OSL chronological evidence reveals one of the earliest island-type Neolithic sites in the coastal area of South China

Abstract

Many prehistoric sites are preserved in the southeast China coastal area; however, it is still unclear when ancient human activity occurred owing to a lack of chronological evidence, which is unfavourable for research on the coupling of prehistoric man-earth relationships. In this study, we present an optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) chronology analysis of two profiles (T1 and T4) collected from the Neolithic Jianhu (JH) site on Haitan Island, South China. The single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol for coarse silt (38–63 μm) quartz was used to determine the equivalent dose (D_e). The results showed that the OSL technology is reliable and of great value for archaeochronology in coastal aeolian regions. The results suggest that the JH site is one of the earliest Neolithic sites in the coastal area of Fujian. The ages of cultural layers with ancient human activities at the JH site varied from 7.4 ± 1.13 to 5.77 ± 0.35 ka, thereby making the JH site the earliest Neolithic site in the coastal area of Fujian. The sand-tempered pottery unearthed from the JH site can be used as direct evidence of ancient human survival, and its age is 6.33 ± 0.21 ka with a high precision, which presents the earliest OSL data on pottery in South China. We also discuss the regional environmental background of ancient human activity. The Keqiutou culture corresponds to a period of relatively high sea level and a superior natural environment on Haitan Island. The sea retreat 5.7 ka ago was a crucial factor driving prehistoric human migration to the Fuzhou Basin and Taiwan Island.