Ecology,Agriculture and Politics:Historical Evolution of Shuofang Commandery of the Han Dynasty in the Perspective of Environmental History
Shuofang Commandery was one of the major army farm colonies on the northern frontier of the Han dynasty.It was located in the arid and semi-arid area where the ecological system was highly fragile.The development and decline of the agricultural society in Shuofang demonstrated a complex interaction between human society and the environment.Using water from the Yellow River and lakes,the Han government constructed Shuofang as a stronghold for garrison troops and farmers.It led a large number of people to move here and develop the irrigation agriculture.However,large-scale intensive farming and a settled agrarian lifestyle required massive natural resources and damaged the vegetation cover of this area.During the Western Han period,Shuofang also played a role in providing and transferring grains to the affiliated Xiongnu tribes,which further intensified the regional ecological pressure.In the early Eastern Han Dynasty,the climate became dry and cold while the north was caught in a political turmoil,which led to the southward migration of a large number of the farming population and the desertification of the land under the erosion of wind.The interaction of ecological conditions,agricultural activities and political orientation determined the rise and fall of Shuofang region in the Han dynasty,and the perspective of environmental history can reveal the important role of ecological factors in historical research,and contribute to broadening people's cognition of the history of army farm colonies in the Han dynasty.
Han DynastyShuofang CommanderyEnvironmental HistoryArmy Farm ColonyRelationship between Han and Xiongnu
万方数据
维普
