A pottery jar unearthed from the site dating back 7,200 to 6,900 years. [Photo provided to China Daily]
The animal remains include domesticated pig and wild animals. This shows that although domestication of livestock had already begun, hunting wild animals and fishing remained the main ways of acquiring meat, he adds.
"The site is well-preserved, which is rare to see. Since it is located in the Lixiahe area, a low-lying area vulnerable to the transgressions of sea, we didn't expect such an old site to be found there," says Zhang Chi, an archaeology professor at Peking University.
From the discoveries of the site and environmental analysis, Gan tries to tell a story of ancient people adapting to the environment several thousand years ago.
"About 8,500 years ago, the site area was 10 meters lower than now. Then, with global climate and environmental changes, including fluctuations in sea levels and the deposition of sediment from rivers, the site area underwent multiple changes between land and sea. About 7,200 years ago, the site area became a coastal wetland, a habitable place with abundant wildlife and plant resources," says Gan.
Therefore, people chose to settle there, engaging in rice cultivation, hunting and fruit gathering, and thrived for hundreds of years. However, with subsequent transgressions of the sea, the area was no longer suitable for habitation. People then were forced to migrate to other places, he adds.
In the late Neolithic period, the area became habitable again and gave rise to a number of sites. Today, the area is located over 100 kilometers away from the coast of the Yellow Sea.
"The rise and fall of the site and the development of prehistoric cultures in the area vividly demonstrate the relationship between environmental changes and human adaptability, providing valuable insights for addressing today's global climate change," says Gan.