Papers by Weiya Li
Frontiers in Plant Science
The site of Qujialing experienced a long, sustained process of the development of Neolithic cultu... more The site of Qujialing experienced a long, sustained process of the development of Neolithic culture in the Jianghan Plain, with a period of some1600 years. Our previous studies based on macrofossil remains and phytoliths revealed that rice (Oryza sativa) from Qujialing was already domesticated, and millet (Setaria italica and Panicum miliaceum) had also been spread into the site since the Youziling Culture period (5800-5100 BP). Nevertheless, no direct evidence has been provided regarding the daily consumed plant foods, especially plant foods obtained by gathering, throughout the site occupation. This paper thus examines pottery sherds (n=41) associated with culinary practices from Qujialing with starch grain analysis. Apart from starch grains from rice and millet, the results indicate that job’s tears (Coix lacryma-jobi), lotus roots (Nelumbo nucifera), tubers possibly from Chinese yam (Dioscorea panthainca), acorns (Quercus sp.), and beans (Vigna sp. or/and Vicia sp.) were consume...
Science China Earth Sciences, 2016
The upper-middle Huai River valley (HRV) is located in the transition zone in the middle of easte... more The upper-middle Huai River valley (HRV) is located in the transition zone in the middle of eastern China. Previous studies have shown that the past populations in the upper HRV obtained plant food through gathering and cultivation of both rice and millet during the middle Neolithic. However, for the middle HRV it is not very clear what methods were used by humans to obtain plant food in that time. In this paper, starch grain analysis was carried out on 17 stone tools and 29 cauldron pottery sherds unearthed at Shunshanji (8.5-7.0 kyr BP), which is known as the earliest Neolithic site in the middle HRV excavated so far. Here, ancient starches from Coix lacryma-jobi, Triticeae, Oryza sativa, Trichosanthes kirilowii and one unidentified specie were recovered. This study contributes to the limited knowledge of food strategies as observed in the middle HRV. It demonstrates that both gathering and cultivation of rice took place during the middle-Neolithic. Among the identified species, Coix lacryma-jobi appears to have been the main plant food at Shunshanji. Moreover, it is clear that Oryza sativa was not consumed as much as other plant species according to the occurrence frequency of different starch grains. Starch grains were also found on the used surfaces of grinding stone implements as well as pestles, which means that these stone tools were used for food processing. In addition, axes from Shunshanji may also have been used for food processing as well as wood working because starches were also found on the edge of axes. Information about subsistence strategies and tool use at Shunshanji will also be helpful to understanding the utilization of plants and agricultural development in the middle HRV during the early-middle Neolithic period.
Quaternary International, 2018
The site of Jiahu in the central plain of China is known for its early rice cultivation 9000 year... more The site of Jiahu in the central plain of China is known for its early rice cultivation 9000 years ago. The preliminary starch analysis implies that the Jiahu grinding tools were used for processing various plants, including rice. This paper presents the use-wear analysis carried out on a sample of seventeen grinding tools from Jiahu, nine of which were previously analyzed for the presence of starch. Use-wear traces associated with processing cereal and wood-like material were identified. This result confirms important evidence of cereal processing in the early Neolithic period. It also reveals the diversity of functions in the grinding tool assemblage. Furthermore, the use-wear distribution indicates that grinding slabs without feet and cylindrical rollers were mainly associated with the processing of cereals while grinding slabs with feet were mainly related to the processing of wood-like material. Quantitative analysis of the starch data also indicates that grinding slabs without feet possess more starch grains than the grinding slabs with feet. Therefore, it is argued that specific types of grinding tools were used for processing specific kinds of material. This study highlights the different roles grinding tools may have played in early farming societies.
Archaeometry, 2019
China is a major centre for rice domestication, where starch grain analysis has been widely appli... more China is a major centre for rice domestication, where starch grain analysis has been widely applied to archaeological grinding tools to gain information about plant use by ancient Chinese societies. However, few rice starch grains have been identified to date. To understand this apparent scarcity of starch grains from rice, dry-and wet-grinding experiments with stone tools were carried out on four types of cereals: rice (Oryza sativa L.), foxtail millet (Setaria italica), Job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). The results reveal that dry-grinding produces significant damage to starches to the point where they may be undetected in archaeological samples, while wet-grinding causes only slight morphological changes to the starch grains. Moreover, rice starch grains have the most substantial alterations from dry-grinding, possibly impeding their identification. These findings provide a possible means to explain the relative scarcity of rice starch grains recovered from archaeological grinding tools, which it is suggested was caused by the use of the dry-grinding technique. Therefore, it is suggested that rice starch grains have been likely underrepresented in the archaeological record, and previous interpretations of starch analyses need to be reconsidered.
Lithic Technology, 2020
In the central plain of China, grinding tools are a common category of artefacts at sites attribu... more In the central plain of China, grinding tools are a common category of artefacts at sites attributed to the Peiligang Culture (c. 9000-7000 BP). This paper focuses on the grinding tool assemblage from the site of Tanghu, the largest Peiligang Culture settlement yet discovered. The results from the microwear and residue analyses both suggest that cereals were the primary plant material processed with the grinding tools. Other plants, including acorns and underground storage organs, were also processed, but probably to a smaller extent. Furthermore, microwear analysis suggests that the dry-grinding technique was adopted for cereal processing, and a piece of hide or animal skin was placed underneath the grinding slabs to gather the processed plant material. Apart from plant food processing, one of the grinding tools was also involved in processing bone. These data put more insights into the Neolithic culinary practices and different uses of grinding tools in this region.
Sprawozdania Archeologiczne
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
Studies investigating different food processing techniques have shed light on the dietary habits ... more Studies investigating different food processing techniques have shed light on the dietary habits and subsistence strategies adopted by prehistoric populations. They have shown that grinding cereals into flour has taken place since the Palaeolithic period, yet the grinding method employed has often not been investigated. The analysis presented here identified different types of use-wear traces associated with the dry-grinding and wet-grinding of cereals, which can be used to infer prehistoric grinding techniques. Applying this reference baseline to Jiahu, an early Neolithic site known for the earliest findings of domesticated rice in the central plain of China, reveals that dry-grinding rather than wet-grinding was employed for cereal (including rice) processing 9000 years ago. This grinding method could have been inherited from the earlier hunter-gatherers, but could also result from a broad-spectrum subsistence strategy adopted at Jiahu. By comparing the properties and ethnographic uses of different plant species, it is also suggested that cereals such as rice were a more sensible choice for the dry-grinding process.
Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology
Common wild rice (Oryza rufipogon), the ancestor of Asian domesticated rice (Oryza sative), is us... more Common wild rice (Oryza rufipogon), the ancestor of Asian domesticated rice (Oryza sative), is used as a compar-ator for identifying Oryza species in archaeological records. However, little attention has been paid to the characteristics of the grain morphology, double-peaked phytoliths and starch granules in ancient wild rice. Dongxiang wild rice is believed to be the current northernmost extent of wild Oryza in Asia, but few studies have been reported on the history of its growth in Dongxiang. A stratigraphic, chronological analysis of the ancient wild rice remains discovered in the sediment core at the Anjiashan in situ conservation (ISC) site in Dongxiang proves that wild rice may have been present in Dongxiang since at least 500–300 cal. BP, which includes the period of climatic variations commonly called the " Little Ice Age ". Furthermore, based on a comparison between ancient and modern wild rice, as well as some indica (Huixiang 9126), japonica (Bijing 37) cultivars, it is demonstrated that the grain size of wild rice, in contrast to the double-peaked phytolith and starch granule parameters, changed little during the " Little Ice Age " of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in China, and that in terms of grain shape analysis wild rice is easily confused with indica. This may be one of the reasons why traditional grain shape and grain size analysis usually does not work well in classifying the Oryza species, and why some rice remains from archaeological sites were mainly indica as judged from their shapes but japonica in terms of their morphological parameters of double-peaked phytoliths and spikelets. Our findings may not only assist in elucidating the spatiotemporal distribution of wild rice, but can also provide important reference parameters for the identification of Oryza species in archaeological records.
Science China Earth Sciences, 2016
Mixed farming of rice and millet is one of the basic agricultural modes in the upper and middle H... more Mixed farming of rice and millet is one of the basic agricultural modes in the upper and middle Huai River Valley (HRV). According to the latest data, this agricultural mode appeared during the middle and late Peiligang Culture (7.8-7.0 ka BP) in the upper HRV, and then became a common subsistence economy in the end of the Neolithic (5.0-4.0 ka BP) in both the upper and middle HRV. However, it is still not clear how this mixed farming developed in the upper HRV after its occurrence, nor are the regional differences in the development of mixed farming between the upper and middle HRV during the Neolithic completely understood. In this paper, flotation and starch analyses were conducted on samples from eight archaeological sites in the upper and middle HRV. The results indicate that the mixed farming of rice and millet first appeared in the later phase of the middle Neolithic in the regions of the Peiligang Culture, then developed quite rapidly in the late Neolithic (6.8-5.0 ka BP), finally becoming the main subsistence economy at the end of the Neolithic in the upper HRV. However, there are obvious differences in the emergence and development of agriculture between the middle and upper HRV. Rice farming was the only agricultural system during the middle Neolithic, lasting until the end of the Neolithic, when mixed farming appeared in the middle HRV. Furthermore, although mixed farming appeared in both the upper and middle HRV during the end of the Neolithic, the roles of rice, foxtail millet and broomcorn millet in the subsistence economy were not the same. In general, millet was more widely cultivated than rice in the upper HRV, but rice occupied the same or a slightly more prominent position in the middle HRV at the end of the Neolithic. These results are significant for understanding the process of agricultural development and transformation, as well as human adaptation to climatic and cultural variability duringthe Neolithic.
Science China Earth Sciences, 2016
Mixed farming of rice and millet is one of the basic agricultural modes in the upper and middle H... more Mixed farming of rice and millet is one of the basic agricultural modes in the upper and middle Huai River Valley (HRV). According to the latest data, this agricultural mode appeared during the middle and late Peiligang Culture (7.8-7.0 ka BP) in the upper HRV, and then became a common subsistence economy in the end of the Neolithic (5.0-4.0 ka BP) in both the upper and middle HRV. However, it is still not clear how this mixed farming developed in the upper HRV after its occurrence, nor are the regional differences in the development of mixed farming between the upper and middle HRV during the Neolithic completely understood. In this paper, flotation and starch analyses were conducted on samples from eight archaeological sites in the upper and middle HRV. The results indicate that the mixed farming of rice and millet first appeared in the later phase of the middle Neolithic in the regions of the Peiligang Culture, then developed quite rapidly in the late Neolithic (6.8-5.0 ka BP), finally becoming the main subsistence economy at the end of the Neolithic in the upper HRV. However, there are obvious differences in the emergence and development of agriculture between the middle and upper HRV. Rice farming was the only agricultural system during the middle Neolithic, lasting until the end of the Neolithic, when mixed farming appeared in the middle HRV. Furthermore, although mixed farming appeared in both the upper and middle HRV during the end of the Neolithic, the roles of rice, foxtail millet and broomcorn millet in the subsistence economy were not the same. In general, millet was more widely cultivated than rice in the upper HRV, but rice occupied the same or a slightly more prominent position in the middle HRV at the end of the Neolithic. These results are significant for understanding the process of agricultural development and transformation, as well as human adaptation to climatic and cultural variability duringthe Neolithic.
Lithic Technology, 2020
In the central plain of China, grinding tools are a common category of artefacts at sites attribu... more In the central plain of China, grinding tools are a common category of artefacts at sites attributed to the Peiligang Culture (c. 9000-7000 BP). This paper focuses on the grinding tool assemblage from the site of Tanghu, the largest Peiligang Culture settlement yet discovered. The results from the microwear and residue analyses both suggest that cereals were the primary plant material processed with the grinding tools. Other plants, including acorns and underground storage organs, were also processed, but probably to a smaller extent. Furthermore, microwear analysis suggests that the dry-grinding technique was adopted for cereal processing, and a piece of hideor animal skin was placed underneath the grinding slabs to gather the processed plant material. Apart from plant food processing, one of the grinding tools was also involved in processing bone. These data put more insights into the Neolithic culinary practices and different uses of grinding tools in this region.
Archaeometry, 2019
China is a major centre for rice domestication, where starch grain analysis has been widely appli... more China is a major centre for rice domestication, where starch grain analysis has been widely applied to archaeological grinding tools to gain information about plant use by ancient Chinese societies. However, few rice starch grains have been identified to date. To understand this apparent scarcity of starch grains from rice, we carried out dry‐ and wet‐grinding experiments with stone tools on four types of cereals: rice (Oryza sativa L.), foxtail millet (Setaria italica), Job's tears (Coix lacryma‐jobi L.), and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). The results reveal that dry‐grinding produces significant damage to starches to the point where they may be undetected in archaeological samples, while wet‐grinding causes only slight morphological changes to the starch grains. Moreover, rice starch grains have the most substantial alterations from dry‐grinding, possibly impeding their identification. These findings provide a possible means to explain the relative scarcity of rice starch grains recovered from archaeological grinding tools, which we now suggest was caused from the use of the dry‐grinding technique. We therefore suggest that rice starch grains have been likely underrepresented in the archaeological record, and previous interpretations of starch analyses need to be reconsidered.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2019
Studies investigating different food processing techniques have shed light on the dietary habits ... more Studies investigating different food processing techniques have shed light on the dietary habits and subsistence strategies adopted by prehistoric populations. They have shown that grinding cereals into flour has taken place since the Palaeolithic period, yet the grinding method employed has often not been investigated. The analysis presented here identified different types of use-wear traces associated with the dry-grinding and wet-grinding of cereals, which can be used to infer prehistoric grinding techniques. Applying this reference baseline to Jiahu, an early Neolithic site known for the earliest findings of domesticated rice in the central plain of China, reveals that dry-grinding rather than wet-grinding was employed for cereal (including rice) processing 9000 years ago. This grinding method could have been inherited from the earlier hunter-gatherers, but could also result from a broad-spectrum subsistence strategy adopted at Jiahu. By comparing the properties and ethnographic uses of different plant species, it is also suggested that cereals such as rice were a more sensible choice for the dry-grinding process.
Quaternary International, 2018
The site of Jiahu in the central plain of China is known for its early rice cultivation 9000 year... more The site of Jiahu in the central plain of China is known for its early rice cultivation 9000 years ago. The preliminary starch analysis implies that the Jiahu grinding tools were used for processing various plants, including rice. This paper presents the use-wear analysis carried out on a sample of seventeen grinding tools from Jiahu, nine of which were previously analyzed for the presence of starch. Use-wear traces associated with processing cereal and wood-like material were identified. This result confirms important evidence of cereal processing in the early Neolithic period. It also reveals the diversity of functions in the grinding tool assemblage. Furthermore, the use-wear distribution indicates that grinding slabs without feet and cylindrical rollers were mainly associated with the processing of cereals while grinding slabs with feet were mainly related to the processing of wood-like material. Quantitative analysis of the starch data also indicates that grinding slabs without feet possess more starch grains than the grinding slabs with feet. Therefore, it is argued that specific types of grinding tools were used for processing specific kinds of material. This study highlights the different roles grinding tools may have played in early farming societies.
Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 2017
Common wild rice (Oryza rufipogon), the ancestor of Asian domesticated rice (Oryza sative), is us... more Common wild rice (Oryza rufipogon), the ancestor of Asian domesticated rice (Oryza sative), is used as a compar-ator for identifying Oryza species in archaeological records. However, little attention has been paid to the characteristics of the grain morphology, double-peaked phytoliths and starch granules in ancient wild rice. Dongxiang wild rice is believed to be the current northernmost extent of wild Oryza in Asia, but few studies have been reported on the history of its growth in Dongxiang. A stratigraphic, chronological analysis of the ancient wild rice remains discovered in the sediment core at the Anjiashan in situ conservation (ISC) site in Dongxiang proves that wild rice may have been present in Dongxiang since at least 500–300 cal. BP, which includes the period of climatic variations commonly called the " Little Ice Age ". Furthermore, based on a comparison between ancient and modern wild rice, as well as some indica (Huixiang 9126), japonica (Bijing 37) cultivars, it is demonstrated that the grain size of wild rice, in contrast to the double-peaked phytolith and starch granule parameters, changed little during the " Little Ice Age " of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in China, and that in terms of grain shape analysis wild rice is easily confused with indica. This may be one of the reasons why traditional grain shape and grain size analysis usually does not work well in classifying the Oryza species, and why some rice remains from archaeological sites were mainly indica as judged from their shapes but japonica in terms of their morphological parameters of double-peaked phytoliths and spikelets. Our findings may not only assist in elucidating the spatiotemporal distribution of wild rice, but can also provide important reference parameters for the identification of Oryza species in archaeological records.
Science China Earth Sciences, 2016
Mixed farming of rice and millet is one of the basic agricultural modes in the upper and middle H... more Mixed farming of rice and millet is one of the basic agricultural modes in the upper and middle Huai River Valley (HRV). According to the latest data, this agricultural mode appeared during the middle and late Peiligang Culture (7.8–7.0 ka BP) in the upper HRV, and then became a common subsistence economy in the end of the Neolithic (5.0–4.0 ka BP) in both the upper and middle HRV. However, it is still not clear how this mixed farming developed in the upper HRV after its occurrence , nor are the regional differences in the development of mixed farming between the upper and middle HRV during the Neolithic completely understood. In this paper, flotation and starch analyses were conducted on samples from eight archaeological sites in the upper and middle HRV. The results indicate that the mixed farming of rice and millet first appeared in the later phase of the middle Neolithic in the regions of the Peiligang Culture, then developed quite rapidly in the late Neolithic (6.8–5.0 ka BP), finally becoming the main subsistence economy at the end of the Neolithic in the upper HRV. However, there are obvious differences in the emergence and development of agriculture between the middle and upper HRV. Rice farming was the only agricultural system during the middle Neolithic, lasting until the end of the Neolithic, when mixed farming appeared in the middle HRV. Furthermore, although mixed farming appeared in both the upper and middle HRV during the end of the Neolithic, the roles of rice, foxtail millet and broomcorn millet in the subsistence economy were not the same. In general, millet was more widely cultivated than rice in the upper HRV, but rice occupied the same or a slightly more prominent position in the middle HRV at the end of the Neolithic. These results are significant for understanding the process of agricultural development and transformation, as well as human adaptation to climatic and cultural variability duringthe Neolithic.. 2016. The emergence, development and regional differences of mixed farming of rice and millet in the upper and middle Huai River
Science China Earth Sciences, 2016
The upper-middle Huai River valley (HRV) is located in the transition zone in the middle of easte... more The upper-middle Huai River valley (HRV) is located in the transition zone in the middle of eastern China. Previous studies have shown that the past populations in the upper HRV obtained plant food through gathering and cultivation of both rice and millet during the middle Neolithic. However, for the middle HRV it is not very clear what methods were used by humans to obtain plant food in that time. In this paper, starch grain analysis was carried out on 17 stone tools and 29 cauldron pottery sherds unearthed at Shunshanji (8.5–7.0 kyr BP), which is known as the earliest Neolithic site in the middle HRV excavated so far. Here, ancient starches from Coix lacryma-jobi, Triticeae, Oryza sativa, Trichosanthes kirilowii and one unidentified specie were recovered. This study contributes to the limited knowledge of food strategies as observed in the middle HRV. It demonstrates that both gathering and cultivation of rice took place during the middle-Neolithic. Among the identified species, Coix lacryma-jobi appears to have been the main plant food at Shunshanji. Moreover, it is clear that Oryza sativa was not consumed as much as other plant species according to the occurrence frequency of different starch grains. Starch grains were also found on the used surfaces of grinding stone implements as well as pestles, which means that these stone tools were used for food processing. In addition, axes from Shunshanji may also have been used for food processing as well as wood working because starches were also found on the edge of axes. Information about subsistence strategies and tool use at Shunshanji will also be helpful to understanding the utilization of plants and agricultural development in the middle HRV during the early middle Neolithic period.
Papers/Artículos by Weiya Li
Archaeometry, 2020
China is a major centre for rice domestication, where starch grain analysis has been widely appli... more China is a major centre for rice domestication, where starch grain analysis has been widely applied to archaeological grinding tools to gain information about plant use by ancient Chinese societies. However, few rice starch grains have been identified to date. To understand this apparent scarcity of starch grains from rice, dry- and wet-grinding experiments with stone tools were carried out on four types of cereals: rice (Oryza sativa L.), foxtail millet (Setaria italica), Job’s tears (Coix lacryma-jobi L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). The results reveal that dry-grinding produces significant damage to starches to the point where they may be undetected in archaeological samples, while wet-grinding causes only slight morphological changes to the starch grains. Moreover, rice starch grains have the most substantial alterations from dry-grinding, possibly impeding their identification. These findings provide a possible means to explain the relative scarcity of rice starch grains recovered from archaeological grinding tools, which it is suggested was caused by the use of the dry-grinding technique. Therefore, it is suggested that rice starch grains have been likely underrepresented in the archaeological record, and previous interpretations of starch analyses need to be reconsidered.
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Papers by Weiya Li
Papers/Artículos by Weiya Li