specific and local-level environments in the Early Holocene (~11,500–7000 BP). By the Mid-Holocene (~7000–5000 BP), the effects of humans on the environment become much larger and are witnessed at regional and tributary river basin scales. Land clearance and agriculture, as well as related land use, are dominant determinants of these changes. By the Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age (~5000–3500 BP), population growth and intensification of agricultural production expanded the human footprint across the Yellow River region. By the Mid to Late Bronze Age (~3600–2200 BP), larger populations armed with better technology and propelled by more c...
Archaeologists and palaeoclimatologists have focused on the impact of climate on the prehistoric ... more Archaeologists and palaeoclimatologists have focused on the impact of climate on the prehistoric civilizations around the world; however, social resilience in the face of the climate change remains unclear, especially during the Neolithic and Bronze Age in the Central Plains of China (CPC). In this paper, we present palynological results from the Dahecun Core, Henan Province, China. Our pollen data indicate a warm and wet climate condition from 9200 to 4000 cal BP, which then switches to a cool and dry climatic condition during the Neolithic-Bronze Age transition (∼4000–3600 cal BP). We analyze 14C dates from archaeological sites to demonstrate four episodes of population increase and present vegetation dynamics, determined from available pollen data, to provide evidence for the synchronous shifts in vegetation and human population during the Neolithic. Our results indicate that the aridification in the early Bronze Age did not cause population collapse, highlighting the importance ...
A synthetic history of human land use Humans began to leave lasting impacts on Earth's surfac... more A synthetic history of human land use Humans began to leave lasting impacts on Earth's surface starting 10,000 to 8000 years ago. Through a synthetic collaboration with archaeologists around the globe, Stephens et al. compiled a comprehensive picture of the trajectory of human land use worldwide during the Holocene (see the Perspective by Roberts). Hunter-gatherers, farmers, and pastoralists transformed the face of Earth earlier and to a greater extent than has been widely appreciated, a transformation that was essentially global by 3000 years before the present. Science , this issue p. 897 ; see also p. 865
We evaluate the relative importance of climate change, fluvial dynamics, and anthropogenic enviro... more We evaluate the relative importance of climate change, fluvial dynamics, and anthropogenic environmental modification in forming the Holocene sedimentary record of the Luoyang Basin, a tributary drainage basin of the Yellow River, located in western Henan Province, China. Our 2011 fieldwork south of the Erlitou site in the Luoyang Basin indicates that an unconformity dating to ca. AD 1100 is roughly coincident with a major southward shift in the lower course of the Yellow River. In AD 1128, the governor of Kaifeng breached the dikes of the Yellow River to impede an advancing army, causing the Yellow River to flow south out to the Yellow Sea. We argue that the dike breach not only changed the fluvial dynamics of the Yellow River but also switched the rivers in the Luoyang Basin from an aggrading to an incising system. The resumption of sedimentation in the Luoyang Basin is roughly coincident with the next major shift of the Yellow River’s main course northward to the Bohai Sea in AD ...
Abstract Although soils are classically considered to be formed through a variety of geological a... more Abstract Although soils are classically considered to be formed through a variety of geological and biological processes, an increasing amount of evidence suggests that human activity also played a significant role in soil formation in antiquity. By identifying anthropogenic additions into ancient soils, archaeologists can understand many of the social and geological processes that formed ancient landscapes. We present geoarchaeological research from the Sanyangzhuang site, Henan Province, China, to examine how this area's long history of agricultural production altered soils from the Neolithic to the Iron Age. We use soil micromorphology and geochemistry to study the anthropogenic residues left behind in ancient soils and compare our results with the historical and archaeological records. Our results suggest that the transition from wooden to iron tools at the beginning of the Iron Age played an important role in the long-term formation of ancient agricultural soils at Sanyangzhuang, and by extension, in much of ancient China.
The authors present the discovery of a Han period farming site sealed beneath 5m of flood deposit... more The authors present the discovery of a Han period farming site sealed beneath 5m of flood deposits, where courtyard houses have been excavated belonging to the Western Han Dynasty and Wang Mang period (c. 140 BC–AD 23). Preservation is exceptional, both at the village of Sanyangzhuang itself and, by dint of satellite reconnaissance, over a vast landscape contemporarily covered by the flood. Deep profiles show that here land surfaces of the Neolithic and Warring States periods also lie buried. The potential for the study of the early agricultural sequence and a deeper knowledge of Han society is truly outstanding. The discoveries also offer a vivid account of the way a settlement was overwhelmed by flooding.
Recent research at Jaketown, a Late Archaic earthwork site in the Lower Mississippi Valley, sugge... more Recent research at Jaketown, a Late Archaic earthwork site in the Lower Mississippi Valley, suggests that the culture-historical framework used to interpret Jaketown and contemporary sites in the region obscures differences in practices across sites. As an alternative, we propose a framework focused on variation in material culture, architecture, and foodways between Jaketown and Poverty Point, the regional type site. Our analysis indicates that people used Poverty Point Objects and imported lithics at Jaketown by 4525–4100 cal BP—earlier than elsewhere in the region. By 3450–3350 cal BP, people intensively occupied Jaketown, harvesting a consistent suite of wild plants. Between 3445 and 3270 cal BP, prior to the apex of earthwork construction at Poverty Point, the community at Jaketown built at least two earthworks and multiple post structures before catastrophic flooding sometime after 3300 cal BP buried the Late Archaic landscape under alluvium. These new data lead us to conclude...
ABSTRACT This report presents results of re-excavation and reanalysis of unit 5276N 4790E, locate... more ABSTRACT This report presents results of re-excavation and reanalysis of unit 5276N 4790E, located on Ridge West 3 (RW3) at the Poverty Point site. Jon Gibson excavated this unit and others in 1991 and argued that RW3 was constructed rapidly. We test the fast construction hypothesis by applying new methods (micromorphology, magnetic susceptibility, sequential loss-on-ignition) and by obtaining new radiocarbon dates. Before construction, the ground surface beneath RW3 was cleared and occupied. Preconstruction deposits are composed of anthropogenically enriched sediments. RW3 was constructed in layers of mixed heterogeneous natural and anthropogenically enriched sediments. The surfaces of these layers were used briefly during construction. The goal of the builders was to quickly raise the ridge to its full height. Magnetic susceptibility measurements and artifact density data show that the top of the constructed ridge is buried 10 to 30 cm below the modern surface. The construction of this section of RW3 was exceptionally rapid. The ridge was built after 3355–3210 cal BP and was under construction by at least 3450–2975 cal BP. Analysis of existing excavations offers great opportunity for pursuing vital research questions while having a limited effect on the integrity of archaeological deposits at Poverty Point.
Although archaeological analysis emphasizes the importance of climatic events as a driver of hist... more Although archaeological analysis emphasizes the importance of climatic events as a driver of historical processes, we use a variety of environmental and archaeological data to show that human modification of the environment was a significant factor in shaping the early history of the Yellow River region of North China. Humans began to modify site-specific and local-level environments in the Early Holocene (~11,500–7000 BP). By the Mid-Holocene (~7000–5000 BP), the effects of humans on the environment become much larger and are witnessed at regional and tributary river basin scales. Land clearance and agriculture, as well as related land use, are dominant determinants of these changes. By the Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age (~5000–3500 BP), population growth and intensification of agricultural production expanded the human footprint across the Yellow River region. By the Mid to Late Bronze Age (~3600–2200 BP), larger populations armed with better technology and propelled by more c...
Archaeologists and palaeoclimatologists have focused on the impact of climate on the prehistoric ... more Archaeologists and palaeoclimatologists have focused on the impact of climate on the prehistoric civilizations around the world; however, social resilience in the face of the climate change remains unclear, especially during the Neolithic and Bronze Age in the Central Plains of China (CPC). In this paper, we present palynological results from the Dahecun Core, Henan Province, China. Our pollen data indicate a warm and wet climate condition from 9200 to 4000 cal BP, which then switches to a cool and dry climatic condition during the Neolithic-Bronze Age transition (∼4000–3600 cal BP). We analyze 14C dates from archaeological sites to demonstrate four episodes of population increase and present vegetation dynamics, determined from available pollen data, to provide evidence for the synchronous shifts in vegetation and human population during the Neolithic. Our results indicate that the aridification in the early Bronze Age did not cause population collapse, highlighting the importance ...
A synthetic history of human land use Humans began to leave lasting impacts on Earth's surfac... more A synthetic history of human land use Humans began to leave lasting impacts on Earth's surface starting 10,000 to 8000 years ago. Through a synthetic collaboration with archaeologists around the globe, Stephens et al. compiled a comprehensive picture of the trajectory of human land use worldwide during the Holocene (see the Perspective by Roberts). Hunter-gatherers, farmers, and pastoralists transformed the face of Earth earlier and to a greater extent than has been widely appreciated, a transformation that was essentially global by 3000 years before the present. Science , this issue p. 897 ; see also p. 865
We evaluate the relative importance of climate change, fluvial dynamics, and anthropogenic enviro... more We evaluate the relative importance of climate change, fluvial dynamics, and anthropogenic environmental modification in forming the Holocene sedimentary record of the Luoyang Basin, a tributary drainage basin of the Yellow River, located in western Henan Province, China. Our 2011 fieldwork south of the Erlitou site in the Luoyang Basin indicates that an unconformity dating to ca. AD 1100 is roughly coincident with a major southward shift in the lower course of the Yellow River. In AD 1128, the governor of Kaifeng breached the dikes of the Yellow River to impede an advancing army, causing the Yellow River to flow south out to the Yellow Sea. We argue that the dike breach not only changed the fluvial dynamics of the Yellow River but also switched the rivers in the Luoyang Basin from an aggrading to an incising system. The resumption of sedimentation in the Luoyang Basin is roughly coincident with the next major shift of the Yellow River’s main course northward to the Bohai Sea in AD ...
Abstract Although soils are classically considered to be formed through a variety of geological a... more Abstract Although soils are classically considered to be formed through a variety of geological and biological processes, an increasing amount of evidence suggests that human activity also played a significant role in soil formation in antiquity. By identifying anthropogenic additions into ancient soils, archaeologists can understand many of the social and geological processes that formed ancient landscapes. We present geoarchaeological research from the Sanyangzhuang site, Henan Province, China, to examine how this area's long history of agricultural production altered soils from the Neolithic to the Iron Age. We use soil micromorphology and geochemistry to study the anthropogenic residues left behind in ancient soils and compare our results with the historical and archaeological records. Our results suggest that the transition from wooden to iron tools at the beginning of the Iron Age played an important role in the long-term formation of ancient agricultural soils at Sanyangzhuang, and by extension, in much of ancient China.
The authors present the discovery of a Han period farming site sealed beneath 5m of flood deposit... more The authors present the discovery of a Han period farming site sealed beneath 5m of flood deposits, where courtyard houses have been excavated belonging to the Western Han Dynasty and Wang Mang period (c. 140 BC–AD 23). Preservation is exceptional, both at the village of Sanyangzhuang itself and, by dint of satellite reconnaissance, over a vast landscape contemporarily covered by the flood. Deep profiles show that here land surfaces of the Neolithic and Warring States periods also lie buried. The potential for the study of the early agricultural sequence and a deeper knowledge of Han society is truly outstanding. The discoveries also offer a vivid account of the way a settlement was overwhelmed by flooding.
Although soils are classically considered to be formed through a variety of geological and biolog... more Although soils are classically considered to be formed through a variety of geological and biological processes, an increasing amount of evidence suggests that human activity also played a significant role in soil formation in antiquity. By identifying anthropogenic additions into ancient soils, archaeologists can understand many of the social and geological processes that formed ancient landscapes. We present geoarchaeological research from the Sanyangzhuang site, Henan Province, China, to examine how this area's long history of agricultural production altered soils from the Neolithic to the Iron Age. We use soil micromorphology and geochemistry to study the anthropogenic residues left behind in ancient soils and compare our results with the historical and archaeological records. Our results suggest that the transition from wooden to iron tools at the beginning of the Iron Age played an important role in the long-term formation of ancient agricultural soils at Sanyangzhuang, and by extension, in much of ancient China.
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