Phytolith recuperated from stone flakes from Shanghsan and Hehuashan flakes: rice husk phytolith (on left) and rice leaf phytolith. Credit: Jiajing Wang
” For rather a long time, among the puzzles has actually been that harvesting tools have actually not been discovered in southern China from the early Neolithic duration or New Stone Age (10,000– 7,000 Before Present)– the time duration when we understand rice began to be domesticated,” says lead author Jiajing Wang, an assistant professor of sociology at Dartmouth. “However, when archaeologists were working at numerous early Neolithic websites in the Lower Yangtze River Valley, they discovered a great deal of small pieces of stone, which had sharp edges that might have been used for harvesting plants.”
” Our hypothesis was that maybe some of those small stone pieces were rice harvesting tools, which is what our results show.”
In the Lower Yangtze River Valley, the 2 earliest Neolithic culture groups were the Shangshan and Kuahuqiao.
The scientists examined 52 flaked stone tools from the Shangshan and Hehuashan websites, the latter of which was occupied by Shangshan and Kuahuqiao cultures.
Schematic representation of rice harvesting approaches utilizing a finger-knife and sickle. Credit: Jiajing Wang
The stone flakes are rough in appearance and are not carefully made however have sharp edges. On average, the flaked tools are little enough to be held by one hand and measured roughly 1.7 inches in width and length.
To figure out if the stone flakes were used for collecting rice, the group performed phytolith and use-wear residue analyses.
For the use-wear analysis, micro-scratches on the tools surfaces were examined under a microscope to figure out how the stones were used. The results revealed that 30 flakes have use-wear patterns similar to those produced by harvesting siliceous (silica-rich) plants, most likely consisting of rice.
Fine striations, high polish, and rounded edges identified the tools that were utilized for cutting plants from those that were used for processing tough materials, cutting animal tissues, and scraping wood.
A choice of stone flake tools from the Shangshan (( a)-( h)) and Kuahuqiao (( i)–( l)) cultures. Red dots define the working edge of tools. Credit: Jiajing Wang
Through the phytolith residue analysis, the researchers evaluated the microscopic residue left on the stone flakes called “phytoliths” or silica skeletons of plants. They discovered that 28 of the tools contained rice phytoliths.
” Whats fascinating about rice phytoliths is that rice husk and leaves produce different kinds of phytolith, which enabled us to identify how the rice was gathered,” states Wang.
The findings from the use-wear and phytolith analyses showed that 2 kinds of rice harvesting approaches were used– “finger-knife” and “sickle” strategies. Both methods are still utilized in Asia today.
The stone flakes from the early stage (10,000– 8,200 BP) revealed that rice was mostly harvested using the finger-knife technique in which the panicles at the top of the rice plant are reaped. The outcomes revealed that the tools utilized for finger-knife harvesting had striations that were primarily perpendicular or diagonal to the edge of the stone flake, which recommends a scraping or cutting motion, and contained phytoliths from seeds or rice husk phytoliths, showing that the rice was harvested from the top of the plant.
” A rice plant consists of numerous panicles that grow at various times, so the finger-knife harvesting technique is specifically beneficial when rice domestication was in the early phase,” says Wang.
The stone flakes nevertheless, from the later stage (8,000– 7,000 BP) had more evidence of sickle harvesting in which the lower part of the plant was gathered. These tools had striations that were predominantly parallel to the tools edge, showing that a slicing movement had actually most likely been used.
” Sickle collecting was more widely used when rice ended up being more domesticated, and more ripe seeds stayed on the plant,” states Wang. “Since you are collecting the whole plant at the same time, the rice stems and leaves might also be utilized for fuel, constructing materials, and other functions, making this a lot more reliable gathering method.”
Wang says, “Both collecting approaches would have decreased seed shattering. Thats why we think rice domestication was driven by human unconscious selection.”
Recommendation: “New proof for rice harvesting in the early Neolithic Lower Yangtze River, China” by Jiajing Wang, Jiangping Zhu, Dongrong Lei and Leping Jiang, 7 December 2022, PLOS ONE.DOI: 10.1371/ journal.pone.0278200.
Rice is one of the earliest and most important food crops in the world. It has a abundant and long history, dating back to ancient civilizations in Asia.
The existence of striations and residue expose the methods used in harvesting.
A research study led by Dartmouth has discovered the earliest evidence of rice harvesting, going back to 10,000 years earlier in southern China. The research team evaluated stone tools and found evidence of 2 approaches used for collecting rice, which assisted start the domestication of the crop. The findings were just recently published in the journal PLOS ONE.
The difference in between domesticated and wild rice depends on their seed dispersal pattern; wild rice sheds its ripe seeds naturally, triggering them to shatter on the ground when fully grown, whereas cultivated rice retains its seeds on the plant upon maturity.
To collect rice, some sort of tools would have been required. In gathering rice with tools, early rice growers were picking the seeds that remain on the plants, so slowly the proportion of seeds that remain increased, resulting in domestication.
A research study led by Dartmouth has actually discovered the earliest evidence of rice harvesting, dating back to 10,000 years ago in southern China. The research team analyzed stone tools and found proof of 2 approaches utilized for collecting rice, which assisted start the domestication of the crop. A choice of stone flake tools from the Shangshan (( a)-( h)) and Kuahuqiao (( i)–( l)) cultures. Red dots delineate the working edge of tools. Credit: Jiajing Wang