Plant food sources and stone tools' function at the site of Shunshanji based on starch grain analysis

The upper-middle Huai River valley(HRV) is located in the transition zone in the middle of eastern China. Previous studies have shown that the past populations in the upper HRV obtained plant food through gathering and cultivation of both rice and millet during the middle Neolithic. However, for the middle HRV it is not very clear what methods were used by humans to obtain plant food in that time. In this paper, starch grain analysis was carried out on 17 stone tools and 29 cauldron pottery sherds unearthed at Shunshanji(8.5–7.0 kyr BP), which is known as the earliest Neolithic site in the middle HRV excavated so far. Here, ancient starches from Coix lacryma-jobi, Triticeae, Oryza sativa, Trichosanthes kirilowii and one unidentified specie were recovered. This study contributes to the limited knowledge of food strategies as observed in the middle HRV. It demonstrates that both gathering and cultivation of rice took place during the middle-Neolithic. Among the identified species, Coix lacryma-jobi appears to have been the main plant food at Shunshanji. Moreover, it is clear that Oryza sativa was not consumed as much as other plant species according to the occurrence frequency of different starch grains. Starch grains were also found on the used surfaces of grinding stone implements as well as pestles, which means that these stone tools were used for food processing. In addition, axes from Shunshanji may also have been used for food processing as well as wood working because starches were also found on the edge of axes. Information about subsistence strategies and tool use at Shunshanji will also be helpful to understanding the utilization of plants and agricultural development in the middle HRV during the early-middle Neolithic period.

Starch grain analysis reveals Late Neolithic plant utilization in the middle reaches of the Ganjiang River

Plant utilization is poorly known in South China as compared to North China.Fanchengdui, Zhuweicheng, Shinianshan, and Yinjiaping, which date back to 5-4 ka BP, are typical Neolithic sites located at the middle reaches of the Ganjiang River in Jiangxi Province.Due to the lack of systematic plant archaeological work, only rice straw and husk residues have been found in some archaeological sites in Jiangxi Province.Thirteen stone tools excavated from these sites were examined in this study.The results showed that among the plants utilized are Coix spp., Oryza spp., Vigna spp., plants from the tribe Triticeae, roots from some plants of Zingiberaceae, and other species of roots and tubers.More than 457 grains were retrieved from the 13 stone tools.The fact that Coix spp.were found in all stone tools suggests that these species were a major food source during the Neolithic era.In addition, 28 starch grains of Oryza spp.were found in 8 stone tools.The analysis also revealed that not only seeds of Gramineae but also those of Leguminosae, Zingiberaceae and other species of roots and tubers are among the plants utilized in the four Fanchengdui culture sites.These results indicate that ancient plant utilization was rather diverse, and this study elucidates the prehistoric agricultural systems of South China.