Functionality and Morphology: Identifying Si Agricultural Tools from Among Hemudu Scapular Implements in Eastern China

Weijin Huang,Liye Xie,Guoping Sun,Xuejiao Lu

doi:10.1007/s10816-015-9271-x

Abstract

Most Chinese archaeologists assume that the scapular implements used in the Hemudu culture in eastern China (7000–5000 BP) were the si agricultural implements (tools for breaking ground and turning soils over to assist in seeding) recorded in ancient Chinese literatures and, accordingly, assume the Hemudu culture was a farming society. However, ethnographic and historical literatures worldwide have suggested inconclusive functions for similar implements. We conducted a range of experiments under realistic conditions, including hide and plant processing and earth-working, followed by use-wear analysis, to identify the functions of the Hemudu scapular implements. The results suggest that no more than half of the implements were employed as si and that their penetrability and durability were rather limited. These findings help explain why Hemudu should not be labeled as a farming society. Through experimentation and use-wear analysis, we produced relatively large datasets that make a significant contribution to the identification of soil-derived wear patterns on bone tools. We also included quantitative measurements of soil properties to ensure similarities in use contexts between our experimental and archaeological analogies in order to reach reliable functional identifications. Our approaches and results, therefore, provided a solid base for re-evaluating previous research as well as building a standardized database of scientific value for future evaluation and adjustment, even if that future research is done in isolation and in different soil contexts.

Highlights

First discovered in the early 1970s, the Hemudu culture, dating to approximately 5000– 7000 BP (Sun 2013; Wu et al 2011; ZPICHA 2003) in the Lower Yangzi Basin (Fig. 1), is the Chinese archaeological culture best-known outside of China because its waterlogged condition has yielded well-preserved organic remains
To determine whether the scapular implements were si, we examined previous literature on similar implements, conducted experiments to test the major functions previously suggested for scapular implements, and compared the use-wear patterns and morphological details of the experimental samples to the archaeological specimens
Our experiments incorporated working with the three main materials—soil, hides, and plants—that had been suggested for scapular tool use in previous publications

Summary

Introduction

First discovered in the early 1970s, the Hemudu culture, dating to approximately 5000– 7000 BP (Sun 2013; Wu et al 2011; ZPICHA 2003) in the Lower Yangzi Basin (Fig. 1), is the Chinese archaeological culture best-known outside of China because its waterlogged condition has yielded well-preserved organic remains. Hemudu had been regarded as the earliest farming society in East Asia until the early 1990s, when older rice remains were found in the middle Yangzi Valley (Crawford and Shen 1998). The Hemudu culture was not the subject of much scientific investigation until the last 10 years, when new archaeological findings from the Lower Yangzi Basin again drew attention to this area as the center of the origin of rice agriculture.

Methods

Results

Conclusion