周原黄土及其与文化层的关系

笔者等于１９９１年将黄土高原东南缘厚１—３ｍ、基色调为红色的全新世黄土名为周原黄土，并划分为五层，分属全新世早、中、晚三期，与新石器以来的文化层有叠压和可比关系。其中，褐红色顶层埋藏土(约８０００—２８００ａＢ．Ｐ．)含新石器时代中、晚期和夏、商、周的文化层；褐色顶层埋藏土(约２８００—２０００ａＢ．Ｐ．)含春秋、战国和秦汉文化层。地质沉积地层与文化堆积地层联合研究，为地质学和考古学中的地层研究开拓了新途径。

ZHOUYUAN LOESS AND ITS RELATIONSHIPS TO CULTURAL BEDS

It is essential to combine the, stratigraphic studies of Holocene sediments With the archaeological studies of cultural accumulation.This cognition has been followed in the environmental archaeological studies on the southeastern edge of the Loess Plateau. The Holocene strata on the southeastern edge of the Loess Plateau includes from top to bottom: brown-red or red-brown burial soil of about 8 000-2 800 years of age, brown burial soil of about 2 800-2 000 a B.P. of age and basically red loess 1-3m thick. Zhou Kunshu et al. named the loess the Zhouyuan loess. It were divided into 5 beds which is correlatable with post-Neolithic cultural accumulation.In recent years a chief achievement of environmental archaeology in this region was establishment of correlation of Holocene strata with cultural beds. The correlation scheme suggested is as follows:Holocene Zhouyuan loess(Q4), about 10 000 a B.P. to recent.Late Holocene Zhouyuan loess(Q), about 2 800 a B.P. to recent.6.Cultivated soil, 0.3-0.4m thick.5.New loess, 0.3-0.4m thick, about 2 000 a B.P. to recent, containing cultural beds formed after the Qin and Han Dynasties.4.Uppermost brown buried soil, 0.4-0.5m thick, about 2 800-2 000 a B.P.containing cultural beds of the Spring and Autumn Period, tile Warring States Period and the Qin and Han Dynasties.Middle Holocene Zhouyuan loess (Q), about 8 000-2 800 a B.P.3.Uppermost brown-red buried soil, 0.6-1.5m thick, about 8 000-2 800 a B.P.Brown soils, containing subtropical animal fossils such as Rhizomys sinensis.Hydropotes, inermis and subtropical spore such as Pteris sp., also containing cultural beds of middle and late Neolithic as well as the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties.Early Holocene Zhouyuan loess (Q), about 10 000-8 000 a B.P.2.Brown-yellow or brown-red or gray-yellow loess, 0.2-0.5m thick, rich in calcium carbonate. Further researches are needed for the early Neolithic culture.Unconformity (possibly absent in places)Late Pleistocene Malan Loess(Q,), about 10 900a B.P. ago.1.Malan Loess, over 3m thick, containing Lithic culture.The Southeastern edge of tile Loess Plateau is an important birthplace of Chinese ancient cultures. The middle and late Neolithic culture and the cultures of the Xia.Shang, Zhou Dynasties were formed in the brown-red or red brown uppermost burial soil of the Zhouyllan loess while this region was in a northern subtropical environment.This warm and humid climate was helpful to the development of ancient cultures. The cultures of the Spring and Autumn period, the Warring States and the Qin and Han Dynasties were formed in the brown uppermost buried soil of the Zhouyuan loess while this region was more or less in a drier environment of the temperate zone.The cultures after the Qin-Han were formed in new loess while this region was in a drier environment.In this paper the Holocene Zhouyuan loess is distinguished the Potou loess in the other part of the Loess Plateau, which can promote the cultural research of loess.It should be stressed that the combination of loess research with cultural study not only open a new way for Quaternary geology and archaeology, but also improve our understanding of Chinese culture. The distribution area of the Zhouyuan loess is just the most important birthplace of Chinese culture. To study the relationships between Zhouyuan loess and Chinese ancient cultures is one of long-term important tasks of Chinese environmental archaeological studies.