The mesolithic and the neolithic in China

english

1999

volume 26, issue 26

archaeology 

Narodna in univerzitetna knjižnica

The concept of a Mesolithic period was introducet in Chinese prehistoric archaeology from the West. Scholars argued in the seventies that the microlithcultures identified in open sites (northern China) should be classified as Mesolithic. However, recent discoveries have revealed evidence of pottery production and agricultural activities in these contexts, thus challenging the notion of a Mesolithic period in the prehistory of China. The identification of neolithic cultural development in China was based on the regional pattern of Yellow River Valley cultural sequences. It has been suggested recently that the Yangtze River Valley region was the second Neolithic centre. Cultural sequences in both regions consist of three phases. The end of the Neolithic period in China correlates with the decline of the neolithic cultures in the Yangtze River Valley.

31.05.2016