I have a favourite subject at school, archaeology. I don’t see the digging up of artifacts as a means to an end and by this I mean: identify, catalogue, store or display, move on…. I do mean that I believe we can combine the knowledge we gain about what was happening a million years ago, a thousand years ago, yesterday — and use our insights to discover who we are today and where we are going.
I have written a precis. I write very short summaries when I am doing research papers for the classes I take at the local polytechnic. This one was partially written as I studied for a final exam. I have finished it to place it here.
Anping, P., 1998. Notes on New Advancements and Revelations in the Agricultural Archaeology of Early Rice Domestication in the Dongting Lake Region. Antiquity 72, 878-885.
My Precis
Ancient grains of rice found in Liyang Plain archaeological sites reveal to us that rice agriculture may have developed quickly in this region and concurrently with other, nearby sites.
My Precis Expanded:
The Liyang Plain lies to the north of Dongting Lake and includes the Li River and the associated lake and tributary system. The area has abundant rainfall and sunshine which result in favourable geographical and environmental conditions for humans and agriculture.
The archaeological site of Pengtoushan was uncovered in 1988 and Bashidang was discovered soon after. Six excavations in the Bashidang have revealed Neolithic sites that yielded rice kernels as well as other plant and animal remains. Prof. Zhang Wenru of the Chinese Agricultural University was invited to do a preliminary assessment of the Bashidang rice and three major characteristics of the Bashidang rice as a ‘small grain ancient rice’ were identified.
Findings in these sites show that the population dates from early Paleolithic until Neolithic periods with domesticated and wild rice remains dating to 10,000 B.P. Rice culture developed here very quickly, possibly with the aid of good environmental and climate conditions that encouraged population growth in the area.
I found the original article here:
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