Environmental changes and human activities at a fortified site of the Liangzhu culture in eastern China: Evidence from pollen and charcoal records

Liangzhu culture represents the culmination of the Neolithic culture in the Yangtze Delta. Two archaeological trenches (LZ-N and LZ-W) from a fortified archaeological site in close proximity to Hangzhou, eastern China, were excavated and studied. The sediments were analyzed to provide vegetation and fire records for the reconstruction of environmental change and human impact during the past 5000 years. Pollen data reveal that mixed evergreen-deciduous subtropical broadleaved forests may have developed around lakes or swamps in this area. Abundant charcoal detritus and Gramineae pollen with a size >38 μm indicate that rice agriculture flourished during 5000-4500 cal yr BP. Low concentrations of charcoal detritus and Gramineae pollen with a size >38 μm suggest that the site was abandoned after 4500 cal yr BP. Pollen and charcoal data from the LZ-N section suggest that this area has experienced a weakened human activity during the late period of the Liangzhu culture (between 4500 and 4300 cal yr BP), implying that the demise of the Liangzhu culture was a prolonged process rather than a short-lived event.