A grain of rice buried deep in the ruins, and a few pieces of pottery mixed with chaff and grain, represent the wisdom of the ancients in searching for food in the land, and also record a revolution in crop production. Since then, wild rice, which is the ancestor, has grown "crazy" under the cultivation of the ancients.
This is a story from 10,000 years ago. A light was left in the gap of time, shining on the golden ears of rice. When a grain of rice matures and falls to the ground, what a miracle will be produced by the golden seeds. After a long wait, these plants finally blossom and form spikes every year, becoming the most beautiful scenery on the edge of their homes. They made threshed rice husks and clay together, and stored fermented rice milk in jars to make wine.
What a great invention! Just as Mr. Yuan Longping's inscription for the culture of the mountain - "Ten Thousand Years on the Mountain, the Source of The World's Rice" is so inspiring. They were the first farmers, the first to produce rice.
The above scene from 10,000 years ago can be restored
It is inseparable from the research of relevant experts and scholars
Xiaobian recommends two papers here
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Evidence of early Neolithic rice cultivation was found at the Lotus Hill site
Qiu Zhenwei Jiang Leping Wang Changxuan David V. Hill Wu Yan
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 11(4)
Executive Summary:
A phytosilica analysis was carried out at a Hehuashan site in the upper reaches of the Qiantang River, focusing on solving the following problems: (1) the changes in the morphological characteristics of rice fan-shaped silicates in the early Neolithic period; (2) human adaptation in the early Holocene; and (3) the rice cultivation practices of early Neolithic settlers in the upper reaches of the Qiantang River. The phytocilloscopic combination reveals that the endemic vegetation landscape of the site's Shangshan culture period and before includes reeds (Phragmites australis), rice (Oryza), plants of the bamboo subfamily Bambusoideae and some woody plants. The content and morphological characteristics of rice fan-shaped phytosilicon bodies derived from rice leaves have undergone diachronic changes, and the overall trend is to increase in quantity, size and fish scale ornamentation. More importantly, the discovery of rice fan-shaped and bimodal phytosilicas in raw soil indicates that there should be wild rice distribution in the sites of sites before early Holocene human activities. This shows that during the Shangshan culture, after realizing that wild rice can be edible, human beings gradually changed from collection and utilization to possible artificial management, and finally developed to conscious rice cultivation.
keyword:
Rice fan-shaped phytosilicate; fish scale ornamentation; wild rice; rice cultivation; early Neolithic
Some thoughts on the study of phytosilicates in rice in Shangshan culture
Qiu Zhenwei Archaeology, No. 9, 2021
Since its discovery, the Shangshan culture has attracted widespread attention from the academic community, involving archaeological culture and settlement patterns, handicraft production and livelihood economy and other angles. Confined to the fact that few large plant remains have been unearthed, phytosilica analysis has promoted the study of Shangshan culture to a certain extent, especially in judging the degree of rice cultivation and domestication. However, the continuous analysis of phytosilicates for more than a decade has also exposed some problems, such as samples from basically the same sources showing different analytical results, and different phytosilicates characterizing the degree of domestication of rice. By combing through the relevant research on rice phytosilicate in Shangshan culture, this paper proposes: scientific sample sources are the basis and premise of research work, standard and public experimental steps are the effective guarantee for comparative research, the specific impact of statistical data differentiation is not clear, and the effectiveness of rice physilicates to reflect the process of rice domestication still needs to be explored in depth.
Shangshan culture phytosilicate analysis Rice fan type phytosilicium Rice bimodal phytosilicos Rice domestication
【Exhibition Information】
Exhibition Name: Dao, Yuan, Qiming - Special Exhibition of Shangshan Culture and Archaeology in Zhejiang
Date of operation: November 21, 2021
Exhibition venue: Guobo South Exhibition Hall 1
(The exhibition period is subject to the latest information on the official website)