中国河西走廊东灰山和西灰山作物遗存研究

河西走廊是古代中原文化和西域文化的交叉地带,也是古丝绸之路的重要通道。为了给研究东西方物质和文化交流在中国农业发展史上的作用提供实物证据,对甘肃民乐东灰山和西灰山现有材料采用遗址剖面土壤样本浮选、分拣、鉴定和理化分析方法,以现代作物种子为对照,确定遗址炭化作物籽粒的种类、性状差异及年纪。结果显示,东灰山遗址发现了炭化小麦、大麦、谷子(粟)、糜子(黍、稷)、黑麦、荞麦和燕麦籽粒,以及胡桃壳、枣核等;西灰山遗址发现了炭化小麦、谷子、糜子和大麦籽粒;两个遗址的作物种植结构基本一致。东灰山和西灰山发现的作物以小麦最为古老,距今在3 800~3 600年之间,西灰山小麦种植历史稍早于东灰山。在新石器晚期至青铜器时代,河西走廊的粮食生产已有比较合理的作物种类结构,包括小麦、大麦、谷子、糜子、黑麦、荞麦和燕麦等。炭化小麦籽粒较小,且大小不均匀,说明人工选育程度低。如对东灰山和西灰山作物和植物遗存开展系统性发掘,可能还会有更多新发现或新认知。     

Investigating Neolithic land use in Swifterbant (NL) using micromorphological techniques

In the Swifterbant area in The Netherlands, a complete Neolithic landscape is preserved, buried in a wetland environment. A dozen sites (dating from ca. 4300–4000 cal. BC) on levees of a former creek system are characterized by a black layer containing large amounts of carbonized plant remains, burnt bone, flint and pottery. These sites are usually interpreted as occupation sites with accumulated refuse of a society in transition from a Mesolithic to a Neolithic lifestyle (hunting and herding), in an area that was too wet for crops.In the context of a new research campaign in the area, we investigated the site- and land-use on two locations (S2 and S4) using micromorphological techniques.On S2, the soil matrix in the archaeological horizon has a heterogeneous, non-sedimentary appearance due to the ubiquitous presence of rounded and subrounded aggregates. These aggregates indicate that the sediment was disturbed after deposition, but it is unclear by what human activity. This disturbance is not restricted to the archaeological site horizon, but extends also into the under- and overlying layers.On S4, three layers can be distinguished. Only the lower and central parts are usually regarded as archaeological layers. The lower layer shows thorough mixing of the (partly decalcified) groundmass and the incorporation of anthropogenic materials (carbonized plant remains, burnt bone, etc.). Most probably, the thorough mixing is a result of tillage. The central layer consists of thinly laminated phytoliths and carbonized plant remains with ample fragments of (burnt) bone, angular sediment clods and some dog coprolites. Mineral sediments are absent. Apparently, the layer was formed by human activities that resulted in a massive accumulation of burnt organic materials and anthropogenic debris. The preservation of the micro-layering formed by phytoliths and carbonized is remarkable, since trampling would have deformed or disturbed the layering. The surprising conclusion therefore has to be that this location was not the main settlement area—as was implicitly thought until now. Rather, the area should be interpreted as a location where specific activities resulted in the accumulation of burnt plant material, e.g. a waste dump. The upper layer again has indications of anthropogenic soil disturbance. Samples from the basin adjacent to the levee site show sediments that are deformed by trampling. The transition of the site to the channel shows no signs of trampling, but rather interfingering of site layers with channel sediments. Lack of trampling in the central zone of S4 and the adjacent channel shore is at odds with the classical interpretation that the site represents a settlement area. The black layers that up till now were thought to encompass a complete settlement, could very well be a very prominent part of larger sites with remains of human activities during the Neolithic.     

环境视域下新石器时代晚期内蒙古中南部农业研究——兼论早期畜牧业的起源

新石器时代晚期,内蒙古中南部地区经济模式以农业为主、狩猎为辅、间以渔猎,其核心特征是混合经济;当地农业是一种粗犷型旱地农业经济,这种生业模式与中原地区的典型旱作农业不同,狩猎在其经济中占据重要地位。长城沿线地带的气候环境是此地混合经济存在的自然基础,随着环境逐渐变冷,该地族群逐步适应环境变迁,主动调整生业模式,即农业整体下降,畜牧成分不断上升,朱开沟遗址一到五期遗存生业模式的变化,生动反映出畜牧经济脱胎于当地混合经济的历史进程。至迟到商代前期,内蒙古中南部地区畜牧经济已经初步形成。     

Earliest archeological evidence of fertilization in Central Europe

The beginnings of food production—animal husbandry and crop cultivation—and of a sedentary way of life represent one of the most drastic changes in human history. Likewise, this is accompanied by an increasing human impact on nature, which is mainly caused by agricultural practices. Agriculture is related to the clearing of forests, tillage, maintenance of the cultivated land, and finally harvesting, which alters not only the vegetation cover but also soil fertility as there is a potential risk for a loss of nutrients. People already countered this loss of nutrients in the times of early agriculture through different techniques and practices. The article summarizes the earliest evidence of fertilization in the prehistory of Central Europe and presents the most important methods for their investigation. What significance fertilization had for early farming societies can presently not be estimated due to the small amount of data. We therefore advocate the development of a routine for sampling during archaeological excavations and for the analysis of various materials (sediment and plant remains) using various methods. For this, the awareness must be raised that anthropogenic sediments, such as pit fills, are important archives for research into the history of humankind.     

Irrigation on the Tehran Plain,Iran: Tepe Pardis - The site of a possible Neolithic irrigation feature?

This paper presents direct evidence in the form of a triangular cross-section channel (1 m in width and 0.24 m in depth), for Late Neolithic artificial water management on the Tehran Plain, which may represent the earliest example of artificial water management in Iran. The antiquity of this channel is supported by dating directly above and below by C¹⁴, associated ceramic sherds and correlation with Late Neolithic levels. The nature and function of this channel is evaluated through comparisons with natural channels (ancient and modern) together with evidence from palynology and sedimentology. It is here interpreted as a silted-up artificial canal with infill-deposits that indicate periods of shallow relatively quiet flow, periods of drying-out and occasional episodes of greater flow. This study strongly suggests that 6th millennium farmers at Tepe Pardis in Iran were irrigating their crops, and complements the evidence from Choga Mami in Iraq concerning early irrigation systems.     

绰墩遗址新石器时期水稻田、古水稻土剖面、植硅体和炭化稻形态特征的研究

绰墩遗址第六次发掘的300 m2范围内出土22块古田块,通过对其田埂、灌排系统(水口、水沟、水井)等结构特征的观察研究,对古田块和水沟中出土的灌溉用具——陶罐和陶盆碎片的鉴定是属于马家滨文化时期的器物;从田块表土层中淘洗出大量的炭化稻粒,每克土壤中检测到有上万至十余万颗水稻植硅体,这些结果证明所发现的田块是马家滨时期的灌溉稻田。对出土的炭化稻粒和土壤有机质的14C定年结果表明其年龄分别为5 907 a BP和6 280 a BP,是新石器即晚马家滨文化时期的水稻文明。对在遗址挖掘的两个整段剖面(P-01和P-03)的研究发现,P-01剖面上42~103 cm层位埋藏有马桥文化-商朝初期(3 320 a BP)和在103~200 cm层位埋藏有马家滨时期(6 280 a BP)的两个古水稻土剖面,这一结果佐证了前人关于8 000年来长江三角洲地区曾有过几次大的洪水泛滥而使人类耕作活动中断的气候变化事件的结论。然而距P-01仅15 m的P-03整段剖面上仅出现了马桥-商朝初期的古水稻土剖面(40~100 cm),未发现马家滨时期古水稻土剖面(100~200 cm),说明当时的生产力非常低下,仅能利用低洼平坦的地方种稻,稍高一点的居住点附近的坡地就无法改成梯田种植水稻了。这两个埋藏的古水稻土剖面均已经发育了水稻土的明显特征。对出土炭化稻粒的形态学研究表明,外型多为椭圆形,长宽比的变异较大,稃面有方格凹陷结构、周边有稃毛,顶端残留有稻芒的基部,基部有护颖而没有小梗,"钝形"的双峰乳突、浅平的凹陷乳沟等均显示其为人工栽培的粳型水稻。结果与丁颖20世纪50年代在黄河流域发现的汉代的炭化稻粒的特征是吻合的,从而支持了关于"我国长江流域与黄河流域古代最早栽培的水稻都是粳稻品种"的论点。     

A Neolithic yew bow in the Polish Carpathians: Evidence of the impact of human activity on mountainous palaeoenvironment from the Kamiennik landslide peat bog

A unique artefact — the fragment of a bow made of yew wood, indicating the hunting activity of prehistoric man — was found within the sediments of the landslide peat bog (at the depth of 330 cm) formed on the Mt. Kamiennik (Polish Flysch Carpathians). The datings of this artefact using ¹⁴C method at ca 3790–3380 cal BC indicate its connection with the activity of the Neolithic man, related to the Funnel Beaker Culture. In the sequence of the peat bog deposits formed since the Atlantic Phase, the palaeoclimatic changes of the Middle- and Late Holocene, as well as traces of human impact in these and subsequent periods were recorded and analysed using palynological, macrofossils, lithological methods, and dated with radiocarbon. Palaeoenvironmental changes identified in the peat horizon bearing the artefact were marked by the delivery of minerogenic, “high energy” deposits (with charcoal) to the peat bog, as well as distinct changes of plant communities. These phenomena confirm a significant human impact caused by the Prehistoric man on landslide areas. On the other hand, the study confirms significant importance of climatic condition for human activity and proves that landslide peat bog deposits are very sensitive records of palaeoenvironmental changes. The archaeological artefact essentially supplements the results of our interdisciplinary palaeoenvironmental study. It is one of the rare Neolithic bows found in the area of Europe, till now.     

考古资料所见中国新石器时期家猪的分布

通过考古所得的资料来研究中国新石器时期家猪的分布情况。分析得知,在这一段时期内家猪的分布范围极其广大,基本遍及全国。并以长江、黄河流域为中心向周围辐射。家猪集中的地区也是新石器时期政治、经济、文化集中的地区。全国分为八大集中区,这些大集中区中又有小中心,而且大集中区彼此独立。影响家猪的分布有两个重要原因,即社会的因素和自然环境因素。我们的先民对野猪的驯养是在各地独立进行的。     

浙江跨湖桥遗址的古稻遗存研究

为了深入了解新石器时代的稻作起源问题,对距今7 000~8 000年前的浙江省杭州市近郊新发现的跨湖桥遗址进行了植物硅酸体分析和植物遗存调查。植物硅酸体分析结果显示,除第11层外,其他各层都有来自稻叶片运动细胞的硅酸体,而且硅酸体的形状较大,与现代栽培粳稻的相似。植物遗存调查显示,跨湖桥遗址中有大量的稻谷、稻米和谷壳等古稻遗存;其中,稻谷的长宽比为2.71, 稻米的长宽比为2.68,稻谷粒型与现代栽培稻的籼稻相似。研究结果表明,长江下游可能是我国稻作起源地之一,跨湖桥遗址的古稻可能是尚未完全分化的群体。     

从南庄桥遗址的稻硅酸体看早期水稻的系统演变

植物硅酸体分析是研究作物起源进化的一种有效方法.为了了解新石器时代栽培作物的种类以及栽培稻系统的历史变迁,我们从浙江省南庄桥遗址5～12层中采集了16份土样和8份陶片及红烧土进行了植物硅酸体分析.结果从14份土样和6份陶片中发现了稻的硅酸体,分别属于马家浜文化(B.C. 4500～B.C. 3800)和良渚文化(B.C. 3500～B.C. 2000),说明这个遗址及其周围从距今6000年左右起就已经栽培水稻了.对发现的稻硅酸体进行形状解析结果显示,伴随历史的发展稻硅酸体的长、宽、厚增大,形状系数b/a 减小;在4个形状特性的分布上看到同样的趋势,表明从马家浜文化到良渚文化稻的硅酸体有一个向大尺寸、尖长型方向变化的过程.根据稻硅酸体形状解析结果,我们认为遗址早期的栽培稻可能是一些正在分化的多样性的群体,随着历史的向前发展,走上大量栽培粳稻的道路.