Multiple Factors Affecting the Historical Development of Agriculture in the Hei River Basin, Northwestern China

ABSTRACT

The history of agricultural development is of great importance to understanding the evolution of human societies. In this respect, one important location is the Hei River Basin (HRB), an ecotone in northwestern China where prehistoric patterns of cultivation are known to have changed significantly. To identify the factors behind the subsequent development of agriculture in the HRB in the historical period, a hitherto under-researched topic, we employed paleoclimate records, historical documents, radiocarbon dating, and archaeobotanical analyses from seven ancient cities and one large settlement. The results demonstrated a shift from mixed-crop farming to the cultivation of (mainly) barley and wheat during the Wei, Jin Northern and Southern dynasties, Song-Yuan and early Ming period, with the latter crop increasingly predominant. Technological innovations and increased labour power brought about by external population migration resulting from geopolitical changes in northern China were likely responsible for the shift in crop cultivation in the HRB, rather than climate change. This study provides important archaeobotanical evidence for the agricultural development of the HRB over the historical period and highlights multiple factors that seem to have influenced the evolution of agriculture in the region.

KEYWORDS:

• Hei River Basin
• historical period
• macrofossil analysis
• agricultural development
• technological innovations
• migration‌

Acknowledgement

This research was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (grant number 2018YFA0606402), the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program (STEP) (grant number 2019QZKK0601), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 41901090, 41825001), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (grant number 2019jbkyxs035), and the Major Project of China’s National Social Science Fund (grant number 2018ZDA323).

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National key R&D Program of China: [Grant Number 2018YFA0606402]; the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program: [Grant Number 2019QZKK0601]; National Natural Science Foundation of China: [Grant Number 41901090; 41825001]; the Major project of China's National Social Science Fund: [Grant Number 2018ZDA323].

Notes on contributors

Zhilin Shi

Zhilin Shi received his Ph.D. degree in Lanzhou University, and now works at Lanzhou University. His research interest includes agricultural development in historical periods and cultural exchanges across Eurasia.

Fengwen Liu

Fengwen Liu graduated from Lanzhou University with a Ph.D. degree in Physical Geography, and now works at Yunnan University. His research interest includes macroremains analysis, charcoal analysis, and past anthropogenic impacts on environment change.

Yishi Yang

Yishi Yang is a Chinese field archaeologist of Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology. He carried out several excavation and study of archaeological materials recovered from the Mid-late Neolithic, Bronze age, and historical periods sites.

Haiming Li

Haiming Li graduated from Lanzhou University with a Ph.D. degree in Physical Geography, and now works at Nanjing Agricultural University. His research interest mainly focus on agricultural development in prehistoric.

Guisheng Wang

Guisheng Wang graduated from Lanzhou University with a Ph.D. degree in Physical Geography, and now works at Anhui University of Science and Technology. His research interest includes agricultural development in historical periods and cultural exchanges across Eurasia.

Guanghui Dong

Guanghui Dong graduated from Peking University in 2005 with a Ph.D. degree in Physical Geography. He then began his research career at Lanzhou University and now holds the position of professor at Lanzhou University. His current research interest includes environmental archaeology and environment change.

Hucai Zhang

Hucai Zhang works at Yunnan University as a full professor. His research interest includes geochemical processes of lake sediments, lake evolution in response to global climate change, and environmental archaeology.