Exploring the Concept of“Build a Community of a Shared Future for Mankind”in International Diplomacy:A Prehistoric Mythological Perspective

According to the historical records of prehistoric civilisation in China and the existing theories of prehistoric history within the academic community,it can be inferred that all human civilisations on Earth have their origins in the period following the Great Flood,during which human civilisation was rebuilt.Furthermore,there are notable parallels between the figure of“Nuwa”in Chinese prehistoric civilisation and that of“Noah”in Western accounts.By treating the prehistoric flood event as a research approach in historical compilation,scholars can extract valuable insights into“building a community of a shared future for mankind”and use it as a symbol of global diplomatic relations.This approach can foster common values of mutual learning and exchange among nations,ultimately creating a more promising future for developing a new form of human civilisation.

Stability monitoring and evaluation of the modeled test square for prehistoric earthen sites during excavation period

In order to explore the stability of test square during archaeological excavation for prehistoric earthen sites in Hangzhou, a modeled test square with 2. 3 min depth, inplane dimensions of 5 min width by 5 m in length, and an archaeological column in the middle was excavated by means of a top-down excavation technique. To investigate the stability performance of the modeled test square and the associated effect on the adjacent area, a real-time comprehensive instrumentation program was conducted during the excavation. Field observations included ground settlements, lateral displacement, pore pressure and underground water level. Monitoring data indicates that the ground settlement induced by dewatering and unloading action basically decreases with the increase of the distance away from the pit edge, and the lateral displacements at four sides showa nonlinear variation along the depth. The maximum value is far below the acceptable value regulated by the related standard,which validates the stability of the modeled test square during excavation. Variations of pore pressure and water level suggest that long-term stability should be paid more attention due to the slowconsolidation of soft soil. Meanwhile, it is proved that the step shape of the wall can resist lateral displacement more effectively than the vertical shape of wall. This case study provides insights into the real archaeological excavation in Hangzhou, in particular Liangzhu prehistoric earthen sites.

Nature and timing of a prehistoric giant landslide on the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau

Studying the characteristics of a prehistoric giant landslide and ascertaining its relationship with palaeo-seismic events could provide useful information on the role of regional tectonic activities in hillslope evolution.Here,a giant palaeoseismic landslide(GPSL),namely,the Luanshibao(LSB)landslide,located on the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,was investigated to ascertain its characteristics and occurrence age.The relationship between occurrence age and palaeoseismic episodes was also discussed by using 14 C dating on the adjacent active faults,including the regional Yidun-Litang-Dewu(YD-LT-DW)fault zone,which crossed the LSB landslide.The dating of multiple samples acquired from palaeo-seismic trenches revealed that at least 5 palaeo-seismic episodes had occurred in the vicinity of the LSB landslide over the last 5000 years.The occurrence age of the LSB landslide(3635±387 a BP)coincides with palaeo-seismic episode I,and the LSB landslide is convincingly inferred to have been triggered during episode I,which reached a seismic intensity(Chinese scale)of at least degree VII near the LSB landslide during failure.The timing of a second reactivation phase coincides with palaeo-seismic episode IV,which occurred at 2100-2200 a BP.The study could provide reference for studying the regional palaeoseismic activities and palaeo landslide evolution near the Litang area.

Numerical simulation of the behaviors of test square for prehistoric earthen sites during archaeological excavation

During the process of archaeological excavation in the regions of Southeast China, collapse of test square usually occurs due to poor site-specific conditions. In this paper, the fast Lagrangian analysis of continua in three dimensions（FLAC3D） is employed to reveal the behaviors of test square. Taking the archaeological works in Liangzhu prehistoric earthen sites as the research background, the paper first introduces the geological setting, excavation procedure and monitoring scheme of the studied test square. Then, the deformation of four sides of the test square is modeled using FLAC3D. By comparison, it shows that the numerical results are consistent with the results from field monitoring. The result suggests that the numerical simulation can be effectively applied to representing the actual behaviors of the test square,which is helpful for determination of excavation scheme and stability evaluation of the test square during archaeological excavation.

Social development and living environment changes in the Northeast Tibetan Plateau and contiguous regions during the late prehistoric period

The relationship between the evolution of human societies and their living environments has been discussed intensively in recent decades.It is important to understand the patterns and mechanisms of human–environment interaction and evolution in order to cope with rapidly changing environments in the modern world.We reviewed the results of dating,archaeobotanical,and zooarchaeological studies from 139 prehistoric sites in the Northeast Tibetan Plateau(NETP)and contiguous regions(NETP-CR:i.e.,the Hexi Corridor and western margin of the Chinese Loess Plateau)and compared them with paleoenvironmental records to study variations in spatiotemporal patterns of social development in the area and their relationships with climate and vegetation changes.Our results show that hunter-gatherer groups occupied vast areas of the NETP at low intensities during^15,000–5500 BP(years before present).This was directly related to forest cover and climate change.An increase in temperature and precipitation turnover of vegetation from desert steppe to alpine meadow/subalpine shrub,and recovery of animal population on the Tibetan Plateau created more food resources and space for hunter-gatherers.Millet farmers settled extensively below 2500 m a.s.l.(meters above sea level)in the NETP-CR between^5500 and 3600 BP,and might have coexisted with hunting groups above 2500 m a.s.l.via subsistence exchange.The distribution of human settlements during that period was affected by climate change,with the relatively warm and wet climate promoting the expansion of millet agriculture to the NETP-CR during 5500–4500 BP,while climate deterioration caused humans to retreat to lower altitudes.During 3600–2200 BP,a range of livelihoods emerged in different regions of the NETPCR.This was promoted by early trans-Eurasian exchange and the development of an agro-pastoral economy that utilized cold-tolerant crops and livestock.This eventually promoted the expansion of permanent human settlements to high-altitude areas in the NETP.This study found that human societies adopted various strategies to adapt to the changing living environment throughout late prehistoric times in the NETP-CR.The results provide a long-term perspective on the trajectory of regional socio-environmental co-evolution.

The relative stability of prehistorical geographic environment in China's tropics on the basis of archaeology

According to archaeological data from about sixty samples the relative stability of physical and human geographical environment in the tropical zone of China is discussed in this paper. Because of the superior natural environment, sufficient food resources and a sparse population resulting in the absence of social requirement to transform the productive forces, the advancement of economy and society was stagnated during prehistorical period in China's tropics. Compared with northern China, the appearance of ground stone tool stagnated about 3,000 years, the beginning of Bronze Age, about 1,000 years, and the agriculture, 2,500-3,000 years. The no ceramics age continued till the early Neolithic Age and the appearance of colour or white ceramics was 2,000 years later than that in northern China. The life form of migration to gather and to hunt continued till the middle Neolithic Age, and the fixed settlement based on agriculture 1,000-2,000 years stagnated. The clan commune just appeared at the end of the Neolithic Age which was 2,000-3,000 years later than that in northern China.

GIS and Intra-Site Spatial Analyses: An Integrated Approach for Recording and Analyzing the Fossil Deposits at Casablanca Prehistoric Sites (Morocco)

The Mio-Plio-Pleistocene sequence at Casablanca, covering the last six million years, is well known in scientific literature. The variability and the chronology of the Acheulian sequence is documented by systematic, modern and controlled investigations in various sites (Unit L and Hominid Cave at Thomas I Quarry, Rhinoceros Cave at Oulad Hamida 1 Quarry, Sidi Abderrahman Extension Quarry, Bear’s Cave and Cap Chatelier at Sidi Abderrahman Quarry) which have taken place within the framework of the Franco-Moroccan co-operative project “Casablanca”. In order to manage the excavation data and to explore the taphonomic nature of Unit L, Hominid Cave and Rhinoceros Cave, where research is still in progress, an approach combining a Geographic Information System (GIS) and spatial analysis techniques was developed, incorporating all existing information produced from previous excavations and recent surveys of the sites. The amalgamation of this data into a GIS has resulted in a digital database that allows the production of simultaneous or separate visualizations and analyses of the fossils, artifacts and geological materials within their original spatial contexts and also permits intra-site spatial analyses that allow a comprehensive investigation of the site formation processes.

Unknown Signs and Symbols on Egyptian Prehistoric Naqada Stone Palettes

Although stone palettes from the Naqada culture are well known, research has been focused mostly on those palettes which are richly decorated. However, streaks and fragments of individual signs are also often found on simple palettes of various shapes. This study shows that the majority of these palettes have quite a number of marks and sign fragments that have been made by different techniques and over a long period of time. This particularly applies to rhomboidal palettes, for most of which there are no ground to infer that they have been used for ritual purposes or for mixing beauty care compositions. It is more likely that they denote an early form of the visual symbol in later periods represented by the head of Ptah＇s staff.

The evolution of prehistoric arrowheads in northern China and its influential factors

Prehistoric projectile weapons are crucial for understanding the hunting behavior,survival strategies,and subsistence patterns of prehistoric humans.Arrowheads were the primary prehistoric projectile weapon,and here we review the spatiotemporal distribution and changes in the morphology,quantity,and materials composition of arrowheads in the northern regions of China from the Middle and Upper Paleolithic periods to the Bronze Age,together with the factors that influenced these changes.The results reveal that primitive stone arrowheads appeared sporadically in the Middle Paleolithic period.Additionally,the“broad spectrum revolution”and microblade technology during the Upper Paleolithic promoted the regional-scale diffusion of broad and thick stone arrowheads in northern China.During the Neolithic period,relatively narrow and thin stone and bone arrowheads spread rapidly across the entire Yellow River Basin and most of northeastern China.The dominance of these two types of arrowheads alternated,during the period of 7000–5000 yr BP,the number of arrowheads peaked,possibly closely related to changes in the role of hunting(fishing and hunting)and gathering in the subsistence economy,human population size,and the emergence and development of a grinding technology.During the Bronze Age,a significant number of bronze arrowheads appeared,and the total number of arrowheads increased again,and their distribution expanded to northwestern China.The emergence of a bronze smelting technology and inter-group conflicts may have been the primary factors influencing this trend.Our results demonstrate that arrowheads were always an essential component of prehistoric tool kits.Due to technological developments in subsistence strategies,the morphology,function,and popularity of arrowheads underwent substantial changes during different periods.Therefore,a comprehensive study of prehistoric arrowheads can help better understand the subsistence patterns and processes of economic and societal development of prehistoric humans.

Historiography and Scientific Research of Religious Buildings of the Cucuteni-Trypillian Culture

The purpose of this article is to reveal the historiography and current state of research related to the cult buildings of the Eneolithic period of the Cucuteni-Trypillian cultural community.The article describes the historical path of archaeological discoveries,from the first Trypillian sanctuaries to the discovery of the largest Nebelivka temple complex in Ukraine in 2012.At the same time,the work partially raises the issue of religious beliefs of the ancient farmers of Central Europe in connection with the discovery of their sacred buildings.Since special scientific works have not comprehensively addressed this issue and are still fragmentary in nature,it is important at the present stage of research to make some coverage and systematization of existing materials on this issue.

History and possible mechanisms of prehistoric human migration to the Tibetan Plateau

Prehistoric human history on the Tibetan Plateau is a hotly debated topic. Archaeological research on the plateau during the past few decades has enormously improved our understanding of the topic and makes it possible for us to consider the processes and mechanisms of prehistoric human migration to the region. By reviewing the published archaeological research on the Tibetan Plateau, we propose that the first people on the plateau initially spread into the He-Huang region from the Chinese Loess Plateau, and then moved to the low elevation Northeastern Tibetan Plateau and perhaps subsequently to the entire plateau. This process consisted of four stages.(1) During the climatic amelioration of the Last Deglacial period(15–11.6 ka BP), Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherers with a developed microlithic technology first spread into the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau.(2) In the early-mid Holocene(11.6–6 ka BP), Epipaleolithic microlithic hunter-gatherers were widely distributed on the northeastern plateau and spread southwards to the interior plateau, possibly with millet agriculture developed in the neighboring low elevation regions.(3) In the mid-late Holocene(6–4 ka BP), Neolithic millet farmers spread into low elevation river valleys in the northeastern and southeastern plateau areas.(4) In the late Holocene(4–2.3 ka BP), Bronze Age barley and wheat farmers further settled on the high elevation regions of the Tibetan Plateau, especially after 3.6 ka BP. Finally, we suggest that all of the reported Paleolithic sites earlier than the LGM on the Tibetan Plateau need further examination.

A review on the spread of prehistoric agriculture from southern China to mainland Southeast Asia

The origins and spread of agriculture was one of the milestones in human history.When and how prehistoric agriculture spread to mainland Southeast Asia is highly concerned,which contributed to the formation of modern Austroasiatic in this region.Previous studies mainly focused on the time and route of rice agriculture’s introduction into Southeast Asia while millet agriculture was not paid proper attention.Here we analyze 31214C dating data yielded from charred seeds of rice(Oryza sativa),foxtail millet(Setaria italica)and broomcorn millet(Panicum miliaceum)from 128 archaeological sites in China and mainland Southeast Asia.The result shows that millet farming was introduced to mainland Southeast Asia in the late third millennium BC and rice farming was in the late second millennium BC.The agriculture of mainland Southeast Asia might originate from three areas,Southwest China,Guangxi-West Guangdong and coastal Fujian.The spread route of ancient agriculture in Southwest China is close to the“Southwest Silk Road”recorded in literature,which implies there was possibly a channel of cultural exchanges on the eastern margin of Tibetan Plateau already in the late Neolithic period,laying the foundation for the Southwest Silk Road later.

Impact of Holocene climate change on the prehistoric cultures of Zhejiang region, East China

The temporal-spatial distribution features of prehistoric cultures since the Holocene in Zhejiang region were comparatively analyzed based on GIS spatial analysis. Results show that the prehistoric cultures expanded gradually in this region before 4000 cal. a BP. The notable expansions occurred twice, one in the Majiabang-Hemudu cultural period, the other in the Liangzhu cultural period. Meanwhile, the prehistoric cultures were disseminated from west to east coast along river valleys. After 4000 cal. a BP, as represented by the Maqiao Culture, the distributed area of each prehistoric culture contracted. This is obviously due to the termination of spreading trends to east coast, which was simultaneously accompanied by two different modes of production and economic transitions in the north and south Zhejiang region respectively. The distribution of prehistoric cultures was closely related with Holocene sea-level fluctuations, especially on the banks of Hangzhou Bay, where the distribution changes of prehistoric cultural sites were greatly affected by sea-level changes, with the closest relationships between them. After 7000 cal. a BP, the process of lowered sea-level and regression-epeirogenesis provided wider terrestrial living spaces for prehistoric inhabi- tants. Based on the comparative analyses of the changes of prehistoric cultures and the en- vironmental evolution information recorded in the Qianmutian subalpine peat of Mt. Tianmu and muddy area on the inner shelf of the East China Sea, it is indicated that the changes of prehistoric cultures were synchronized with environmental changes in Zhejiang region. Before 4000 cal. a BP, the eastward expansion of prehistoric cultures in Zhejiang occurred under the background of the Holocene Optimum, and was the expansion and extension under the joint influences of agricultural civilization and maritime civilization. However, after 4000 cal. a BP, the qeographical contraction of prehistoric cultures in ZheiianQ occurred under the back-ground of dry-cold climate trend and deterioration of coastal marine environment. It is evidenced from the above fact that the development, expansion and contraction of prehistoric cultures are positively correlated to environmental change. The change of the climatic environment is just the underlying reason for these changes and transitions of production modes and economic forms. Therefore, the climatic environment is the dominant factor of prehistoric culture vicissitudes in Zhejiang region, which has exerted great influence on distribution, dissemination, expansion and transmutation of the culture.

The study of size-grade of prehistoric settlements in the Circum-Songshan area based on SOFM network

Choosing site area, cultural layer thickness, significant relics and significant re- mains as the variables, we applied cluster analysis to the ancient settlements of four cultural periods, respectively, which were Peiligang, Yangshao, Longshan and Xiashang, in 9000-3000 a BP, around Songshan Mountain. Through application of the SOFM （self-organizing feature map） networks, every type of ancient settlements was classified into different size-grades. By this means, the Peiligang settlements were divided into two grades, Yangshao and Longshan settlements were divided into three grades, respectively, and Xi- ashang settlements were divided into four grades. The results suggested that the size-grade diversity of ancient settlements was not significant during the Peiligang period in this area. Around the middle-late Yangshao period （5000 a BP）, the size-grade diversity of ancient settlements began to appear, a process that continued during the Longshan period and finally matured in the Xiashang period. Moreover, the results reflected the regional differences in cultural characteristics in a particular period, which were mainly represented in that there were three Peitigang cultural systems distributed in different areas. Such differences also existed in the spatial distributive characteristics between the Xia and Shang cultures. Based on the size-grade study of ancient settlements in the Circum-Songshan area, it was found that the SOFM networks method was very suitable for size-grade classification of ancient settle- ments, since, using this method, adjacent cells would compete and learn from each other, a benefit that reduced the effect on classification by the inaccuracy of site acreages.

Relation between human existence and environment viewing from the distribution of prehistoric archaeological sites in the Three Gorges reservoir region of the Yangtze River,China

Based on archaeological research findings in the Three Gorges region as well as the distribution of prehistoric sites in this area,the following conclusion can be derived:the unique physical and geographical conditions and variations in the Three Gorges region make local people of different ages seek their survival and development in the favorable environment along the riverbanks.Environment evolution has direct impact on the selection of location for survival.The increase of sites quantity reflects the favorable natural environment,but the decrease just reflects the consequence of such natural disasters as flood.

Detecting anthropogenic impact on forest succession from the perspective of wood exploitation on the northeast Tibetan Plateau during the late prehistoric period

Human activities are usually considered to have had impacts on forest degradation and/or changes of forest composition in the past.The Tibetan Plateau,an environmentally sensitive area,has witnessed a high intensity of human activities since the late Neolithic,but the evidence is still incomplete concerning how human activities affected the environment,especially vegetation changes.This may result,in part,from the fact that research on prehistoric wood utilization by humans in the northeast Tibetan Plateau(NETP)is scarce,especially from the perspective of charcoal analysis,which is an archaeological index directly related to human activities.To fill this gap,we report new data here concerning charcoal analysis from 24 archaeological sites dated 5200–2300 a BP in the NETP,where this period saw remarkable environmental and social changes.By coupling the results with published paleoenvironment records(especially pollen),we aim to explore the utilization of wood and its spatial-temporal changes,as well as the anthropogenic impacts on past forest dynamics in the NETP.The results suggest that the wood resources collected by humans were mainly needleleaf trees(Picea L.and Pinus L.),broadleaved trees(Populus L.,Salix L.,and Betula)as well as shrubs(Hippophae L.and Tamarix L.),and that these were distributed around the human habitation areas.There was a clear spatial difference in the woody assemblage collected by humans in the period 3600–2300 a BP.This was likely related to the diversity of natural environments in local areas,but there was an abnormal spatial pattern of forest composition with broadleaved trees dominant above 2500 masl caused not by climate change,but by the rapid increase of human settlement and wood collection in high altitude areas of the NETP since 3600 a BP.

Prehistoric Farming

玉米是重要的农作物。但你想过没有,它的进化竟然与人类的活动有关。科学家们曾经认为玉米演化的过程很缓慢,主要取决于自然的力量。但最近的研究发现,尽管没有现代基因工具的帮助,人们通过优选良种的方法改变了 其基因结构。由此看来,人类的确不愧“万物的灵长”这一美誉。

Bacterial Communities in a Buried Ancient Paddy Soil from the Neolithic Age

An ancient irrigated paddy soil from the Neolithic age was excavated at Chuodunshan Site in the Yangtze River Delta, close to Suzhou, China. The soil organic matter (SOM) content in the prehistoric rice soil is comparable to the average SOM content of present rice soils in this region, but it is about 5 times higher than that in the parent materials. As possible biomarkers to indicate the presence of the prehistoric paddy soil, the bacterial communities were investigated using the techniques of aerobic and anaerobic oligotrophic bacteria enumeration, Biolog analysis, and polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE). The results showed that in the buried soil layers, the prehistoric paddy soil had the largest number of aerobic and anaerobic oligotrophic bacteria, up to 6.12 and 5.86 log cfu g-1 dry soil, respectively. The prehistoric paddy soil displayed better carbon utilization potential and higher functional diversity compared to the parent materials and a prehistoric loess layer. The Shannon index and richness based on DGGE profiles of bacterial 16S rRNA genes were higher in prehistoric paddy soil than those in the prehistoric loess soil. It might be concluded that the prehistoric irrigated rice cultivation accumulated the SOM in plowed soil layer, and thus increased soil bacterial populations, metabolic activity, functional diversity and genetic diversity. Bacterial communities might be considered as the sensitive indicators of the presence of the prehistoric paddy soil in China's Yangtze River Delta.