CHARCOAL ANALYSIS REVEALS HUMAN LIVING ENVIRONMENT AND WOOD UTILIZATION STRATEGIES ON THE SOUTHEASTERN QINGHAI-XIZANG PLATEAU OVER THE PAST 2700 YEARS
Wood is one of the key resources that early humans needed to survive in the high-altitude regions of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau,and its utilization was one of the strategies that humans used to adapt to the extreme environment.This paper reconstructs the utilization of wood resources on the southeastern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau through a systematic charcoal analysis.2715 charcoal fragments had been obtained by flotation from 23 layers,11 profiles,8 archaeological sites(RDo phug site:29.75°N,94.14°E;Baguorao site:29.67°N,94.33°E;Jialama site:29.66°N,94.38°E;Nyi khri site:29.57° N,94.47° E;RGu shang site:29.92° N,95.45° E;A sgang rong site:30.01°N,95.58° E;Bya mo kha site:30.08°N,95.58°E;Kha lding site:30.08°N,95.59°E),and 22 taxa had been identified.This study finds that over the past 2700 years,the habitants collected a wide variety of timber species on the timber-rich southeastern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau,and had a selective preference for specific timbers at a few sites.The main timbers utilized by the habitants in the Bodui Tsangpo valley was the local Tibetan peach(Prunus mira),while the brown oak(Quercus semecarpifolia)and Sikang pine(Pinus densata)were the main wood in other regions,showing significant spatial differences in wood utilization strategies.This study also found that under the influence of climate change,the proportion of Sikang pine gradually decreased in the daily life of the habitants,while shrubs such as brown oak,gradually increased.For the first time,this study reconstructs the history of wood utilization on the southeastern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau,and offers a new perspective for exploring human behavioral adaptation to the southeastern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.
charcoal analysisQinghai-Xizang Plateauhigh-altitude adaptationQuercus semecarpifoliaPinus densataPrunus mira