Archaeobotanical Research in the Lower Yangtze River Region

Archaeological Sciences Forum (No. 71)

Archaeobotanical Research in the Lower Yangtze River Region

Speaker: Associate Professor Li Haiming (College of Humanities and Social Development, Nanjing Agricultural University)

Host: Associate Professor Song Jixiang (Center for Archaeological Sciences, Sichuan University)

Abstract:

The Lower Yangtze River region is one of the world's key centers of origin for rice agriculture, yet its agricultural development exhibits significant spatiotemporal differences. Recent archaeobotanical studies indicate that rice domestication began in the Jinqu Basin around 13,000 BP, whereas in the Circum-Taihu Lake region, it occurred as late as 8,000 BP. During the Songze Culture period, regional agricultural patterns differentiated further: the central area was dominated by rice farming, while the peripheral areas remained reliant on hunting, fishing, and gathering.

Since the Bronze Age, millet and wheat agriculture gradually spread southward to the Lower Yangtze River. By the Maqiao Culture period, this influence had reached the eastern Taihu area. During the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, a mixed farming system of rice, millet, and wheat emerged in many locations, and a "single-cropping" system was established by the late Western Zhou Dynasty. In historical periods, north-south differences became more pronounced: the Jiangnan region gradually phased out low-yield millet farming, shifting to a dominance of rice and wheat, while the Jiangbei region retained the composite rice-millet-wheat system.

This research deepens our understanding of regional agricultural disparities in the Lower Yangtze River region and offers a new perspective for comprehending the process of cultural exchange between the North and South in eastern China.

Time: December 05, 2025, 10:00–12:00 AM

Venue: Conference Room 518, Zone 2, Liberal Arts Building, Jiang'an Campus, Sichuan University