Search

The natural environment of the Gansu-Qinghai region in northwest China exhibits spatial variation, resulting in distinct adaptive strategies among populations in different geographical areas. In this study, we analyzed the diachronic trend and regional variations in caries prevalence among 10 different middle and late-Holocene groups by examining dental caries data to explore the correlation between different adaptation strategies and caries frequency. Frequency data was used to compare dental caries between populations, and the Chi-square test was employed to detect statistical differences. A multidisciplinary approach was employed to investigate the relationship between these changes and the adaptive strategies adopted by the populations in this region. The result shows that there was a gradual increase in caries prevalence over time in eastern Gansu, which corresponded with development of millet farming and social hierarchy. In the Hexi Corridor, caries prevalence exhibited fluctuations attributable to climate variability, human migration, and regime change. The research proposes that changes in adaptive strategies due to various social and environmental factors are reflected in human teeth, while also presenting a novel endeavor of aggregating a large, multisite bioarchaeological dataset in order to investigate the interactions between Holocene populations and palaeoenvironments in northwest China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cattle, sheep, and goats were first domesticated in West Asia, but the history of utilization of these livestock in China is controversial. The Hexi Corridor, located in the northwestern Gansu-Qinghai (GQ) region of northwest China, was a conduit of cultural exchange between East and West Eurasia. Based on the identification and radiocarbon dating of animal remains unearthed from two Xichengyi culture sites in the Hexi Corridor (Huoshiliang (火石梁) and Ganggangwa (缸缸洼), ranging from 4060 cal BP to 3650 cal BP), combined with other archaeological data published from the GQ region, this study aims to reveal the history of pastoralism and the timing for the emergence of the earliest domesticated cattle and caprines in the GQ region. Our results suggest that directly dated domestic sheep/goat bones (4060-3840 cal BP) and cattle bones (3970-3830 cal BP) unearthed from these two sites are the earliest yet reported for sites within GQ region, but are significantly later than those reported elsewhere in the temperate-grassland areas of northern China. Furthermore, the unearthed animal remains suggest that early pastoralism in the GQ region occurred at the beginning of the Qijia/Xichengyi culture period (∼4000 cal BP), significantly later than other previously reported evidence for the substantial increase of sedimental coprophilous fungal spores in this region since∼5600 cal BP. We argue that previously reported evidence for increased coprophilous fungal spores in the GQ region before 4000 cal BP may come from raising domestic pigs and/or wild animals rather than domestic cattle and sheep/goats, and should not be taken as evidence for the intensification of pastoralism of cattle and sheep/goats. • The earliest domesticated cattle and caprines in GQ region were raised about 4000 cal BP. • The early pastoralism in the GQ region expanded during the period of the Qijia/Xichengyi culture (∼4000 cal BP). • The increase of coprophilous fungal spores before 4000 cal BP in GQ region may not come from domestic cattle and sheep/goats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]