Abstract
Extreme climatic events have profound impacts on human society. Here we present the results of a study of organic biomarkers within a sedimentary section at the archaeological site of Yuchisi, eastern China, in order to reconstruct climatic variability during the Dawenkou (5,050–4,400 yr BP) and Longshan (4,400–4,000 yr BP) cultures. At ~4,400 yr BP, within the cultural transition horizon, abrupt changes in biomarkers, such as the fatty acid ratio C18:2/C18:0, 2C31/(C27 + C29), n-C18-ol and n-C30-ol, indicate the occurrence of local climate changes over the course of a few decades. These changes occurred during the transition from the Holocene warm period to a subsequent cold period which lasted for the following 600 years. This climatic shift has been recorded at numerous sites worldwide, and it is likely to have been the main cause of the widespread collapse of many isolated cultures at that time. The palaeoclimatic and archaeological data from the Yuchisi sediments may provide new insights into the relationship between climate change and prehistoric cultural transitions.
Highlights
The Neolithic period[17,18]
We analyzed organic biomarkers in the sediments and use the results to consider how the near-simultaneous climate changes and cultural transition at the Yuchisi site are reflected in similar occurrences on a global basis
The climatic impact of the “Holocene IRD Event 3”26 may have commenced as early as 4,500 yr BP, the Neolithic cultural transformations occurred at about 4,200–4,000 yr BP, a lag of several hundred years[27]
Summary
The Neolithic period[17,18]. As identified by the archaeological analysis, the Yuchisi site recorded two important Chinese prehistoric cultures: the Late Dawenkou Culture (5,050–4,400 yr BP) and the Longshan Culture (4,400– 4,000 yr BP)[17,18,19,20,21]. The location of the studied sediment profile (YC1) was carefully selected in order to avoid possible disturbance by human activity. It was located in an open area which apparently had not been used for habitation, cultivation, or metalworking. It is the least disturbed site in the vicinity. Previous analyses of pollen assemblages and element concentrations in the sediment profile revealed an episode of unusually dry climate occurred at 4,400 yr BP in the region[21]. We analyzed organic biomarkers in the sediments and use the results to consider how the near-simultaneous climate changes and cultural transition at the Yuchisi site are reflected in similar occurrences on a global basis
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