Agricultural Economic Transformations and Their Impacting Factors around 4000 BP in the Hexi Corridor, Northwest China

Haiming Li, Nathaniel James, Junwei Chen, Shanjia Zhang, Linyao Du, Yishi Yang, Guoke Chen (), Minmin Ma and Xin Jia ()
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Haiming Li: College of Humanities & Social Development, Institute of Chinese Agricultural Civilization, Agricultural Archaeology Research Center, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Nathaniel James: Department of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
Junwei Chen: School of Geography, Institute of Environmental Archaeology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
Shanjia Zhang: Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730013, China
Linyao Du: Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730013, China
Yishi Yang: Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Lanzhou 730015, China
Guoke Chen: Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Lanzhou 730015, China
Minmin Ma: Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730013, China
Xin Jia: School of Geography, Institute of Environmental Archaeology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 2, 1-11

Abstract: By 4000 BP, trans-Eurasian agricultural exchanges increased across the Hexi Corridor. However, the nature and timing of many early prehistoric agricultural exchanges remain unclear. We present systematically collected archaeobotanical data from the ancient Haizang site (3899–3601 cal a BP) within the Hexi Corridor. Adding to previous archaeobotanical studies of the Hexi Corridor, we find that agricultural production transformed from purely millet-based agriculture during the Machang Period (4300–4000) to predominantly millet-based agriculture increasingly supplemented with wheat and barley during the Xichengyi and Qijia periods (4000–3600 BP). These transformations are likely due to adaption to a cooler and drier climate through cultural exchange. A warm and humid climate during 4300–4000 BP likely promoted millet agriculture, Machang cultural expansion westward, and occupation across the Hexi corridor. However, after the “4.2 ka BP cold event” people adopted wheat and barley from the West to make up for declining millet agricultural productivity. This adoption began first with the Xichengyi culture, and soon spread further eastward within the Hexi Corridor to the Qijia culture.

Keywords: archaeobotanical; Haizang site; Qijia culture; millet-based agriculture; cooler drier climate (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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