西北不同降水区域新石器至青铜时代人类活动与环境变化的关系

Relationship between the human activity and environment changes during the Neolithic and Bronze Age in different precipitation areas of Northwestern China

中国西北地区史前人类活动与生存环境变化的关系是学术界关注的热点科学问题。本文通过总结分析西北地区新石器至青铜时代遗址^(14)C测年、动植物遗存以及人骨碳同位素数据,梳理了不同降水量区域人与环境相互作用的时空特征和变化过程,以及可能的影响因素。研究结果表明,10000-6000 BP,人类活动强度较弱且多分布在降水量大于400 mm的区域,人类活动与气候的关系尚不清楚;6000-4000 BP,粟黍农业的强化促进了人类活动空间向西扩散,显著的气候事件导致人类活动强度下降,人类活动对自然环境的影响开始显现;4000-2200 BP,史前跨大陆文化交流带来的农牧业元素促使不同降水量区域生存资料多样化,人类适应和影响环境的能力进一步加强,但该时期人类活动强度存在时空差异性,对环境的影响仅在区域尺度上呈现。

The relationship between humans and the environment during the prehistoric period has been receiving increased attention by multiple disciplinarians,including but not limited to anthropologists,archaeologists,and geographers.Northwestern China,the core location of the prehistoric trans-continental exchange,is characterized by complex and diverse topographical features,and rich archaeological remains from the Neolithic period to the Bronze age.However,the prehistoric relationship between humans and the environment in northwestern China with different precipitation remains unknown.Here we based on a review and comprehensive analysis of the multidisciplinary data,such as radiocarbon dates,archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological data,carbon isotopic data of human bone,the spatiotemporal changes of human activities and subsistence strategy during the Neolithic and Bronze periods in northwestern China were reported.And combined with high-resolution paleoclimate records,the trajectory of human-environment interaction,as well as the possible influencing factors were discussed.The final dataset used for analysis included 1440(349 sites)published radiocarbon dates,432542(208 sites)identified crop remains data,97256(49 sites)identified animal remains data,and 862(46 sites)measured carbon isotopic data from human bone were analyzed,respectively.Our results indicate that during the 10000-6000 BP humans in northwestern China mainly lived in the areas that had more than 400 mm of precipitation.As the millet agriculture was still in the early stage of development,the intensity of human activities was relatively low during this time,therefore,the relationship between climate and human activity is not decipherable.During the 6000-4000 BP,intensification of millet agriculture promoted westward dispersal of human activities,which were still mainly distributed in the area with precipitation more than 400 mm,but the human activities leading to migration into areas with precipitation less than 200 mm during the final phase of this period.The intensity of human settlement was declined with the influence of the cold-dry climate events,and the natural vegetation/land were degraded by human agricultural activities in this period.By 4000-2200 BP,the diversification of subsistence strategy was enhanced by the utilization of diverse crops and livestock,especially wheat,barley,and herbivorous livestock that were introduced into northwestern China through prehistoric trans-Eurasia exchange.Meanwhile,the ability of humans to adapt and impact the local environment in different precipitation areas was significantly increased in this period,especially the ability of human to adapt the dry climate in the area with precipitation less than 200 mm.This study will allow us to gain a comprehensive understanding of the processes and driving factors of human-environment interaction in northwestern China during the Neolithic and Bronze periods.