Marginal basins provide sensitive yet incomplete records of climate and tectonic forcing, and the southern North China Basin provides an ideal setting to decode these interactions since the late Pliocene. A 135.6-m borehole sequence, the XiaoQian (XQ) core, recovered from the Fuyang region, was dated using AMS 14C, OSL, and ESR, supplemented by magnetostratigraphic correlations to the parallel WLB core. Integrated analyses of physical and geochemical proxies were then employed to reconstruct the depositional evolution over the past similar to 3 million years. The succession records three main stages. Stage I (similar to 3-1.6 Ma) comprises sandy delta-front deposits, indicating active progradation into a lacustrine basin. Stage II (similar to 1.6-0.128 Ma) consists of rhythmically bedded silty clays, recording hydrological instability on a delta plain. Stage III (similar to 0.128 Ma to present) is dominated by floodplain muds, reflecting low-energy alluviation under stable tectonic conditions. Variations in sediment continuity and thickness reflect the combined influence of tectonic segmentation and autogenic reworking, which modulated the completeness of the stratigraphic record. Within well-preserved intervals, elemental and magnetic proxies show coherent trends that parallel regional and global reference curves, indicating that monsoon hydroclimate and base-level fluctuations were the primary external controls, while local tectonic setting and depositional dynamics influenced how these environmental signals were recorded.

The Paleolithic sites in South China have caused controversy regarding human behav-iors in response to the rapidly shifting environment of the Late Pleistocene.However,chronometric and high-resolution proxies are absent from interpreting the paleoenvironmental evolution.Here we present the chronology,grain size parameters,and geochemical elements records from the Hejialing(HJL)site in South China to reveal the crucial aspects of environmental evolution,and hu-man occupation.The geochemical record shows that during MIS 5e-5a,northern Hunan experi-enced the influence of the summer monsoon and maintained a warm and humid climate.The later-ite layer began to develop.During MIS 4,the climate transitioned to a dry and cold state,leading to the attraction of hominins to the HJL area due to the abundant water and lithic raw material resourc-es,resulting in their establishment of a short-term camp.The HJL site was primarily inhabited by hunter-gatherer societies within a forested environment.From MIS 4 to MIS 2,Hunan experienced a prolonged period of dry and cold climatic conditions,with a brief rainfall recovery occurring in late MIS 3.Diminished vegetation and resource availability compelled human populations to broaden their activities and undertake migrations.The HJL site was abandoned amid the arid phase of MIS 2.The HJL area gradually became buried beneath eolian dust deposition(EM1)from distant sourc-es and riverine dust from nearby sources(EM2),and the site was informed.In MIS 1,During MIS 1,the climate shifted to a warm and humid state,marking the emergence of early agricultural prac-tices.As an essential part of South China,the environmental evolution process and diverse survival strategies employed by hominins in Hunan are vital for explaining how the paleoenvironment drove human occupation during the Late Pleistocene.

Prehistoric humans seem to have preferred inhabiting small river basins, which were closer in distance to most settlements compared to larger rivers. The Holocene landscape evolution is considered to have played a pivotal role in shaping the spatiotemporal patterns of these settlements. In this study, we conducted comprehensive research on the relationship between landscape evolution and settlement distribution within the Huangshui River basin, which is a representative small river in Central China with numerous early settlements, including a prehistoric city known as the Wangjinglou site (WJL). Using geoarchaeological investigations, optically stimulated luminescence dating, pollen analysis, and grain-size analysis, we analyzed the characteristics of the Holocene environment. The results indicate the presence of two distinct geomorphic systems, namely the red clay hills and the river valley. The red clay hills, formed in the Neogene, represent remnants of the Songshan piedmont alluvial fan that was eroded by rivers. There are three grades of terraces within the river valley. T3 is a strath terrace and formed around 8.0 ka. Both T2 and T1 are fill terraces, which were developed around 4.0 ka and during the historical period, respectively. The sedimentary features and pollen analysis indicate the existence of an ancient lake-swamp on the platform during 11.0-9.0 ka. This waterbody gradually shrank during 9.0-8.0 ka, and ultimately disappeared after 8.0 ka. Since then, the development of large-scale areas of water ceased on the higher geomorphic units. River floods also cannot reach the top of these high geomorphic units, where numerous prehistoric settlements are located, including the Xia-Shang cities of the WJL site. Our research demonstrates that landscape stability supported the long-term and sustainable development of ancient cultures and facilitated the establishment of the WJL ancient cities in the region.

The application of remote sensing in archaeology has recently gained widespread recognition, leading to the discovery of numerous significant cultural remains. However, the lack of theoretical data on spectral classification severely constrains the practicability of remote sensing archaeological investigations. In this study, we have collected a comprehensive dataset comprising over 15,000 spectral curves acquired from eight distinct categories of typical archaeological remains in Central China. Machine learning is utilized to conduct an in-depth analysis and classification of the hyperspectral attributes of cultural remains. The feature spectra are preprocessed using the Standard Normal Variable Transform (SNV) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). A spectral classification model is proposed to improve the accuracy of typical archaeological remains using Support Vector Machines (SVM). The evaluation demonstrated that the SVM exhibited the highest classification accuracy of 99.82%. It was ultimately determined that the most distinguishable bands from ancient cultural remains were in the ranges of 524-553 nm, 663-686 nm, 974-1000 nm, 1092-1114 nm, and 2161-2185 nm. The research provides an important theoretical basis and a scientific method for remote sensing archaeology investigations, which is of great significance in understanding the past and facilitating present sustainable development.

As a significant emblem of human civilization, the emergence and development of early cities represents a pivotal milestone in the chronicles of human history. However, the environmental mechanisms underlying the rise of early cities are still ambiguous. In this study, we have selected the upper Jialu River basin in Central China as our research area, which holds significance for the origin and development of Chinese civilization, with a multitude of Neolithic-Bronze city sites dispersed throughout. Using comprehensive field surveys, OSL dating, and grain size analysis, we have reconstructed the river's geomorphic evolution since the late Pleistocene. The influence of landforms on the intensive distribution of early city sites was also discussed. The results showed that the Jialu and its tributaries had been established during the early Pleistocene. At 80-16 ka BP, there was continuous accumulation in the area. From 15-9.8 ka BP, the river incision resulted in the formation of the expansive T3 terrace. Between 9.8-4 ka BP, the regional geomorphology stabilized. After 4 ka BP, tectonic uplift and subsidence resulted in the formation of the T2 terrace. After a minor accumulation, the T1 terrace was formed during the late historical period. The unique trough-shaped landform in the region played a pivotal role in the origin and development of early cities. The landscape stability resulting from the river incision facilitated early urbanization and the expansion of urban areas. The river incision also fixed river channels in the plain areas, which were previously occupied by swamps and wetlands that gradually transformed into land, providing a foundation for the establishment of Zhengzhou Shang City, the capital of the early Shang Dynasty.

In recent decades, a large number of houses from the Late Yangshao period have been excavated in Zhengzhou. They are basically single-level buildings with wood skeletons and mud walls and use a huge amount of timber resources. Nevertheless, there are still a lot of questions about the uncertain relationship between plants, architecture, and human activities. In this study, we complete the reconstruction of a Holocene vegetation community around the Dahecun site via pollen analysis of the Z2 core. We take house F1 in Dahecun as an example to estimate the wood consumption of a single house and collect the published data of all houses from the Late Yangshao period in the study area to estimate the wood consumption of houses built in Zhengzhou during this period. Combining the above two approaches, this study explores the relationship between plants, architecture, and human activities in Zhengzhou in the Late Yangshao period, as well as the history of land use. The results are as follows: (1) After 4.9 ka BP, the number of trees and shrubs such as Pinus (falling from 58.8% to 46.9%) decreased rapidly, and the number of herbaceous plants increased. (2) Excluding the influence of the Holocene climate change, the large-scale decline in trees and shrubs in the region is likely to have been human-driven. The number of excavated houses in 11 of the 236 Late Yangshao sites in the Zhengzhou area reached 362, while the minimum wood consumption reached 1270.62 m3. In addition, the rapid expansion of the population size and the large-scale development of new arable land and forest clearance in the Late Yangshao period show that humans had a strong influence on the surrounding vegetation and land cover/use. The trend of regional deforestation was so obvious and irreversible that the inhabitants had to adopt techniques using less wood or no wood to build houses during the subsequent Longshan culture period.

The emergence, on the Loess Plateau of Central China, of settlements enclosed by circular ditches has engendered lively debate about the function of these (often extensive) ditch systems. Here, the authors report on a suite of new dates and sedimentological analyses from the late Yangshao (5300-4800 BP) triple-ditch system at the Shuanghuaishu site, Henan Province. Exploitation of natural topographic variations, and evidence for ditch maintenance and varied water flows, suggests a key function in hydrological management, while temporal overlap in the use of these three ditches reveals the large scale of this endeavour to adapt to the pressures of the natural environment.

Deciphering Neolithic settlement environmental selection strategies is vital for understanding prehistoric human-environment relationships. This study employs a multi-classification XGBoost model and SHAP analysis to accurately classify 432 Neolithic archaeological sites in Zhejiang Province (AUC = 0.93), effectively distinguishing environmental selection patterns across different cultural phases. The model's feature importance ranking indicates that elevation, surface relief, slope, and water buffer zones are main factors influencing settlement site selection, though their impact intensity and mechanisms vary significantly across different cultural phases. Early Neolithic settlements (11.0-7.0 ka BP) favored high-altitude, vegetated river valleys supporting hunting-gathering economies, while mid-Neolithic communities (7.0-4.3 ka BP) shifted to lowland alluvial plains promoting rice agriculture. Late Neolithic settlements (4.3 ka BP-) expanded to higher elevations to mitigate flooding risks, coinciding with revived hunting-gathering practices. This study highlights the interplay between environmental and socio-economic factors in shaping settlement patterns and demonstrates the value of machine learning for archaeological research.

As a significant emblem of human culture, the emergence and evolution of early cities represent a pivotal milestone in the chronicles of human history. However, the environmental mechanisms underlying the rise of early cities are still ambiguous. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive investigation of early cities and their landform basis in the upper Jialu River basin of Central China. By field surveys, OSL dating, and grain size analysis, we reconstructed the fluvial geomorphic evolution since the late Pleistocene and examined how landforms influenced the distribution of early city sites. The results showed that the water system pattern, including the Jialu River and its tributaries, had been established during the early Pleistocene. At 80-16 ka BP, there was continuous accumulation in the area. From 15 to 9.8 ka BP, the river incision resulted in the formation of the expansive T3 terrace. Between 9.8 and 2.5 ka BP, the regional geomorphology stabilized. Around 2.5 ka BP, river downcutting resulted in the formation of the T2 terrace. Following a minor accumulation phase, the T1 terrace emerged during the late historical period. The region's distinctive through-shaped landform was instrumental in the emergence and evolution of early cities. The landscape stability resulting from the river incision facilitated early urbanization and the expansion of urban areas. The river incision also fixed river channels in the plain areas, which were previously occupied by swamps and wetlands that gradually transformed into land, providing a foundation for the establishment of Zhengzhou Shang City, the capital of the early Shang Dynasty.

Geomorphological research at archaeological sites reveals that environmental factors, such as geomorphology and hydrology, play a crucial role in understanding changes in site layout and cultural processes. However, due to the lack of reliable chronologies, there is limited understanding of environmental factors in relation to archaeological site. This study focuses on the sedimentary records from the southern moat of the Fenghuangzui (FHZ) site, a representative site in the middle Yangtze River region, integrating a chronological framework and climate proxies such as elemental geochemistry. It reconstructs the evolution of the regional sedimentary environment and the hydrogeomorphology during the mid-late Holocene at the FHZ site, elucidating its interplay with human activities. Key findings include: (1) From 5.6-4.5 ka BP, elevated chemical index of alteration (CIA), Rb/Sr, and Mn/Ti values indicate a warm and humid climate. The Qujialing culture unified the middle Yangtze River and established regional central settlements such as Shijiahe site, and then expanded to the north. The FHZ site was built in the Nanyang Basin at this time to prevent the invasion of northern culture. (2) During 4.5-4 ka BP, decreased CIA and Rb/Sr values alongside rising secondary aluminum factor (Saf) and dealkalization coefficient (Bc) values signify reduced weathering and a transition to cooler, drier conditions. A flood event of 4-3.9 ka BP caused the moat of the FHZ site to lose its defensive function. (3) During 4-2.7 ka BP, declining CIA and Rb/Sr values with slight increases in Saf and Bc suggest ongoing dry and cool environmental conditions. The FHZ site was abandoned at the end of the Meishan culture. (4) Between 2.7-1.6 ka BP, rising CIA and Rb/Sr values indicate a return to warmer and more humid conditions. The FHZ site was built to expand the influence of Qujialing culture and protect the Shijiahe settlement. Taking into account the location of the water system and farming area, the south-facing direction was chosen. In general, our findings suggest that changes in regional hydrology in the context of climate change can trigger upheaval and even collapse of prehistoric societies.

The interaction between climate, hydrological environment, and human activities in prehistoric times has consistently attracted significant interest. However, the process and mechanism of this interaction remain unclear due to a lack of detailed materials that provide information on both human activity and environmental evolution. Here we present a comprehensive dataset of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating and pollen analysis derived from lacustrine facies deposits in the vicinity of the Dongzhao Site in Central China, which is a key region for the origin and development of Chinese civilization. These data have revealed the existence of multiple cycles of environment-human interaction during prehistoric periods. The gradual improvement in the climate and minor fluctuations facilitated the settlement of prehistoric populations in the region, fostering uninterrupted cultural development for millennia since the early Holocene. The increase in population and intensification of human activities significantly affected regional vegetation, resulting in a decrease in the number of trees around 4.0 ka BP. Environmental changes influenced the prehistoric architectural style, resulting in a decrease in houses with "wood bone and mud walls" that were prevalent during the Yangshao periods (7.0-5.0 ka BP) due to a lack of trees. Our research once again highlights the perpetual cycle of interdependence and interaction between natural environments and human activities.

The processes and mechanisms of fluvial landform evolution, especially in the transitional zones between mountains and plains, are of great significance for predicting future regional sustainability and ecosystem stability in the basin. As a region of significant cultural and ecological importance, the transitional area between Taihang Mountain and North China Plain still has a limited understanding of the fluvial landform evolution. With detailed field surveys and 39 optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages of 14 sections, we reconstruct fluvial landform evolution in the southern piedmont of the Taihang Mountain since the late Pleistocene. The results show that two major fluvial processes occurred during 18-10 ka BP and 9-3 ka BP. Meanwhile, the late Pleistocene-Holocene can be divided into 5 intervals in the alluvial fan and floodplain areas, with corresponding ages of 3 ka BP, 9-3 ka BP, 10-9 ka BP, 18-10 ka BP, and before 20 ka BP, respectively. The results also indicate that the regional fluvial processes primarily result from climate change and tectonic activities, and secondarily result from sea level fluctuation. Additionally, the prehistoric settlement pattern was also shaped by the evolution of regional rivers. Our research is significant for understanding the evolution and mechanisms of fluvial landforms in transitional zones.

As a key region for the origin and development of Chinese civilization, the relationship between the Holocene environment and human culture in the Luoyang area has garnered significant attention. However, the lack of long-term and multi-factor studies impedes our understanding of the overall characteristics of environmental systems and their interactions with human cultures. Based on extensive field investigations, we conducted a comprehensive study of the BZ profile, which exhibits continuous sedimentation and abundant paleoenvironmental information. The Holocene evolution of climate, deposition, hydrology, and landforms was analyzed, and the human-environment interaction was also examined. The findings demonstrate that the regional Holocene climate also exhibits fluctuations, albeit within a relatively narrow range. The regional sediment was predominantly composed of aeolian loess-paleosols during the early to middle Holocene, while the process of alluviation gradually intensified in the late Holocene. The moderate climatic fluctuations have facilitated the sustainable development of ancient cultures. The intensification of anthropogenic activities may contribute to the increased alluviation during the late Holocene. Ancient humans effectively adapted to this adverse condition by constructing city walls with flood control functions. Our study is significant for enhancing the comprehension of the operational characteristics inherent in human ecological systems.

The emergence of the"Ancient State"is considered an important stage in the discourse on human civilizations.Based on its complex and hierarchical social structure,the Shuanghuaishu site of Henan Province is regarded as an"Ancient state",specifically the"Heluo Ancient State".The site is situated in the middle reaches of the Yellow River region and played a key role in prehistoric China.However,the reasons behind its decline are unclear.Here,we conducted an integrated investigation of the archaeological excavations and archaeoseismic analyses at the Shuanghuaishu site.We identified paleoseismic remains within paleo-artificial moats,which were formed owing to off-fault structures of soil liquefaction,hillslope landslides,and related ground fractures,along with shake-related wall disruption and building collapse in the residential zone.Charcoal dating was conducted to constrain the age for this earthquake event,which was determined to be approximately 5.0 cal kyr BP.Furthermore,based on the practical curve for earthquake-induced liquefaction,the preliminary estimate of the magnitude of this paleoseismic event is greater than Ms5.9-6.0.We propose that the Shuanghuaishu site experienced a recession after the earthquake event,which may have influenced the continuous development of the"Heluo Ancient State"as a regional center settlement.

Reconstructing the evolution of fluvial landscapes is vital to our understanding of how and why early settlements used or abandoned locations in dynamic alluvial settings, especially places such as China's Central Plains where alluvial landforms have dominated since at least the late Pleistocene era. The Wangchenggang (WCG) site on the upper reaches of the Ying River is considered to be the legendary capital of the Great Yu who, according to historical documents, heroically tamed the big floods and founded the first dynasty of Xia. However, evolution of the alluvial landscape of the Holocene Ying River and its influence on the long-term settlement change at the WCG site remains unclear. We present a detailed reconstruction of long-term landscape evolution and settlement change at the site, based on the results of our geoarchaeological investigation, and published paleoclimate and archaeobotanical data. The results show that the region experienced an episode of extensive alluvial accretion in the late Pleistocene. From the end of the late Pleistocene to the early Holocene, the Ying River began to incise the alluvial plain, leading to the formation of the oldest terrace (T3). The middle and late Holocene in the Ying River valleys saw two episodes of alluvial aggradation between 7.7-5.4 ka B.P. (before present) and 4.5-3.8 ka B.P., respectively. Each of these events was followed by an alluvial incision, resulting in the formation of new alluvial terraces. During the historical periods, the youngest terrace T1 was formed. These cyclic changes in the regional fluvial landscape profoundly impacted the location and expansion of prehistoric settlements. During the Peiligang period (9.0-7.0 ka B.P.), the early stages of alluvial aggregation resulted in wide and shallow channels along the rivers. Early humans who relied on gathering and hunting for food chose to establish small settlements along such riverine environments. As alluvial aggradation continued in the Yangshao period (7.0-5.0 ka B.P.), they moved to a higher place, away from the rivers in the southwest, and flourished on high alluvial grounds. When a secondary terrace formed after the Longshan period (5.0-4.0 ka B.P.), people moved eastward again to build an early city on the T2 terraces and T3 terraces of the Ying River. When the water levels rose toward the terrace surfaces, they began to build moats and practiced mixed millet-rice farming. During the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-4256 B.C.), when the river started to down cut on a large scale, humans responded by building settlements on the lower and flat plains in the east.

使用HR-ICPMS对长沙铜官窑遗址石渚坪(SZP)剖面的地球化学元素进行测定,分析了遗址剖面地球化学含量变化特征,揭示其沉积环境演变及其物源变化.结果表明,元素的含量变化特征显著,元素Ti、Cr、Co、V、Ni等在80～230 cm逐渐升高出现峰值,230～310 cm逐渐降低至谷值.Pb、Zr、Mn等分布趋势与其相反.其中,Ti含量最高,平均值达5 405.8 μg/g;最低的是Mo,平均值为0.9 μg/g.含量均值由大到小为:Ti>Mn>Ba>Zr>Rb>Zn>Li>Cr>V>Pb>Sr>Cu>Y>Ni>Th>Cs>Co>Sc>Sn>Hf>U>Be>Mo.SZP剖面记录了一个近1 300年来的沉积环境变化过程:风尘堆积—石渚湖形成—河漫滩沉积—石渚湖再次形成—石渚坪.物质来源也发生相应变化:310 cm以下来源为末次冰期风尘堆积;310～230 cm(年代为1 288～1 094 a B.P.)地层中含大量瓷片,物源主要是铜官窑瓷器煅烧过程中金属矿物开采及冶炼产生的废料;230～80 cm(年代为1 094～380 a B.P.),下层物源是湘江输入的泥沙,主要是上游的石灰岩沉积,上层是中下游地区砂岩的风化侵蚀和水流搬运沉积;80 cm以上(年代为380 a B.P.以来)与人类活动有关,主要为人工垫土和坡地周边风化侵蚀堆积.

The regional crustal slipping behavior within the interaction zone of the North China and Qinling blocks reveals the pattern of extensional grabens merging with strike-slip faults and establishes the contribution of these faults to the regional basin generation. In this study, we aimed to assess the active slipping at the Laojing Gou site along the Fengmenkou-Wuzhiling fault (FMK-WZLF), one of the main active faults at the southern margin of North China block (S-NCB), by setting a three-dimensional measurement of the offset in buried paleochannels. Mapping, trenching, and ageconstraints of the geomorphic and stratigraphy units illustrate three offset paleo-fluvial surfaces since the Late Pleistocene, named S1, S2, and S3, along the fault strike direction. Beneath the surface, the structure of isolated confined paleo-channels C1 and C3 was exposed on the stratigraphy profile, and they were active during 130-75 ka and 2.8–3.0 ka, respectively. We presented a set of adapted scripts for three-dimensional measurements to calculate the lateral and normal tectonic offset components. The left lateral slip rate for the FMK-WZLF was estimated to be 0.25-0.45 mm/a, and the minimum normal slip rate was estimated to be 0.1 mm/a with a dip of 70°±5° since the late Pleistocene. The oblique slip of the FMK-WZLF, together with the regional normal fault system, shapes the northeastward flowing Yiluo river and the southeastward flowing Huai river at S-NCB.

GeoarchaeologyVolume 38, Issue 3 p. 263-267 INTRODUCTION Geoarchaeology in China: Progress, trends, and perspectives Michael Storozum, Corresponding Author Michael Storozum [email protected] School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK Correspondence Michael Storozum, Newcastle University, NE1 7RU, UK. Email: [email protected] Yijie Zhuang, Institute of Archaeology, University College London, London, UK. Email: [email protected] Hui Wang, 1, Tiyuchang North Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China. Email: [email protected] Duowen Mo, School of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorYijie Zhuang, Corresponding Author Yijie Zhuang [email protected] Institute of Archaeology, University College London, London, UK Correspondence Michael Storozum, Newcastle University, NE1 7RU, UK. Email: [email protected] Yijie Zhuang, Institute of Archaeology, University College London, London, UK. Email: [email protected] Hui Wang, 1, Tiyuchang North Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China. Email: [email protected] Duowen Mo, School of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorHui Wang, Hui Wang [email protected] Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorDuowen Mo, Duowen Mo [email protected] College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, ChinaSearch for more papers by this author Michael Storozum, Corresponding Author Michael Storozum [email protected] School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK Correspondence Michael Storozum, Newcastle University, NE1 7RU, UK. Email: [email protected] Yijie Zhuang, Institute of Archaeology, University College London, London, UK. Email: [email protected] Hui Wang, 1, Tiyuchang North Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China. Email: [email protected] Duowen Mo, School of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorYijie Zhuang, Corresponding Author Yijie Zhuang [email protected] Institute of Archaeology, University College London, London, UK Correspondence Michael Storozum, Newcastle University, NE1 7RU, UK. Email: [email protected] Yijie Zhuang, Institute of Archaeology, University College London, London, UK. Email: [email protected] Hui Wang, 1, Tiyuchang North Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China. Email: [email protected] Duowen Mo, School of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorHui Wang, Hui Wang [email protected] Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorDuowen Mo, Duowen Mo [email protected] College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, ChinaSearch for more papers by this author First published: 04 April 2023 https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.21955 Michael Storozum and Yijie Zhuang are co-first authors. Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. 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Volume38, Issue3Special Issue: Geoarchaeology in China: Recent trends and developmentsMay/June 2023Pages 263-267 ReferencesRelatedInformation

Moated sites appeared very early in the Middle River Yangtze, and their numbers continued to grow throughout Neolithic times, indicating the increasing investment in hydraulic engineering undertaken by prehistoric societies. These hydraulic features formed a robust water-manage-ment system that sustained continuous socio-economic growth in the region. We present evidence from our regional geoarchaeological surveys of prehistoric sites in the Middle River Yangtze, focusing particularly on the moats at these sites. We demonstrate how the construction and maintenance of these moated sites were related to and constrained by the changing environmental and socio-economic conditions. Moats became increasingly important in water management, especially flood prevention, and particularly when the settlements occupied large areas of local landscapes, often encroaching upon low-lying areas, because of population growth and migration. By the Qujialing-Shijiahe period (3000–2100 bc), regional competition had become one of the main driving forces that stimulated large-scale infrastructure construction and production of various consumables among large to medium-sized set-tlements. This not only changed patterns of economic development in the region, a region that was driven and accelerated by ritual activities and associated social gatherings, but also profoundly transformed the local landscape into one that was densely occupied by moats, ditches and other water-management infrastructures. It is this unique entanglement