Zhichun Jing

Geoarchaeological aids in the investigation of early Shang civilization on the floodplain of the lower Yellow River, China

Abstract This study deals with the stratigraphic and geomorphic contexts of prehistoric and early historic settlements in the Shangqiu area, an archaeologically important region for investigating the origins of Shang civilization. Geoarchaeological investigation has provided significant insights into the early cultural history of the area by elucidating the impact of landscape evolution on the spatial and temporal pattern of archaeological sites. Various geoarchaeological strategies can be employed to evaluate, interpret and predict prehistoric and early historic sites in the Shangqiu area. This study demonstrates the potential of geoarchaeological study to be dynamically integrated into archaeological investigations by focusing on stratigraphic and landscape contexts as fundamental dimensions of the archaeological record.

Ceramic Production in Shang Societies of Anyang

This article describes the results of petrographic analyses of ceramic thin sections from the Shang sites of Huanbei and Yinxu in Anyang, Henan, China. The initial goal was to determine the physical composition of locally produced ceramic artifacts. This was accomplished by focusing upon gray wares, the most common ceramic class in Shang contexts at Anyang, and comparing the findings to local, clay-rich sediments in both qualitative and quantitative terms. The resulting data provide objective bases for distinguishing imported ceramic items, notably those with exotic rock tempers and/or distinctive, low-silt pastes, and for making further inquiries into the role of ceramic production and exchange in the development and functioning of Shang society. The study revealed an unexpected amount of compositional diversity within Shang gray wares and indicates that at least three local sediments and three different technologies were utilized in the manufacture of ceramic objects. For most ceramic objects utilized in daily activities, such as storage and serving vessels and drainpipes, untempered loessic sediments were employed. By contrast, for cooking vessels, alluvial sediments tempered either with sand or grit (crushed rock, some of which was exotic) were normally employed. A third technology, for bronze piece molds, utilized loess, which was untempered, but apparently processed so as to concentrate the silt content thus increasing porosity and minimizing shrinkage, properties that would reduce flaws in cast bronzes.

Human-environment interactions in the development of early Chinese civilization

Abstract Beginning with the earliest organized habitation sites the options provided by the regional environment have largely or partially governed the location and relocation of human settlements. The settlement system in second millennium BCE Henan Province, China, evolved during a period of significant climatic change and shifting river courses but relative soil stability. Human–environment interactions across the landscape have left ample remains for investigation by scholars of social and cultural change and by natural scientists. The social effects of climate and geomorphological change during this period are complex and only partially understood. It is well documented that long-term soil stability before and during the second millennium BCE gave rise to the development of good agricultural soils, without which population expansion probably could not have taken place. This paper summarizes some of the recent research in climate change and, from two of our own projects, in geomorphology and ecology that underlie environmental impacts on the evolving state-level societies, especially related to settlement location and relocation. For example, the Shang possibly relocated one or more capital sites in response to disastrous floods.

Alluvial Stratigraphy and Geoarchaeology in the Big Fork River Valley, Minnesota: Human Response to Late Holocene Environmental Change

Abstract The Late Quaternary geomorphology and stratigraphy of the Big Fork River valley, within the Rainy River basin of northern Minnesota, reveals evidence of prehistoric human interaction with late Holocene riverine environments. By 11 000 14C BP, deglaciation made the region inhabitable by human groups using Clovis artefacts. Human habitation would also have been possible during the Moorhead low-water stage of glacial Lake Agassiz, starting at 10 500 14C BP. Near its confluence with the Rainy River, the valley floor of the Big Fork valley consists of a floodplain complex and two terraces. The multi-component stratified Hannaford site is situated within the active floodplain. Overbank deposits contain artefacts in primary context, whereas artefacts within the point bar deposits are in secondary archaeological context; these deposits are associated with changing alluvial settings as the river moved eastward. Aggradation of the valley fill beneath the lowest surface (T0, floodplain complex) began by 3000 years ago and is associated with human activities focused on seasonal fishing and the use of riparian resources from 1300 to 650 14C BP.