Abstract
All of the birthplaces of ancient major civilizations in Eurasia, i.e., Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Indus Valley, and Yellow River, belonged to dry to semi-arid climates having annual rainfall of 500 mm or less, and were inhabited by people who mainly sustained themselves by cultivating wheat/barley and millet and by pastoral farming. On the other hand, people living in the wet climate and forested monsoon Asia, who sustained themselves by cultivating rice and fishing, developed a civilization that predated these ancient four great civilizations. This chapter shows the existence of an ancient civilization in the wet and forested monsoon Asia, the Yangtze River Civilization, mainly based on the excavation of the Chengtoushan site in Hunan Province, China.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
In the burn-and-drown technique, forests are burned and forked into the soil before planting. Weeds that grow after that are eliminated by drowning.
References
Bellwood P (2004) The origins and dispersals of agricultural communities in Southeast Asia. In: Glover I, Bellwood P (eds) Southeast Asia. Routledge Curzon, London/New York, pp 21–40
Bellwood P (2006) Asian farming diasporas? Agriculture, languages, and genes in China and Southeast Asia. In: Stark M (ed) Archaeology of Asia. Blackwell, Oxford, pp 96–118
Egami N (1967) Kibaminzoku kokka (The nation of the horsemen). Chukoshinsho, Tokyo (in Japanese)
Flenley J, Yasuda Y (eds) (2008) Environmental variability and human adaptation in the Pacific Rim and the sustainability of the islands. Quaternary Int 184:204 pp
Gao C, Yasuda Y (eds) (2002) Study on the bronze culture of the Yangtze River valley. Science Press, Beijing (in Chinese with English abstract)
Guo R, Li J (2002) The Nanzhuangtou and Hutouliang sites: exploring the beginning of agriculture and pottery in north China. In: Yasuda Y (ed) The origins of pottery and agriculture. Lustre Press and Roli Books, Delhi, pp 193–204
Hagiwara S (2006) Yama to sato no minzokubunnkateki tokushittsu (Characteristic of the folkloristic culture of the mountain and village). In: Yasuda Y (ed) Sangaku shinko to nihonnjin (Japanese and Mountain Faith). NTT, Tokyo, pp 67–91 (in Japanese)
He J, Yasuda Y (eds) (2007) Chengtoushan in Lixian. Cultural Relics Publishing House, Beijing (in Chinese)
Higham C (1996) The bronze age of Southeast Asia: from prehistory to history. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Higham C (2002) Early cultures of mainland Southeast Asia. River Books, Bangkok
Hubei Institute of Archaeology and Cultural Relics (2001) Panlongcheng site. Cultural Relics Publishing House, Beijing (in Chinese with English abstract)
Institute of Archaeology, Hunan (1999) The 1997 and 1998 seasons of excavation of a city site at Chengtoushan, Lixian, Hunan. WENWU (Cultural Relics) 6:4–17 (in Chinese with English abstract)
Kabayama K (ed) (1987) Chokobunmei to nihon (The Yangtze River Civilization and Japan). Benesse, Tokyo (in Japanese)
Kanehara M (2007) Parasite analysis of the Chengtoushan site. In: He J, Yasuda Y (eds) Chengtoushan in Lixian. Cultural Relics Publishing House, Beijing, p 120
Kato M, Fukusawa H, Yasuda Y (2003) Varved lacustrine sediments of Lake Tougou-ike, western Japan with reference to Holocene sea-level changes in Japan. Quaternary Int 105:33–37
Korhola A, Vasko K, Toivonen HTT, Olander H (2002) Holocene temperature changes in northern Fennoscandia reconstructed from chironomids using Bayesian modeling. Quaternary Int 21:1841–1860
Magny M (2004) Holocene climate variability as reflected by mid-European lake-level fluctuations and its probable impact on prehistoric human settlements. Quaternary Sci Rev 113:65–79
Miyamoto C (2007) Reconstruction of the building from Chengtoushan site. In: He J, Yasuda Y (eds) Chengtoushan in Lixian. Cultural Relics Publishing House, Beijing, pp 164–172 (in Chinese)
Mori Y (2007) Insect and diatom from the Chengtoushan site. In: He J, Yasuda Y (eds) Chengtoushan in Lixian. Cultural Relics Publishing House, Beijing, pp 118–119 (in Chinese)
Morita Y, Kuroda T (2007) Pollen analytical study of the agricultural environment in Chengtoushan site. In: He J, Yasuda Y (eds) Chengtoushan in Lixian. Cultural Relics Publishing House, Beijing, pp 67–83 (in Chinese)
Museum of Yunnan Province (ed) (1991) Museum of Yunnan Province. Cultural Relics Publishing House, Beijing (in Chinese)
Naruse T (2007) Loess and geomorphology in the Liyang plain. In: He J, Yasuda Y (eds) Chengtoushan in Lixian. Cultural Relics Publishing House, Beijing, pp 32–39 (in Chinese)
Nasu H, Momohara A (2007) Macro fossil remains from the Chengtoushan site. In: He J, Yasuda Y (eds) Chengtoushan in Lixian. Cultural Relics Publishing House, Beijing, pp 88–89 (in Chinese)
Nasu H, Momohara A, Yasuda Y (2006) The occurrence and identification of Setaria italica (L.) P. Beau V. (foxtail millet) grains from the Chengtoushan site (ca. 5800 cal. BP) in Central China, with reference to the domestication center in Asia. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 16:481–494
Possehl GL (1999) Indus age: the beginning. Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Put. Ltd., Delhi
Sahara M, Kanaseki H (1975) Inasaku no hajimari (Beginning of rice cultivation). Kodansha, Tokyo (in Japanese)
Sasaki K (1989) Tônan azia noukouron (Agriculture in Southeast Asia). Kobundou, Tokyo (in Japanese)
Sasaki K (1999) Shôyôjyurinbunka towa nanika? (What is the Laurel Forest Culture?). Chukoshinsho, Tokyo (in Japanese)
Shichida T (2002) Rituals found at Yoshinogari sites and the Yangtze River Civilization. In: Yasuda Y (ed) Myths and rituals of the Yangtze River Civilization. Cultural Relics Publishing House, Beijing, pp 221–233 (in Chinese with English abstract)
Takahashi M, Kawasumi R (2007) Development of land use and the micro geomorphology in Liyang plain. In: He J, Yasuda Y (eds) Chengtoushan in Lixian. Cultural Relics Publishing House, Beijing, pp 18–31 (in Chinese)
Taniguchi K (2011) Jomon-bunka-kigenron-no-saikouchiku (Reconstruction of the origin of Jomon culture). Doseisha, Tokyo
Toyama S (2007) Environment and rice cultivation in Chengtoushan site based on the geomorphological and phytolith analysis. In: He J, Yasuda Y (eds) Chengtoushan in Lixian. Cultural Relics Publishing House, Beijing, pp 44–66 (in Chinese)
Tsutsumi T (2002) Origins of pottery and human strategies for adaptation during the termination of the Last-glacial period in the Japanese archipelago. In: Yasuda Y (ed) The origins of pottery and agriculture. Lustre Press and Roli Books, Delhi, pp 241–262
Umehara T, Yasuda Y (2004) Chokobunmei no tankyu (Inquiry into the Yangtze River Civilization). Shinshisakusha, Tokyo (in Japanese)
Yan W (2004) Changjiang wenming de shuguang (Dawn of the Yangtze River Civilization). Hubei jiaoyu chabanshe, Hubei
Yan W, Yasuda Y (eds) (2000) The origins of rice agriculture, pottery and cities. Cultural Relics Publishing House, Beijing (in Chinese with English abstract)
Yasuda Y (1991) Climatic changes at 5,000 years BP and the birth of ancient civilizations. Bull Middle Eastern Cult Center Japan IV:203–218
Yasuda Y (2000) Taiga-bunmeni-no-tanjyo (The birth of riverine civilizations). Kadokawashoten, Tokyo
Yasuda Y (ed) (2001) Forest and civilisation. Lustre Press and Roli Books, Delhi
Yasuda Y (2002a) Origins of pottery and agriculture in East Asia. In: Yasuda Y (ed) The origins of pottery and agriculture. Lustre Press and Roli Books, Delhi, pp 119–142
Yasuda Y (2002b) The second east side story: origin of agriculture in West Asia. In: Yasuda Y (ed) The origins of pottery and agriculture. Lustre Press and Roli Books, Delhi
Yasuda Y (ed) (2002c) The origins of pottery and agriculture. Lustre Press and Roli Books, Delhi
Yasuda Y (ed) (2002d) Myths and rituals of the Yangtze River Civilization. Cultural Relics Publishing House, Beijing (in Chinese with English abstract)
Yasuda Y (ed) (2003) Environmental variability in East and West Eurasia. Quaternary Int 105:80 pp
Yasuda Y (2009) Inasaku gyrô bunnmei (The rice cultivating piscatory civilization). Yuzankaku, Tokyo (in Japanese)
Yasuda Y, Catto N (eds) (2004) Environmental variability and human adaptation since the last Glacial period. Quaternary Int 123/125:189 pp
Yasuda Y, Miyatsuka Y (2007) Survey of the early agricultural site in Liyang plain. In: He J, Yasuda Y (eds) Chengtoushan in Lixian. Cultural Relics Publishing House, Beijing, pp 173–180 (in Chinese)
Yasuda Y, Shinde V (eds) (2004) Monsoon and civilization. Lustre Press and Roli Books, Delhi
Yasuda Y, Kitagawa H, Nakagawa T (2000) The earliest record of major anthropogenic deforestation in the Ghab valley, northwest Syria: a palynological study. Quaternary Int 73/74:127–136
Yasuda Y, Fujiki T, Nasu H, Kato M, Morita Y, Mori Y, Kanehara M, Toyama S, Yano A, Okuno M, Jiejun H, Ishihara S, Kitagawa H, Fukusawa H, Naruse T (2004) Environmental archaeology at the Chengtoushan site, Hunan Province, China and implications for environmental change and the rise and fall of the Yangtze River Civilization. Quaternary Int 123/125:149–158
Yonenobu H (2007) Wood analysis from the Chengtoushan site. In: He J, Yasuda Y (eds) Chengtoushan in Lixian. Cultural Relics Publishing House, Beijing, pp 115–117 (in Chinese)
Zhang C (2002) Early pottery and rice phytolith remains from Xianrendong and Diaotonghuan sites, Wannian, Jiangxi, Province. In: Yasuda Y (ed) The origins of pottery and agriculture. Lustre Press and Roli Books, Delhi, pp 185–191
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer Japan
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Yasuda, Y. (2013). Discovery of the Yangtze River Civilization in China. In: Yasuda, Y. (eds) Water Civilization. Advances in Asian Human-Environmental Research. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54111-0_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54111-0_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Tokyo
Print ISBN: 978-4-431-54110-3
Online ISBN: 978-4-431-54111-0
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)