TY - JOUR
T1 - Chronology of a late Neolithic site along the coast of the east China sea
AU - Jin, Jianhui
AU - Li, Zhizhong
AU - Huang, Yunming
AU - Fan, Xuechun
AU - Jiang, Feng
AU - Cheng, Yan
AU - Xu, Xiaolin
AU - Ling, Zhiyong
AU - Liu, Xiuming
PY - 2018/10
Y1 - 2018/10
N2 - Shell mounds are the foremost type of Neolithic sites found in coastal areas of South China. These sites can provide significant information on prehistoric human activity and climate change; however, only a few shell mounds have a systematic chronology in South China. In this study, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and 14C dating techniques were employed to establish a systemic chronological framework for a Neolithic shell mound found at Pingfengshan in the coastal area of Fujian Province, southern China. In addition, the possible reasons for human coastal migrations that took place during this specific period, along with their associations with climate change, are discussed. The results showed that the obtained OSL ages were reliable and consistent with the 14C chronology. The age of the Pingfengshan site was found to be approximately 4.0–3.3 ka. Additionally, it was found that post-depositional anthropogenic disturbances can have various influences on the resultant OSL and 14C ages. Cross-validation between different dating methods proved to be of great importance to adequately determine the chronology in archaeological sites. The study revealed that climatic changes played a crucial role in prehistoric human migration during the Huangguashan cultural period (4.3–3.2 ka). Sea level fluctuation may have affected onshore living space and site selection of prehistoric settlements, and intensive winter monsoons may have caused the recession of the Huangguashan culture.
AB - Shell mounds are the foremost type of Neolithic sites found in coastal areas of South China. These sites can provide significant information on prehistoric human activity and climate change; however, only a few shell mounds have a systematic chronology in South China. In this study, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and 14C dating techniques were employed to establish a systemic chronological framework for a Neolithic shell mound found at Pingfengshan in the coastal area of Fujian Province, southern China. In addition, the possible reasons for human coastal migrations that took place during this specific period, along with their associations with climate change, are discussed. The results showed that the obtained OSL ages were reliable and consistent with the 14C chronology. The age of the Pingfengshan site was found to be approximately 4.0–3.3 ka. Additionally, it was found that post-depositional anthropogenic disturbances can have various influences on the resultant OSL and 14C ages. Cross-validation between different dating methods proved to be of great importance to adequately determine the chronology in archaeological sites. The study revealed that climatic changes played a crucial role in prehistoric human migration during the Huangguashan cultural period (4.3–3.2 ka). Sea level fluctuation may have affected onshore living space and site selection of prehistoric settlements, and intensive winter monsoons may have caused the recession of the Huangguashan culture.
KW - Coastal area
KW - Huangguashan culture
KW - Neolithic shell mound
KW - Optically stimulated luminescence dating
KW - Pingfengshan site
KW - South China
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85054565053&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.quageo.2018.10.001
DO - 10.1016/j.quageo.2018.10.001
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85054565053
VL - 48
SP - 171
EP - 179
JO - Quaternary Geochronology
JF - Quaternary Geochronology
SN - 1871-1014
ER -