According to archaeological investigation and preliminary excavation, the Yangjia Site, located in the northern Taihu Lake region, at Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, is a Neolithic archaeological site dominated by cultural remains attributed to the late Majiabang Culture(6270–5920 cal. a BP). Here a systematic archaeobotanical study was conducted to investigate vegetation landscape, environmental characteristics and rice agriculture in the prehistoric northern Taihu Lake area. The abundance, frequency and standard density of charred rice were the highest of all of the remains of the seed plants unearthed. In addition, a variety of wetland weeds, such as Haloragaceae, Cyperaceae, Carex sp., and Oxalis corniculata, were found. Pollen and phytoliths recorded that the evergreen-deciduous broadleaf mixed forest(represented by Quercus and Castanopsis) tends to decrease, while Poaceae was the most significant of the terrestrial herbs, water area expanded and water activities strengthened, indicating generally warm and humid conditions at the Yangjia Site during the late Majiabang Culture. All indicators of pollen, phytolith and macro-plant remains suggest that wild rice should be once distributed at or around the site before human occupation, after which rice agriculture progressed rapidly during the late Majiabang Culture.
We investigate the morphological changes in starch grains from wheat(Triticum aestivum) using different cooking methods(boiling, steaming, frying, and baking). We compare the cooked starch grains with starch grains from ancient wheat flour cakes(Astana Cemetery, Turpan Basin, Xinjiang, China) to determine the cooking techniques used by people in Xinjiang 1200 years ago. Heat and water content affect starch grains when different cooking methods are used. Boiling and steaming results in the collapse of wheat starch grains accompanied by extreme swelling, curved granules, pasting, almost full gelatinization, a distinct extinction cross and vague granule outlines. Frying and baking cause less swelling, fewer curved granules, less pasting and only partial gelatinization of wheat starch grains, but the extinction lines are still distinct and the outlines of granules relatively clear. The pale brown substances on the starch grains make starch from baked-wheat products distinct from those cooked using other methods.
