中原地区庙底沟时期农业生产模式初探

中原地区庙底沟时期(6000~5500 a B.P.)是中国北方旱作农业发展,农业社会建立的关键阶段,这一时期中原地区出现了文化面貌大范围统一的庙底沟文化,长期以来对于该文化农业生产模式缺乏较为系统的研究.本文通过系统的植物考古浮选法(以植物种子、果壳、木炭等为研究对象的大植物考古研究方法),在中原地区庙底沟时期杨官寨遗址和西坡遗址获取了丰富的炭化植物遗存.两处遗址共采集、分析了160份浮选样品,共获得3403粒炭化植物种子,包括1597粒粟(Setaria italica),414粒黍(Panicum miliaceum),少量大豆(Glycine max)和稻米(Oryza sativa),以及1460粒包括狗尾草(Setaria viridis)、豆科(Leguminosae)、藜(Chenopodium album)等在内的非农作物遗存.通过两处遗址出土炭化植物遗存,结合其他庙底沟时期中原地区遗址植物考古研究显示,中原地区庙底沟时期的农业生产模式为较为典型的旱作农业传统,粟、黍类小米为最重要的农作物资源;稻米发现数量虽然很少,但是不论各聚落等级规模,几乎都有发现;大豆仅在个别遗址有发现,并不普及.杂草方面以狗尾草、豆科种子和藜为主,其他杂草数量很少.中原地区庙底沟时期农业发展具有明显的一致性,这一特点与庙底沟文化各遗址较为统一的文化面貌相契合.而通过与周边区域农业特点的比较,又可以观察到该区域的独特性,比如粟在中原地区的重要性要高于周边其他旱作农业传统区域,也许从一方面也反映了庙底沟文化核心区域的古代人群对更为高产粟的需求程度要更高,与其较高的遗址数量、规模和人口密度相符合;而稻米在庙底沟文化遗址中也普遍存在,尽管出土数量都比较有限.通过遗址出土农作物遗存与可食用非农作物遗存比例分析,以及相关动物考古研究,庙底沟时期的诸遗址已经明显以农耕生产为主要经济模式,家养动物和农作物资源远较之狩猎采集获得资源重要,推测已经完成了由狩猎采集向农业生产的转变.因此认为在庙底沟时期的中原地区,庙底沟文化的诸遗址已经形成了较为成熟的农业社会.

PRELIMINARY RESEARCH OF THE FARMING PRODUCTION PATTERN IN THE CENTRAL PLAIN AREA DURING THE MIAODIGOU PERIOD

It is generally believed that the dry-farming system based on foxtail millet and broomcorn millet was set up in Northern China.However,limited by the data of plant remains during Early-Mid Neolithic,the process of the agricultural system was not systematically studied so far.The Central Plain area,as the heartland of the Miaodigou Culture,played a crucial role in the emergence of social complexity and the development of dry-farming agriculture during the Miaodigou Period(6000~5500 a B.P.).The study of the farming production pattern in the Central Plain area would offer us a better understanding not only about the subsistence of the unified and powerful Miaodigou Culture,but the forming of the dry-farming system in Northern China.In this paper,a large amount of plant macro-remains were analyzed by systematic flotation from two important nucleated settlements-the Yangguanzhai site(34°28′22.32″N,109°01′26.77″E)in the Guanzhong area and the Xipo site(34°29′40.00″N,110°41′52.24″E)in the Western Henan area.The flotation samples were taken from excavation in both sites.Specifically,In the Yangguanzhai site,28 flotation samples were collected mainly from the moat fills in 2010,and in the Xipo site,132 flotation samples were taken mainly from moat fills in 2005,and pit fills in 2011 and 2013.All of the flotation samples from the two sites belong to the Miaodigou period.A total of 3403 charred seeds were collected and identified in the two sites,including 1597 foxtail millets(Setaria italica),414 broomcorn millets(Panicum miliaceum),25 soybeans(Glycine max),2 rice(Oryza sativa),and 1460 weeds.By the analysis of the density of plant remains from continuous layers of two moat fills and a pit fill,it seemed that charcoal,crop seeds and three types of weeds had been deposited in the features simultaneously,which reflecting the various degree of human activities in each layer.Data from the flotation in the two sites and the other 4 sites have published,indicate that the farming pattern of the Central Plain area during the Miaodigou Period was dominated by millets,with limited amount of soybean and rice.Rice remains were found in most sites no matter of the size and the location.By the analysis of the proportion between crop seeds and edible weeds,and the proportion between domestic animals and wild animals from the related zooarchaeological research,the Northern China dry-farming system and agricultural society had already formed during the Miaodigou Period.Different from the farming patterns around the Central Plain area,foxtail millet instead of broomcorn millet,was the dominant crop resource,which fitting with the largely increasing population and settlements of the Miaodigou Culture.Our paper offers new data on subsistence pattern during a crucial phase in Neolithic Northern China.The study is significant to understand the process of agricultural system,and the relationship among farming production pattern,social complexity and environment diversity.