New evidence for rice harvesting in the early Neolithic Lower Yangtze River, China
The Lower Yangtze River of China has been identified as an independent center of rice domestication, but tracing the earliest evidence for rice cultivation practices has been challenging. Here we report the first evidence for rice harvesting, based on use-wear and phytolith residue analyses of 52 fl...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2022-01-01
|
| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9728911/?tool=EBI |
| _version_ | 1811178208620445696 |
|---|---|
| author | Jiajing Wang Jiangping Zhu Dongrong Lei Leping Jiang |
| author_facet | Jiajing Wang Jiangping Zhu Dongrong Lei Leping Jiang |
| author_sort | Jiajing Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Lower Yangtze River of China has been identified as an independent center of rice domestication, but tracing the earliest evidence for rice cultivation practices has been challenging. Here we report the first evidence for rice harvesting, based on use-wear and phytolith residue analyses of 52 flaked stone tools (10000–7000 BP) from the Shangshan and Hehuashan sites. The tools reflect two harvesting methods: reaping the panicles at the top and cutting the stalk near the base. Thus, our research provides a new method for investigating prehistoric cereal cultivation, and the data lend support to the evidence of rice domestication in the early Holocene. The results also show the complexity of rice harvesting strategies several millennia before the emergence of full-fledged agriculture in the Lower Yangtze. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T06:14:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d7ef33c11fc7467096dea41fd9177c74 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T06:14:38Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-d7ef33c11fc7467096dea41fd9177c742022-12-22T04:41:06ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-011712New evidence for rice harvesting in the early Neolithic Lower Yangtze River, ChinaJiajing WangJiangping ZhuDongrong LeiLeping JiangThe Lower Yangtze River of China has been identified as an independent center of rice domestication, but tracing the earliest evidence for rice cultivation practices has been challenging. Here we report the first evidence for rice harvesting, based on use-wear and phytolith residue analyses of 52 flaked stone tools (10000–7000 BP) from the Shangshan and Hehuashan sites. The tools reflect two harvesting methods: reaping the panicles at the top and cutting the stalk near the base. Thus, our research provides a new method for investigating prehistoric cereal cultivation, and the data lend support to the evidence of rice domestication in the early Holocene. The results also show the complexity of rice harvesting strategies several millennia before the emergence of full-fledged agriculture in the Lower Yangtze.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9728911/?tool=EBI |
| spellingShingle | Jiajing Wang Jiangping Zhu Dongrong Lei Leping Jiang New evidence for rice harvesting in the early Neolithic Lower Yangtze River, China PLoS ONE |
| title | New evidence for rice harvesting in the early Neolithic Lower Yangtze River, China |
| title_full | New evidence for rice harvesting in the early Neolithic Lower Yangtze River, China |
| title_fullStr | New evidence for rice harvesting in the early Neolithic Lower Yangtze River, China |
| title_full_unstemmed | New evidence for rice harvesting in the early Neolithic Lower Yangtze River, China |
| title_short | New evidence for rice harvesting in the early Neolithic Lower Yangtze River, China |
| title_sort | new evidence for rice harvesting in the early neolithic lower yangtze river china |
| url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9728911/?tool=EBI |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jiajingwang newevidenceforriceharvestingintheearlyneolithicloweryangtzeriverchina AT jiangpingzhu newevidenceforriceharvestingintheearlyneolithicloweryangtzeriverchina AT dongronglei newevidenceforriceharvestingintheearlyneolithicloweryangtzeriverchina AT lepingjiang newevidenceforriceharvestingintheearlyneolithicloweryangtzeriverchina |