A Study on the Adaptive Changes of Human-Environment Interactions in the Southeastern Margin of the Tibetan Plateau during the Mid-to-Late Holocene

Archaeological Science Forum (No. 70)

A Study on the Adaptive Changes of Human-Environment Interactions in the Southeastern Margin of the Tibetan Plateau during the Mid-to-Late Holocene

Speaker: LI Junhui, PhD Candidate (Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction, Sichuan University)
Host: YUAN Haibing, Associate Professor (Center for Archaeological Sciences, Sichuan University)

Abstract:

The generally warm and humid climate of the Mid-to-Late Holocene provided crucial environmental conditions for the germination of Chinese civilization. However, frequent extreme climatic events continuously impacted prehistoric societies with their fragile productivity. The early inhabitants of China gradually achieved adaptation to and modification of their natural habitats by migrating to select new sites and upgrading production technologies. Due to its unique geographical location, the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau became a core hub for the most active human-environment-disaster interactions and the most frequent east-west and north-south cultural exchanges during the prehistoric period. Although the archaeological cultural sequences have been gradually clarified, there is still a research gap in analyzing the evolutionary paths of cultural adaptation from a perspective of regional interconnectedness. This lecture intends to integrate an interdisciplinary perspective from "archaeology, geography, and environmental science" to deduce the climatic evolution patterns of the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau during the Mid-to-Late Holocene, and to reveal the recurrent process of interaction and negotiation between prehistoric humans and the natural environment against the backdrop of climate change.

Time: 10:00–12:00 AM, November 28, 2025
Venue: Room 518, Liberal Arts Building 2, Jiang'an Campus, Sichuan University