The strategy and environmental significance of Neolithic subsistence in the Mu Us Desert, China

Abstract

Studies on the interactions between humans and their environment during prehistory have become increasingly popular in recent years. This study focused on the subsistence strategies and environmental significance of Neolithic humans using information derived from archaeological discoveries in the Mu Us Desert, China. The results showed that the earliest Neolithic humans appeared in the Mu Us Desert region in the middle Holocene during expansion of the Yangshao culture, and reached this remote area of northwestern China around 7.0 ka before present (BP). The large number and sizes of the registered 527 archaeological sites indicated that the culture was prosperous during the Longshan culture period (4.8 ka BP–3.9 ka BP), whereas it showed a decline during the later Bronze Age. Data based on examination of 37 excavated sites in the Mu Us Desert indicated that the rise and fall of the cultures were closely linked with changes in subsistence strategies, which included possible subsistence behaviors, agriculture, animal husbandry, hunting and fishing. Data collected for the typical stone/bone tools and animal remains suggested settled agriculture was dominant in the Yangshao culture whereas the Longshan culture practiced mixed animal husbandry and hunting, which facilitated a prosperous society. In addition, changes in the numbers and positions of archaeological sites over time as well as the proportion of animal remains and stone/bone tools reflected an obvious decline in culture and human activity during the Bronze Age. The variation and adaptation in subsistence behavior during the Neolithic were mainly triggered by the development of prehistoric society and culture, as well as by the relatively optimum climate condition during the Holocene Megathermal. The results of this study may offer insights in the long-term effects of human societies and the potential feedbacks on prehistorical subsistence strategies.