Holocene environmental evolution and human adaptability in a coastal area: a case study of the Jiaodong Peninsula in Shandong Province, eastern China

Abstract

The Spatio-temporal distribution of prehistoric sites and the response of human activities to climate change are important considerations in studies of human–Earth relationships. The Jiaodong Peninsula in Shandong Province is an ideal place to study the relationship between Holocene environmental evolution and human adaptability. In this study, GIS software was used to study the elevation, slope, and riverside adjacency of Holocene settlement sites in the Jiaodong Peninsula. By analyzing trends in the spatiotemporal distribution of settlements in combination with climate and sea-level changes in the Jiaodong Peninsula we were able to explore the relationship between the spatiotemporal distribution and environmental evolution of the sites. The results showed that the prehistoric sites were mainly located in low-altitude areas with elevations of 0–60 m and sun-facing (i.e. south-, southeast-, and southwest-facing) slopes of 0°–5°. The number of Houli-Beixin sites (8500–6300 a BP) were relatively fewer than the number in other areas in China due to the impact of the early Holocene transgression. Continental sites in the Jiaodong Peninsula were substantially affected by climate change and began to increase during the Dawenkou stage (6300–4600 a BP) and reached a maximum during the Longshan stage (4600–4000 a BP). With the advent of the dry and cold 4.2 ka event, the number of continental sites decreased during the Yueshi stage (4000–3500 a BP). The number of coastal sites fluctuated slightly from the Longshan to the Yueshi stage (4000–3500 a BP) because of climate change. Compared with other areas in China, the reduction rate of sites from the Longshan (4000–3500 a BP) to the Yueshi culture (4000–3500 a BP) was relatively low, likely because fishing was the main livelihood. These results could help improve our understanding of the relationship between climate change and human activities.