Properties of carbonized wheat kernels from the late Neolithic site of Donghuishan, Gansu Province, China

Abstract

AbstractBackground and objectivesThe Dongshuishan ruins in Minle, Gansu, is a site of the late Neolithic (Siba culture) with crop cultivation history. A total of 105 carbonized wheat kernels (Triticum aestivum) were found at the ruins. The properties of carbonized kernels were analyzed and then compared with modern wheat kernels.FindingsThe single kernel weight of carbonized kernel was 9.52 mg on average, and the length and width of a kernel were 4.62 and 3.26 mm on average, respectively. The ratio of kernel width to length was 0.71 on average. The kernel length was shorter than that of modern wheat variety, but with a similar kernel width. The carbonized kernels were higher in 15N isotope content and high in the major minerals zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and strontium (Si). The carbonized kernels have existed since 3,463–3,361 cal BP.ConclusionsIt is estimated that the single kernel weight from Donghuishan was 45–47% of that of the modern wheat. Studying the properties of carbonized wheat affords us a significant reference that merits attention in the progress of improving and evolving varieties in the last hundred years in China.Significance and noveltyAscertaining the cultivation years of wheat in Donghuishan and analyzing the spread of wheat from West Asia to East Asia provided historic evidence for how the wheat spread from Donghuishan to middle China since 4,000 years ago.