Chinese archaeologists discover remains of cave-dwelling farmer

According to archaeological scientists from the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (IA of CASS), Chinese archaeologists have found a large amount of carbonized rice grains in caves dating from the New Stone Age.

It is the first cave-dwelling in agrarian society ever found in China, and it also challenges the conventional view that cave dwellers were solely hunter-gathers and did not cultivate land for food.

More than 10,000 grains were discovered in No. 4 cave in the Nanshan ruins, southeast China's Fujian Province, said Zhao Zhijun, lead scientist of the IA of CASS.

Nanshan ruins.

Excavation of the Nanshan ruins started in 2012. The Nanshan ruins could date back 5,300 to 4,300 years. Scores of caves, thousands of items made from pottery, stone and bones, as well as eight tombs and two reservoirs, have been found at the site.

The grains are believed to have been grown by the Nanshan cave dwellers rather than being obtained by other means, such as collection or bartering, because many farmland weeds were also found along with the grains.

Grains discovered in Nanshan ruins

At the same time, the team's studies on the remains of the cave-dwellers showed that these ancestors suffered from dental cavities and other oral diseases that are common among humans in agrarian societies, said Wang Minghui, deputy director of the IA of CASS. He pointed out that these diseases were very common among people living in agrarian society.

"It further proves that Nanshan residents mastered some agricultural techniques," Wang said.

However, the findings also raised another question, which still remains unsolved: Why did the Nanshan ancestors continue to live in caves after they began farming?

Concept picture

It is traditionally believed that humans in agrarian societies preferred to move from caves to more spacious homes due to population growth, which benefited from a stable and plentiful food supply.

"The Nanshan finding offers a new perspective for prehistoric study. We must consider more possibilities when talking about where our ancestors lived and what they lived on," Zhao said.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)