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Archaeobotanical evidence reveals the early history of sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) use in China

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Abstract

Despite the increase in sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) recovered through archaeobotany at sites across China in recent years, little attention has been paid to the early history of human use of this aquatic plant. In this study, we collated and re-evaluated all published macro-botanical data of lotus in China for the period 9000–1100 BP. Our findings suggest that Neolithic rice farmers inhabiting the middle and lower Yangtze and Yellow River watersheds made extensive use of lotus roots and seeds as a supplementary starchy food. Furthermore, medicinal and cultural use of sacred lotus appears to have developed with the rise of China’s urban aristocracy from the mid-Warring States to the Late Tang Dynasty period. Our study provides the foundation for a history of the Chinese people’s long-term interaction with the sacred lotus plant.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the funds from Shanghai Planning Office of Philosophy and Social Science (2019ELS006) and the National Social Science Fund of China (21CKG022) for financial support. The authors are also grateful for the helpful comments made by anonymous reviewers that improved the quality of this manuscript. Thanks to Dr. Edward Allen for the help with the language modification and Prof. Yueming Shen for the advice on this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cultural Heritage and Museology, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China

    Tian Ma & Pengfei Sheng

  2. Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology of Hangzhou, Hangzhou, 310008, China

    Yijing Zhou

  3. Institute of Archaeological Science, and MOE Laboratory for National Development and Intelligent Governance, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China

    Pengfei Sheng

  4. Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    Hongen Jiang

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  1. Tian Ma
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Correspondence to Pengfei Sheng or Hongen Jiang.

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All authors have read and approved the final manuscript. This manuscript is not under consideration by another journal and has not been previously published. All authors declare that there is not any actual or potential conflict of interest including any financial, personal or other relationships with other people or organizations within three years of beginning the submitted work that could inappropriately influence, or be perceived to influence, their work.

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Ma, T., Zhou, Y., Sheng, P. et al. Archaeobotanical evidence reveals the early history of sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) use in China. Genet Resour Crop Evol 70, 2055–2062 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-023-01558-z

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