Geoarcheologic reconstruction of the Bronze Age landscape of the Shangqiu area, China.

摘要

The Shangqiu area, part of the alluvial floodplain of the lower Yellow River, is traditionally considered the center of the predynastic and early Shang cultures. This dissertation research is designed primarily (1) to study the Holocene floodplain stratigraphy in the Shangqiu area, (2) to reconstruct the history of landscape evolution in archaeologic context, and (3) to examine the potential influence of dynamic geomorphic systems on the development, preservation, and visibility of Bronze Age archaeologic records. The principles of floodplain sedimentology and soil geomorphology are considered the methodologic basis of this study with emphasis on archaeologic application. The facies analysis of sediments and soils is chosen as the fundamental analytic and interpretive means in the interpretation of lithostratigraphic and pedostratigraphic units. Six major lithostratigraphic units and their corresponding pedostratigraphic units of the Holocene are defined in this study. Correlating with these stratigraphic units are four anthropogenic units defined to evaluate and interpret the formation of the anthropogenic sediments. On the basis of the study of Holocene stratigraphic sequence and site sedimentary matrix, a landscape evolution model is constructed to furnish the stratigraphic and geomorphic contexts for the evaluation, interpretation, and prediction of potential Bronze Age sites in the area. Three stages of landscape development are identified to have existed in the Holocene. The prolonged landscape stability from about 6000 or 7000 B.P. to 2000 B.P. might have provided potential Bronze Age human occupation with a favorable physical environment. This study provides new insights into the spatial and temporal patterns of Bronze Age sites that may have existed in the area.