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Phytolith Evidence for Human-Plant Subsistence in Yahuai Cave (Guangxi, South China) Over the Past 30000 Years

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Phytolith Evidence for Human-Plant Subsistence in Yahuai Cave (Guangxi, South China) Over the Past 30000 Years Phytolith evidence for human-plant subsistence in Yahuai Cave (Guangxi, South China) over the past 30000 years Yan WU, Guangmao XIE, Limi MAO, Zhijun ZHAO and Miriam BELMAKER Citation: SCIENCE CHINA Earth Sciences; doi: 10.1007/s11430-020-9640-3 View online: http://engine.scichina.com/doi/10.1007/s11430-020-9640-3 Published by the Science China Press Articles you may be interested in Climate history of the middle reach of the Yangtze river over the past 9000 years: A speleothem isotopic record from Za cave, Hubei, China Science in China Series E-Technological Sciences 44, 119 (2001); Spatiotemporal changes of epidemics and their relationship with human living environments in China over the past 2200 years SCIENCE CHINA Earth Sciences 63, 1223 (2020); Early Pleistocene hominid teeth recovered in Mohui cave in Bubing Basin, Guangxi, South China Chinese Science Bulletin 50, 2777 (2005); A newly discovered Gigantopithecus fauna from Sanhe Cave, Chongzuo, Guangxi, South China Chinese Science Bulletin 54, 788 (2009); High resolution stalagmite δ18O records over the past 1000 years from Dongge Cave in Guizhou Chinese Science Bulletin 50, 1003 (2005); SCIENCE CHINA Earth Sciences • • . .RESEARCH. .P.APER. https://doi.org/10.1007/s1. .1430-020-9640-3. Phytolith evidence for human-plant subsistence in Yahuai Cave (Guangxi, South China) over the past 30000 years Yan WU1,2*, Guangmao XIE3,4†, Limi MAO5, Zhijun ZHAO6 & Miriam BELMAKER7 1 Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China; 2 CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, China; 3 College of History, Culture and Tourism, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541001, China; 4 Guangxi Institute of Cultural Relic Protection and Archaeology, Nanning 530022, China; 5 State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China; 6 Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing 100710, China; 7 Department of Anthropology, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74104, USA Received January 27, 2020; revised April 23, 2020; accepted June 6, 2020; published online July 29, 2020 Abstract South China preserves a rich archaeological record elucidating the evolution of early modern humans during the Late Pleistocene. However, few studies on plant utilization were conducted in this region. We used phytolith analysis from Yahuai Cave, Guangxi, to infer human use of plant resources over the past 30000 years. AMS 14C dating was used to constrain the chronological framework. Results indicate that several economically essential species were present throughout the sequence including Urticineae (cf. Ulmus sp.), which appears in the lower layers of the sequence (Marine Isotope Stage 3 through Heinrich 1); bamboo and palm which appear throughout the sequence, and wild rice which appears in a clear archaeological context dating to 16000 years ago. This is the earliest record of wild rice in South China and a prerequisite for rice domestication. The unique stone tool assemblages, which resemble those in north China as opposed to South China, point to the possibility that humans, seeking refuge from the colder north, brought their tool kit with them and utilized familiar northern taxa. Warmer South China would have served as a refuge for human populations escaping the cold, harsh climate in the north with more ameliorate conditions in the south. Keywords Phytolith, Wild rice, South China, Bamboo, Late Pleistocene Citation: Wu Y, Xie G, Mao L, Zhao Z, Belmaker M. 2020. Phytolith evidence for human-plant subsistence in Yahuai Cave (Guangxi, South China) over the past 30000 years. Science China Earth Sciences, 63, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-020-9640-3 1. Introduction eral renowned discoveries of human remains from this per- iod, including the modern human skulls from Qilinshan and Abundant archaeological sites from South China provide Liujiang (Woo and Peng, 1959), human dental and skeletal insight into the adaptive strategies of humans in the Late remains from Bailiandong (Bailian Cave), Baojiyan (Yuan Pleistocene (Chi and Hung, 2010). Indeed, the Guangxi and Wei, 2015), Zengpiyan (Fangwu and Weisan, 1997; Zhuang autonomous region in South China is home to sev- Zhang M L et al., 2011) and Dingshishan (Fu et al., 1998), which highlights the critical role of this region as a focal point for the evolution of modern humans in China. * Corresponding author (email: [email protected]) Yahuai Cave, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in † Corresponding author (email: [email protected]) © Science China Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020 earth.scichina.com link.springer.com http://engine.scichina.com/doi/10.1007/s11430-020-9640-3 2 Wu Y, et al. Sci China Earth Sci South China (Figure 1a), yielded a long archaeological se- millet and rice (Luo et al., 2019). quence with a total of over 50 layers, the upper layers dating Here we present phytolith evidence of the economically to the Holocene and lower layers dating to the Late Pleis- significant plant remains from Yahuai Cave, Guangxi tocene. The extensive lithic collections are attributed to the Zhuang autonomous region, South China over the past flake industry, which is common in North China. The fauna 30000 years in the context of human population dynamics. includes both large and small vertebrate remains currently under study (Belmaker et al., 2018). However, despite the evidence that the Guangxi region was significant for Late 2. Materials and methods Pleistocene humans, little work has explored human-plant utilization. 2.1 The site of Yahuai Cave Phytoliths are microscopic silica particles that precipitate Yahuai cave is located in Long’an County, Guangxi Zhuang in or between cells in a wide range of plant tissues. They autonomous region, South China (107°45′35″E, 23°6′25″N), preserve well in the fossil record and across a wide range of 100 km northwest from Nanning (Figure 1a and 1b). It environments, and thus are rapidly becoming an invaluable consists of a rock-shelter and an inner cave, covering a total tool for studying past vegetation human used and plant area of more than 100 m2. Three seasons of excavation at this communities (Albert et al., 2015; Piperno, 2006; Rashid et site were carried out between 2015 and 2018 by the Guangxi al., 2019; Strömberg, 2005). Phytoliths may be identified to Institute of Cultural Relic Protection and Archaeology. Ex- taxa, based on morphology and morphometrics, and also cavations in each area were conducted in 1 m×1 m squares, allow for distinguishing between wild vs. domestic coun- and at 5 cm vertical interval spits. All cultural remains were terparts of the same species. For example, phytolith evidence recorded on-site using a total station to document the three- played a vital role in the study of agricultural origins such as dimensional coordinates of the finds, in addition to drawing, maize in central America (Piperno, 1984) and bananas in photography, and video. Small remains were collected by southeast Asia (Ball et al., 2006). In recent years, increased sieving and flotation. phytolith studies have been reported from Chinese archae- The excavation was divided into four areas: A, B, C, and ological contexts focusing primarily on the agricultural ori- D, with a total exposure of 50 m2 (Appendix Figure S1, gins, cultivation and domestication of foxtail millet, common https://link.springer.com). In this study, we focus on Area B. Figure 1 Yahuai Cave site. (a) Location of the site. (b) Panoramic view of the site. (c)–(e) Stratigraphic profile of Area B denoting the location of AMS 14C and phytolith samples. M1 denotes the location where the skull was found. http://engine.scichina.com/doi/10.1007/s11430-020-9640-3 Wu Y, et al. Sci China Earth Sci 3 Area B is 17 m2 in size with 24 stratigraphic layers throu- different layers in area B (layers 3, 5, 7 through 9, 18, 17, and ghout 4.2 m of deposits (Figure 1c–1e). Area B (Figure 2a) is 21 from units 4 through 2). The ages of samples were rich with stone artifacts (Figure 2b and 2c), a complete hu- measured by Beta Analytic Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory man skull with a partial mandible discovered in layer 8 and Peking University Dating Laboratory following pub- which dates to 16000 cal yr B.P. (Figure 2d), a hearth (Figure lished procedures. The eight AMS 14C ages obtained were 2e), and a rich vertebrate faunal assemblage (Figure 2f). The calibrated based on the dataset INTCAL13 (Reimer et al., lithic assemblage from Yahuai Cave site is dominated by 2013). small amorphous flakes, with some bearing evidence of utilization, manufactured on quartzite, sandstone, flint, tek- 2.3 Sampling and phytolith extraction tite, or crystal. The retouched tools, namely scrapers, points, and knives, are simple and unifacially retouched, often re- As part of a more extensive research program to study the stricted to one side or end of the flakes and without alteration archaeobotanical remains in this area, we conducted flotation of the original blank form (Xie et al., 2018). and pollen sampling to identify paleobotanical remains. Unfortunately, only a few macrobotanical remains were 2.2 Chronostratigraphy found. Pollen was found only in layer 21. The thickest cul- tural depositional profile of Area B was chosen for phytolith Eight charred material samples for AMS 14C were taken from sampling. Twenty-one soil samples, 10 g each, were col- Figure 2 Human fossil and cultural remains from the Yahuai cave. (a) Area B section with human burial; (b) stone artifacts; (c) perforated stones; (d) human skull; (e) hearth; (f) faunal remains. http://engine.scichina.com/doi/10.1007/s11430-020-9640-3 4 Wu Y, et al. Sci China Earth Sci lected from the stratified deposits across different squares 1987, 1992; Twiss et al., 1969; Wang and Lu, 1993).
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