Typha as a wetland food resource: evidence from the Tianluoshan site, Lower Yangtze Region, China

Abstract

Wetlands have been attractive environments for early communities worldwide. In China, wetlands offered natural ecological settings for the start of rice cultivation in the Lower Yangtze Region. Besides rice, Typha has been suspected to be an available wetland resource in previous studies at the Kuahuqiao site. Based on our pollen analyses of coprolites from the Neolithic Tianluoshan site, we examined the possible use of Typha pollen as a food source and the implications for human activities and the environment. Extremely high percentages of Typha in 21 samples and the presence of pollen aggregates provide strong evidence in favor of the consumption of Typha pollen. Ethnographical and archaeological records from elsewhere in the world support the idea that Typha pollen can be an ideal supplementary resource to compensate for the shortage of vegetables and fruits. The coexistence of Typha and rice also gives clues about the environmental background and agricultural management of early rice paddy, with respect to eutrophication, weeding and inundation.