Coastal Life: Zooarchaeological Research on the Jingtoushan Shell Mound in Neolithic China

Abstract

This study focuses on the zooarchaeological remains recovered from the Jingtoushan shell mound site. Located at the juncture of the lower Yangtze River Basin and the southeastern coastline of China, and dating to 8,065-7,904 cal BP, this site is one of the earliest coastal shell mound sites discovered to date in China. It details the study materials (animal remains) and outlines the study methods used, including radiocarbon dating and Bayesian calibration, morphology, quantitative statistics, morphometrics, paleopathology, age profiling, stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes, cultural contexts, taphonomy, Habitat Exploitation Index, and multivariate methods.

Faunal analysis reveals exploitation of at least 41 taxa of animal remains (molluscs, fish, mammals, birds, and freshwater turtles). Habitat Exploitation Index analysis suggests that the landscape and seascape comprised a relatively stable terrestrial environment, and intertidal zones, including mudflats, bedrock reefs, and mangrove margins, adjacent to low-salinity nearshore seas influenced by sea-level rise. In the environmental context, the inhabitants of Jingtoushan developed a highly mixed subsistence economy, primarily based on foraging, with supplemental agricultural production. Marine molluscs and nearshore fish constituted the important food sources. Terrestrial animals, especially deer, played a significant role as sources of meat and raw materials for bone and antler tools. Although remains of domesticated rice, pigs, and dogs were recovered at the site, their relatively low proportions indicate that agricultural production played a minor role in overall subsistence. The emergence of agriculture at Jingtoushan was likely the result of a combination of factors. Analysis of social activities and production techniques further substantiates the presence of social complexity in the Jingtoushan community. A significant rise in sea level appears to be a critical factor contributing to the eventual abandonment of the settlement.

To place the site in context, a review was undertaken of the spatial-temporal distribution, associated subsistence patterns, and observable transitions of 476 sites across China reported as shell mounds, shell middens, and shell deposits, dating from the Late Palaeolithic to the Han Dynasty. The results were mixed, with many sites providing limited information, but these sites can be classified into five location types: cave, coastal, estuarine, riverside, and lakeside. Subsistence patterns and transitions were driven by complex factors, closely tied to paleoclimate and palaeoenvironmental changes, especially sea-level fluctuations at Holocene coastal sites. The study provides details on the paleoclimate and paleoenvironment of South China and the archaeological cultures of Zhejiang Province.

The study also provides an overview of nearly 90 years of developments in Chinese zooarchaeological research, focusing on some key archaeological sites in South China. Finally, a Principal Component Analysis of mammals from 50 prehistoric sites across South China and Southeast Asia reveals that although agriculture emerged in the Yangtze River Basin during the Middle Holocene, foraging remained a dominant subsistence strategy for an extended period. As rice farming became advanced and agricultural populations grew from the Middle to Late Holocene, farming communities originating in the Yangtze River Basin began to expand into southern China and Southeast Asia. This expansion facilitated the rapid development of local agricultural societies, ultimately contributing to the dispersal of farming traditions throughout the broader Pacific. The study of subsistence patterns and transitions among the Jingtoushan inhabitants provides a crucial case study for understanding subsistence transitions from the Middle to Late Holocene across the middle and lower Yangtze River Basins, southern China, Southeast Asia, and even out into the Pacific. Show more