Analysis Of Dental Calculus Of Micro-fossils Of Human Bone At Xinzhang Site,in Yuanping City,Shanxi Probince,China

Food is the material basis of human survival and evolution,and it is also the source motive force to create colorful culture of mankind.Therefore,it is of great significance to reconstruct the food structure of ancestors in different regions and periods.In this paper,the author finds that the food structure of the ancestors in Xinzhang site is mainly grain and millet,supplemented by beans,wheat and tuber-type food collected in field,through the systematic analysis of the dental calculus micro-fossils in Xinzhang site at the late stage of Longshan culture.The micro-fossils analysis also reveals the way of food processing--the priority is cooked food(steamed or boiled)and supplemented by raw food.After the systematic study,we think that millet agriculture dominates the economic structure and supplemented by collecting economy.The thesis consists of four chapters:The first chapter is introduction.In this chapter,the author points out the advantages of micro-fossil analysis by systematically comparing and summarizing the different roles of field archaeology,plant archaeology,micro-fossils analysis and stable isotopes in the reconstruction of the livelihood of residents at the late stage of Longshan culture.And introduces the process and present situation of plant micro-fossils study in China and abroad.The starch grains analysis and phytoliths analysis are the research methods to be taken in this article.The second chapter is the description of background of the site and the source of the experimental materials.The author introduces the general situation of the Xinzhang Site,the origin of human bone and the identification of human bone and the experimental principle.And analyzes the extraction of micro-fossils in Xinzhang Site,including sample selection,the preparation of the experiment,the specific operation,the set of empty samples and the problems during the experiment.The third chapter is the analysis and discussion of the studyresults.By collecting the experimental data,the author finds that the starch grain of millet occupies the largest proportion in Xinzhang site,and also including legumes,wheat and tubers.The phytoliths whose morphology can be judged are typical phytolith of wheat and tuber.Based on the systematic analysis of micro-fossils in the dental calculus in Xinzhang site at the late stage of Longshan culture,we can find that the food structure of the ancestors in Xinzhang site is mainly grain and millet,supplemented by tuber-type food collected in field.Micro-fossils analysis also reveals the way of food processing--the priority is cooked food(steamed or boiled)and supplemented by raw food.In the end,we can make a conclusion through the systematic analysis that the agricultural economy dominates the economic structure,which supplemented by collectional economy.The fourth chapter is the conclusion and shortage,summarizing the result of this study.It is found that the food structure of ancestors in Xin zhang Site is mainly grain and millet,which is meanful to reconstruct the food structure of ancestors in different regions and periods.In this study,we are deeply aware of the convenience brought by the progress of research level of the ancient starch grain.We also find the shortcomings of our work,hope that these deficiencies will be improved in the future work.At the same time,the improvement the research technology and identification technology of phytolith is the problem we desperately need to solve.