Ancient DNA sequences of rice from the low Yangtze reveal significant genotypic divergence

Rice (Oryza sativa) was first domesticated in the lower and middle Yangtze regions of China, and rice remains have been found in many Chinese archaeological sites. Until now, only phenotypic archeobotanical evidence, such as the spikelet bases of ancient grains, has been used to speculate on the domestication process and domestication rate of rice. In this study, we sequenced 4 genomic segments from rice remains in Tianluoshan, a site of the local Hemudu Neolithic culture in the low Yangtze and two other archaeological sites (??2400 and 1200 BC, respectively). We compared our sequences with those of the current domesticated and wild rice (O. rufipogon) populations. At least two genotypes were found in the remains from each site, suggesting a heterozygotic state of the rice seeds. One ancient genotype was not found in the current domesticated population and might have been lost. The rice remains belonged to the japonica group, and most if not all were japonica-type, suggesting that the remains might be at an early stage of indica-japonica divergence or an indica-japonica mixture. We also identified sequences with significant similarity to those from species of Sapindales, Zygophyllales, and Brassicales, which is consistent with the identification of other plant remains in the Tianluoshan site and the common rice field weeds such as mustards in southern China.     

Neolithic rice paddy from the Zhaojiazhuang site, Shandong, China

To identify and study the Neolithic rice paddy in Shandong, eastern China, is not only an important issue in the development of Chinese rice agriculture, but also a key part of the study on rice spread in East Asia. Due to the limitation of archaeological materials and the research methods, there have been no discoveries about the Neolithic rice paddy in Shandong Province for a long time. Based on the identification of possible rice paddy by archaeological excavation, phytolith analysis of soil samples from this "paddy" has been systematically carried out and the results have shown a 4600—4300 years old rice paddy preserved at the Zhaojiazhuang site. This is the first examination and study of the rice paddy in North China by systematic phytolith analysis, which is very important for the Neolithic archaeological research and the study of the eastward spread of rice agricultural techniques in East Asia.     

Ancient DNA sequences of rice from the low Yangtze reveal significant genotypic divergence

Rice (Oryza sativa) was first domesticated in the lower and middle Yangtze regions of China, and rice remains have been found in many Chinese archaeological sites. Until now, only phenotypic archeobotanical evidence, such as the spikelet bases of ancient grains, has been used to speculate on the domestication process and domestication rate of rice. In this study, we sequenced 4 genomic segments from rice remains in Tianluoshan, a site of the local Hemudu Neolithic culture in the low Yangtze and two other archaeological sites (~2400 and 1200 BC, respectively). We compared our sequences with those of the current domesticated and wild rice (O. rufipogon) populations. At least two genotypes were found in the remains from each site, suggesting a heterozygotic state of the rice seeds. One ancient genotype was not found in the current domesticated population and might have been lost. The rice remains belonged to the japonica group, and most if not all were japonica-type, suggesting that the remains might be at an early stage of indica-japonica divergence or an indica-japonica mixture. We also identified sequences with significant similarity to those from species of Sapindales, Zygophyllales, and Brassicales, which is consistent with the identification of other plant remains in the Tianluoshan site and the common rice field weeds such as mustards in southern China.     

骨笛乎,竹笛乎——析中国笛文化的变迁

贾湖骨笛和河姆渡骨哨等史前乐器的出土将中华民族的音乐史提升到了七千多年前,同时也引发了我们对史前音乐文明的一系列思考,诸如:最早出现的笛是骨笛还是竹笛;为何在早期史前文明的考古中少有发现竹笛,而在后期文明的考古中却没有再发现骨笛等.文章通过笛子的选材、制造工艺、本身承载的社会信息等角度对骨笛和竹笛作了对比分析,指出在音乐史的发展历程中,从骨笛到竹笛的必然性.     

Abrupt climate change and collapse of ancient civilizations at 2200BC-2000BC

Plentiful evidence of historical, archaeological and palaeoclimatic studies proved that an abrupt change from wetter to drier climate occurred over the Nile Valley, the Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley and Huanghe River Valley at 2200BC-2000BC. The abrupt change was developed based on the general lowering of temperature in the middle latitudes, and was a strong cold event since the beginning of the Megathermal (8.5-3.0 kaBP). Collapse of Nile civilization appeared at the First Intermediate Period (2181BC-2040BC). Civilization of Mesopotamia began collapse following the disintegration of Akkadian Empire. This process lasted to the foundation of Babylon Kingdom from 2200BC to 1900BC. Indus civilization abruptly fell off at 1800BC. A widespread alternation of archaeological cultures happened in China at ca. 2000BC except only in its central part. Longsheng culture was replaced by the Erlitou culture, which is now acknowledged in China as Xia Culture. Foundation of Xia Dynasty at 2070BC opened a new chapter in the development of Chinese civilization. Studies indicated that abrupt climate change may be caused by the weakening of the Thermohaline Circulation (THC).     

Culinary archaeology: Millet noodles in Late Neolithic China

Noodles have been a popular staple food in many parts of the world for at least 2,000 years, although it is debatable whether the Chinese, the Italians or the Arabs invented them first. Here we analyse a prehistoric sample of noodles contained in a well preserved, sealed earthenware bowl discovered in the Late Neolithic archaeological site of Lajia in northwestern China. We identify millet as the source of the abundant seed-husk phytoliths and starch grains present in the vessel. This shows that the conversion of ground millet flour into dough that could be repeatedly stretched into long, thin strands for the preparation of boiled noodles was already established in this region 4,000 years ago.     

Phytolith analysis of Naminan archaeological site in Jinghong City,Yunnan Province

The global climate underwent tremendous changes during the transition from the Last Glacial Period to the Holocene. At almost the same time, human society transitioned from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic. Therefore, the relationship between climate change and human activity during this period has become a research hotspot.Yunnan Province is a region with a great abundance of Paleolithic archaeological sites in China; however, Neolithic sites are relatively few. There has also been relatively little research on paleoclimatic conditions during the Paleolithic-Neolithic transition in Yunnan. Phytoliths, as a highly durable and long-lasting form of plant microfossils, can be an important means for reconstructing paleoclimates. In this study, we examined the Naminan site in Jinghong, which was occupied during the transitional period from the Paleolithic to Neolithic. Based on our analysis of the phytolith record at Naminan, we reconstructed the climatic conditions for each of the archaeological strata and discussed possible human activities. The results show that Naminan experienced a sequence of warming followed by cooling and warming, which is consistent with previous paleoclimate research in other areas of Yunnan Province.     

ESR dating evidence for early modern humans at Border Cave in South Africa

The archaeological and hominid site of Border Cave (KwaZulu, South Africa) has a stratigraphic sequence covering the Middle and Later Stone Ages (MSA and LSA). It has been proposed that four hominid specimens recovered there (BC1 and BC2 of uncertain provenance, and BC3 and BC5 recovered from MSA layers) represent very early examples of anatomically modern humans, supporting an early late-Pleistocene appearance of modern Homo sapiens in Africa. This early appearance, however, has been questioned, largely because of doubts about the stratigraphic positions associated with the specimens and because of the lack of a reliable chronology for the stratigraphic sequence. We now report on the first comprehensive radiometric dating analysis of Border Cave, using electron spin resonance (ESR) on teeth within sediment layers. BC3 is likely to be approximately 70-80 kyr old, and BC5, 50-65 kyr old. BC1 and BC2 are almost certainly less than 90 kyr old. These results, although younger than some age estimates, support the early occurrence of anatomically modern humans at Border Cave. In addition, our results suggest that the Howiesons Poort lithic industry (approximately 45-75 kyr) and the MSA-LSA transition (approximately 35 kyr) are younger than often believed.     

三星堆出土乐器研究

四川广汉三星堆遗址是一处早期蜀文化古遗址群,在七十余年的发掘历史中,先后出土文物数千件。其中出土的具有音乐声学性能的器物,与战国时期蜀乐器和商代乐器之间有相似之处,并表现出蜀音乐文化自身的特征。通过考证与分析研究,这些器物的乐器功能浮出水面。     

五弦琵琶源流考及其兴衰史

五弦琵琶是在中国史上传习已久的乐器,特别是在中国唐代盛极一时。本文通过考古图像、史料记载以及中日学者的研究,对五弦琵琶的起源、传入、以及在中国各历史阶段的发展盛衰作了考察,试图论证该乐器在中国的发展脉络。     

辽东半岛新石器文化经济形态转化与环境变化的关系

辽东半岛的小珠山、后洼文化遗址是新石器时期辽南地区重要的文化遗址.通过对考古文化特征与渔猎—农耕经济的兴衰发展的分析,并结合孢粉、黄土等古气候指标对中国北方地区全新世气候变化进行的研究,同时叠加辽东半岛地区的海岸地质地形条件等特征,探讨了辽东半岛地区古文化与全新世环境演变的关系,揭示了该地区新石器时期以来文化受生产力发展的影响机制.5000 aB.P的寒冷期,人类应对气候突变的响应不同,直接导致小珠文化的兴盛与后洼文化的衰退.     

《陕北民歌主题变奏曲》探析

《陕北民歌主题变奏曲》是根据我国经典民歌改编的一首钢琴曲。详细地分析乐曲的曲式、和声、织体等音乐语言、艺术特点和演奏技法及表现内容,能帮助读者更快更好地对该作品的脉络和细节形成清晰完整的认识,有利于读者对该作品进行更深刻的理解和学习。     

伏牛山文化圈史前城址与中国文明起源探索——伏牛山文化圈与中国文明起源探索之二

伏牛山文化圈在旧石器时代已经有人类居住与生产。近一个世纪的考古发现证明，伏牛山文化圈史前城址遗存非常丰富，是中国史前城址的发源地之一。伏牛山文化圈史前城址演进的脉络完整清晰：城址性质由仰韶文化的初城开始，逐渐演进为龙山文化的城址群，二里头文化的宫城，并与殷商成熟都城相衔接。伏牛山文化圈是中国文明的发源地之一。     

Component and simulation of the 4,000-year-old noodles excavated from the archaeological site of Lajia in Qinghai,China

Noodles are a global food, but the periods when and places where they were made and originated, as well as their ingredients and the cooking methods used to manu- facture them, have remained contentious. In the 2005 edi- tion of the journal Nature, we wrote a summary of the millet noodle specimens found in the Late Neolithic Qijia cultural stratum of the Lajia archaeological site in Qinghai Province, China. However, how the ancient people made millet noodles remains controversial. This paper provides a systematic analysis of the remains of noodles found within an earthenware bowl at the Lajia ＂noodle house＂ in terms of their plant composition including phytoliths, starch and biomarkers. It provides evidence of how people used millet 4,000 years ago and, most specifically, of the principal methods used for producing millet-based noodles. Further, we show how we used traditional hele tools to make hele millet noodles, with especial reference to the gelatinized hydrogel-forming method, to simulate morphology con- sistent with the composition and form of the unearthed millet noodles. The results of this study provide new evi- dence and new insights into the cultural characteristics of the prehistoric human diet.     

昌都:茶马古道上的枢纽及其古代文化--兼论茶马古道的早期历史面貌

昌都是茶马古道上的枢纽，是川藏道与滇藏道的交汇地。本通过敦煌藏写卷和考古资料对昌都的古代化及茶马古道的早期历史面貌进行了探讨。认为，早在唐宋汉藏茶马贸易兴起前，这条以昌都为枢纽分别通往今川、滇地区的道路就已经存在和繁荣，它不仅是一个卫藏与川滇地区古代先民们迁移流动的通道，同时也是川、滇、藏三地问古代明交流传播的重要孔道。从考古化遗迹和有关史实线索看，这条道路被开通和利用的历史至少可上溯到距今约4—5千年前的新石器时代晚期抑或更早。昌都一带则是这一明传播孔道上最重要的枢纽地区。     

瞿塘峡地区新石器时代文化与古氏族研究

建国后，尤其是1992年为配合三峡水利工程开展抢救性的考古发掘后，不仅证明三峡是人类的发祥地，而且也是中国社会文明起源的重要地区之一。文章对该地区新石器时代遗址的主人提出了探讨性的意见，并对巴氏族部落的兴起、迁徙地作了粗浅探讨，以抛砖引玉。     

The record of cultivated rice from archaeobiological evidence in northwestern China 5000 years ago

Pollen, plant seeds and phytoliths from an AMS dated sediment profile at the Xishanping site indicate that the cultivation of rice might start no later than 5070 cal. a BP in the region of Tianshui, Gansu Province. It continued from 5070 to 4300 cal. a BP. This is so far the oldest and the most northwestern record of cultivated rice in Neolithic China, which extends the known region of prehistoric rice cultivation at least 2° longitude to the west. This finding provides important evidence for reconstructing the cultivation region of rice at 5000 a BP （an important time period）, and its spreading history in East Asia, during the Neolithic.     

Relationship between the temporal-spatial distribution of archaeological sites and natural environment from the Paleolithic Age to the Tang and Song Dynasties in the Three Gorges Reservoir of Chongqing area

The temporal-spatial distribution features including time distribution,horizontal and vertical spatial distribution of archaeological sites from the Paleolithic Age to the Tang and Song Dynasties in the Three Gorges Reservoir of Chongqing area are analyzed based on GIS spatial analysis.The successive pollen record of deposited peat stratum since the Paleolithic Age in the Dajiuhu Basin of Shennongjia is used in combination with the research of the historical environmental evolution to reconstruct the Paleoenvironment in the Three Gorges Reservoir of Chongqing area.Through the comparison of the temporal-spatial distribution of the archaeological sites and the natural environment,the relation between the distribution of the archaeological sites and the natural environment evolution and disaster changes from the Neolithic Age to the Tang and Song Dynasties has been discussed.Study shows that 677 archaeological sites from the Paleolithic Age to the Tang and Song Dynasties in the Three Gorges Reservoir of Chongqing area increase gradually from west to east and from high land to low land.Most of the sites are distributed along the river and aggregated at the confluence.Obviously,the altitudes of archaeological sites in the Paleolithic Age and the Neolithic Age are much higher than those of historical sites.The analysis suggests:(1)the human beings of every times would like to choose the first or the second river terrace as living sites which are nearer to the water source and are easier to with- stand flood.The pre-historical sites of earlier ages are often located at the higher altitude place because of the tectonic uplift and downcutting of rivers since Holocene.(2)Due to the rugged terrain in Chongqing area,most of the sites are located along the river sides,for example,the wide river valley and terrace,which could provide wider living space caused by the lateral erosion and deposition of the river course.(3)The early residents mainly relied on fishing,hunting and agriculture,and the rugged terrain of the mountaino     

Postcranial evidence from early Homo from Dmanisi, Georgia

The Plio-Pleistocene site of Dmanisi, Georgia, has yielded a rich fossil and archaeological record documenting an early presence of the genus Homo outside Africa. Although the craniomandibular morphology of early Homo is well known as a result of finds from Dmanisi and African localities, data about its postcranial morphology are still relatively scarce. Here we describe newly excavated postcranial material from Dmanisi comprising a partial skeleton of an adolescent individual, associated with skull D2700/D2735, and the remains from three adult individuals. This material shows that the postcranial anatomy of the Dmanisi hominins has a surprising mosaic of primitive and derived features. The primitive features include a small body size, a low encephalization quotient and absence of humeral torsion; the derived features include modern-human-like body proportions and lower limb morphology indicative of the capability for long-distance travel. Thus, the earliest known hominins to have lived outside of Africa in the temperate zones of Eurasia did not yet display the full set of derived skeletal features.