EARLIER AGRICULTURE IN HENAN PROVINCE AND SURROUNDINGS ACCORDING TO PEILIGANG SITE TOOLS

Wang, Jiehuai

Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Institute of Archaeology, 27 Wangfujing St., Beijing, CHINA (Agricultural Archaeology 1985(2):81-85). Formatted by G. Leir; edited by Yuping Wu & B. Gordon)

        Peiligang culture was first reported in 1977 at the Peiligang type site in Henan Province. It is a comparatively early society whose cultural remains are on the middle and lower Yellow River (Table 1) The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Institute of Archaeology Laboratory and the Cultural Relics Preservation Scientific Institute C14 dated its remains to >5,000 BC. It concentrates south of the Yellow River, Shandong, Shaanxi and Hebei, which have similar discoveries. Peiligang culture not only solved the Yangshao culture origin question, but this ancient society covers aspects like nature and religious consciousness and brought breakthroughs in a prominent part of agricultural history. It not only confirms China developed ancient agriculture, but that it was one of the world's earliest. Peiligang culture find advanced China's agricultural history.

        As Peiligang agricultural traits include the finding of carbonized millet grain with big excavated ground tools, this article attempts to describe tool use, growth and number.

Fig. 1. Peiligang culture serrated stone sickle

        The Peiligang site was excavated four times (1), followed by other Henan sites of this culture: Egou in Suihouyou, Mi County (2); Malianggou (3) Tieshenggou, Gong County (4) and Shawoli in Xinzheng (5), plus similar sites in Mi County, yielding 50 tools in 4 Peiligang culture sites. A common tool trait is fine grinding, a sign of some agricultural growth. Peiligang's four excavations compare important tool numbers. Sickles (Fig. 1), mano & metate, grindstones, etc., are practical agriculturally, their technology not complex, but the shovel, axe, sickle and metate were popular (Table 2).

        Fig. 2 shows major tools like the shovel, axe, sickle and metate, but fewer knives, chisels, spears, hoes, hammers, etc., are absent. The five major Peiligang tool types are: fully ground flat elongate or trapezoidal axe, the latter with round bit for felling trees and opening farmland (Fig. 1:3,4); fully ground flat shovel with round end for turning soil (Fig. 1:5,6)(p.81); fully ground harvesting sickle like a modern sickle with concave serrated edge and extension for handle attachment using 1-2 string gaps; (Fig. 1:1,2); and shoelike metate used with a mano for grinding grain. The metate had four columnar feet opposite an upper surface concavely worn thin by its mano (Fig. 1:7). All were essential in ancient processing and a minimal base for quick ancient agricultural growth.

Fig. 2. Peiligang culture common tools

        7-8,000 year-old climate and geography were vastly different, but early farmers with their clumsy stone tools greatly influenced production, with Peiligang culture south of the Yellow River an agricultural base directly affecting Asian agricultural growth. Due to geography and climate, agriculture originated south of the Yellow River.

        Geologically, the area south of Yellow River is part of north China noted for its widespread loess and yellow earth centered on the middle Yellow River late Pleistocene loess plateau of the Quaternary (6). Loose fertile loess was ideal for agricultural growth, enriching China's resources, but climate also affected landscape formation. Soil and climate made the Peiligang cultural area ideal for ancient habitat, as north precipitation concentrates in summer and is less than mean south precipitation, making millet a natural drought-resistant staple crop. Massive decayed millet kernels are numerous in Cishan culture sites, Yangshao culture's Ban'po sites, Meng Village, etc. This does not imply agricultural growth was ruled by environment, as it was heavily influenced by the social system. Thus, agricultural growth and economy was decided by natural conditions, social system and production method.

        Peiligang people constantly improved tools; sickles by serration, enhancing harvesting efficiency. Improved and new tools enhanced productivity, urging people to settle down and allowing the development of many types of earthenware.

        Animal husbandry reflected and depended on Peiligang agriculture, where pig, dog and cow were raised, the former implied from an excavated clay pig statue. Many people thought the earliest animal was the dog because it aided hunting. In North America, the earliest domestic dog dated 8400 BC in Jaguar Cave, Idaho (7). But others feel it was sheep because it ate natural grass, while the dog needed meat and pig grain. (p.82) The world's earliest domestic sheep dated 9000 BC in Zawi Chemi Shanidar (8), but pig was also early, dating 7000 BC in Cayonu, Turkey (9). Raising pigs was both a condition of animal husbandry and settled life. The clay pig certainly cannot explain pig raising, as it may far exceed that time, making China one of the world's earliest for agriculture and animal husbandry. Thus, the Yellow Valley could be China's ancient cradle of civilization because it developed ancient agriculture.

        Ancient Babylon was on the Tigris and Eurphrates Rivers and developed ancient agriculture, its civilization quite early. Ancient Egypt developed agriculture in the Nile Basin as one of four ancient nations. Indian agricultural civilization also developed along rivers, as did China on the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, quickening agricultural growth.

Table 1. C14 dated Peiligang culture (years BC) with standard deviation

Table 2. Peiligang culture tool numbers discussed in this paper

Endnotes and Bibliography

(1) Meeting on 1^st excavation in Kaifeng area, Deng County: "Henan Xin Deng Peiligang Neolithic site". Archaeology, 1978(2). Meeting on 2^nd excavation in Kaifeng area, Deng County, Zhengzhou University Historic Archaeology Specialty: "1978 Peiligang site excavation Bulletin" Archaeology, 1979(3). Meeting on 3^rd-4^th excavations by Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Institute of Archaeology: "1979 Peiligang site excavation report" Archaeology Journal 1984(1)

(2) Henan Province Museum, Mi County, "North Henan Mi County Peiligang Egou Neolithic site excavation report". Henan Wen Bu Communication 1979(3)

(3) Kaifeng area meeting, Mi County Cultural Committee, Zhengzhou University History Department: "Mi County Malianggou Neolithic site test pitting" Archaeology, 1981(3)

(4) Kaifeng area meeting, Gong County, Zhengzhou University Historic Archaeology specialty: "Henan Gong County Tieshenggou Neolithic site test pitting Bulletin"1980(5)

(5) Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Institute of Archaeology: "Henan Xinzhen County Shawoli Neolithic site" Archaeology, 1983(12)

(6) Beautiful Hubei: China physical geography summary. Commercial Press

(7) E. S. Higgs, "Prehistoric Economy". Papers in Economic Prehistory) Cambridge Univ. 1972, Paper 4

(8) See (7) Paper 3

(9) See (7)