FROM XIACHUAN CIVILIZATION TO THE ORIGIN OF CHINESE AGRICULTURAL CIVILIZATION

SHI, Xingbang, Shaanxi Archaeology Institute, Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, PR CHINA

        Archaeological ties have been found between the Yellow and upper, lower and middle Yangtze Rivers since the 1972 discovery of the 13-24,000-year-old Xiachuan civilization.

        This civilization with typical microlithic hunting technology advanced to collecting 12-20,000 years ago, with pestles, gravers, scrapers, millstones, saws, grindstones, reaping hooks, etc. This growth is really a phase of "plant collecting" involving planting and selection because it prepared the technology and conditions to select agricultural source varieties. Its material culture suggest it was historically related to pre-Yangshao millet agriculture.

        12-18,000 year-old pre-ceramic civilizations with similar millstones and reaping hooks occur in West Asia and North Africa, evolving into collecting almost simultaneously as China.

        Two different ecological views exist on Chinese agricultural origins: 1. from a crop-growing view, agriculture began by a rich collecting culture in an area with suitable ecology; and 2. from a crop-evolutionary perspective, agriculture began in a poor area. As both rice and millet originated in China, both views apply.

        Late Pleistocene Xiachuan climate was unstable. Combined research on soil layers and spores show variable temperature and humidity in six periods 12-36,000 years ago, not a full cold period once thought (Figure). As these climates gave necessary conditions for the transition from collecting to early agriculture, widespread Chinese agriculture originated earlier than presumed.