Holocene-aged sedimentary records of environmental changes and early agriculture in the lower Yangtze, China
Citation:
Atahan, P., Itzstein-Davey, F., Taylor, D, Dodson, J, Qin, J. , Zheng, H. , Brooks, A., Holocene-aged sedimentary records of environmental changes and early agriculture in the lower Yangtze, China, Quaternary Science Reviews, 27, 2008, p556 - 570Download Item:
Abstract:
Sedimentary evidence from a total of 21 AMS 14C dates and 192 pollen and charcoal and 181 phytolith samples from three study sites
in the archaeologically rich lower Yangtze in China provides an indication of interactions between early agriculturalists and generally
highly dynamic environmental conditions. Results suggest that environmental changes influenced agricultural development, and attest
the localised environmental impacts of incipient agriculture. Evidence of human activity, in the form of indicators of deforestation and
possibly food production, is apparent by ca 7000 BP (early Neolithic or Majiabang). Clearer evidence of human activity dates to ca
4700 BP (late Neolithic or Liangzhu). Extensive, profound and apparently widespread human impacts do not appear until the Eastern
Zhou (Iron Age, ca 2800?2200 BP), however, which in the lower Yangtze was a period associated with technological advances in
agriculture, increased urbanisation and relatively stable hydro-geomorphological conditions.
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http://people.tcd.ie/taylordDescription:
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Author: TAYLOR, DAVID
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Quaternary Science Reviews27
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