Six major pollen-spore assemblage zones can be identified showing alternate warm and cool climate fluctuations on a millennial timescale. The early-Holocene optimum at c. 8000-7800 radiocarbon years BP, is marked by a large proportion of evergreen broad-leaf species in Zone I, suggesting the warmest/hottest climate setting of the Holocene. The mid-Holocene optimum ran from c. 7500 to 5000 BP (Zone III), during which many subtropical warmand wet-tolerant species represented by Castanopsis and Cyclobalanopsis glauca occurred, indicating the megathermal trend. The temperature then declined upcore in Zone IV accompanied by a high proportion of Pinus and Cupressaceae. A cooling event occurred at c. 4200 BP, as evidenced by Fagus and Potamogeton in the upper section of Zone IV. Pollen assemblages in Zones V-VI indicate a generally cooler temperature in the late Holocene with a high proportion of Gramineae, indicative of rice cultivation. Onset of the mid-Holocene optimum was associated with sediment deposition of the Holocene delta construction. This promoted the migration of Neolithic settlements onto the delta plain from highlands west of the study area. The cooling event recognized at c. 4200-4000 BP may have triggered the cultural ‘break up’ caused by the climatic transition from early warm-humid to a later cool-wet setting, and lake expansion caused by heavy precipitation.
An, Z. , Porter S.C. , Kutzbach, J.E. , Wu, X. , Wang, S. , Liu, X. , Li, X. and Zhou, W.2000: Asynchronous Holocene optimum of the East Asian monsoon . Quaternary Science Reviews19, 743-762 .
2.
Blanchon, P. and Shaw, J.1995: Reef drowning during the last deglaciation: evidence for catastrophic sea-level rise and ice-sheet collapse . Geology23, 4-8 .
3.
Chang, K.C.1986: The archaeology of ancient China. Fourth edn.New Haven CT: Yale University press .
4.
Chen, J. 2002: Geoarchaeological study of the Yangtze delta. Ph.D thesis, Shanghai: East China Normal University (in Chinese, with English summary). (Sites 75-86)
5.
Chen, Z. and Stanley, D.J.1993: Alluvial stiff muds (Late Pleistocene) underlying the Lower Nile Delta Plain, Egypt: petrology, stratigraphy and origin . Journal of Coastal Research9, 539-576 .
6.
Chen, Z. and Stanley, D.J.1998: Rising sea level on eastern China's Yangtze Delta . Journal of Coastal Research14, 360-366 .
7.
China Vegetation Editorial Committee , editor 1980: China vegetation. Beijing: China Scientific Press .
8.
Cultural Center of Wujin and the Museum of Changzhou1979: Reconnaissance and trial diggings of Neolithic sites at Panjiatung, Wujin, Jiangsu . Archaeology164, 404-407 (in Chinese). (Site 1)
9.
Cultural Preservation Adniinistration (CPAM), Changshu City1984: Liangzhu cultural sites, Changshu, Jiangsu Province . Cultural Relics333, 12-16 (in Chinese). (Sites 47, 48, 51)
10.
Cultural Preservation Administration (CPAM), City of Shanghai1962: Reconaissances at Kuang-fu-lin, Sung Chiang County, Shanghai . Archaeology73, 465-469 (in Chinese). (Site 66)
11.
Cultural Preservation Administration (CPAM), City of Shanghai1989: Excavation of the Jinshangfen site at Qingpu, Shanghai . Archaeology262, 577-590 (in Chinese). (Site 43)
12.
Cultural Preservation Administration (CPAM), Wu County1986: Gaojinshan and Chataodian Neolithic site, Wu County, Jiangsu Province . Archaeology7, 661-662 (in Chinese). (Site 57)
13.
Cultural Preservation Administration (CPAM), Wu County1989: Investigation of Yueqi Zhangmucun site, Wu County, Jiangsu province . Archaeology257, 118-122 (in Chinese). (Site 63)
14.
Cultural Preservation Administration (CPAM), Wujiang County , Suzhou Museum1990: Excavation of the Neolithic village sites at longnan in Wujiangxian, Jiangsu (1,11). Cultural Relics410, 1-27 (in Chinese). (Site 40)
15.
Dai, P.W.1987: Holocene peat sediment distribution in Mao-Dianliu region of the southern Yangtze delta plain. Masters thesis, East ChinaNormal University, Shanghai .
16.
Ding, Z.L. , Sun, J.M. , Liu, T.S. , Zhu, R.X. , Yang, S.L. and Guo, B.1998: Wind-blown origin of the Pliocene red clay formation in the central Loess Plateau, China . Earth and Planetary Science Letters161, 135-143 .
17.
Faegri, K. and Iversen, J.1975: Textbook of pollen analysis. New York: Hafner Press .
18.
Fairbanks, R.1989: A 17,000-year glacio-eustatic sea level record: influence of glacial melting rates on the Younger dryas event and deep-ocean circulation . Nature342, 637-642 .
19.
Hong, X.Q.1989: Low temperature climates and sea-level changes during Holocene. In Yang, Z.G. and Lin, H.M. , editors, Quaternary processes and events in China offshore and onshore areas. Beijing: China Ocean Press , 111-116 (in Chinese, with English summary).
20.
Huang, X.P. and Zhang, M.H.1982: Comprehensive explanation of paleoculture in Shanghai region: In Editing Committee of Shanghai Museum, Special Publication of 30th Anniversary for Shanghai Museum Foundation. Shanghai: Shanghai Ancient Book Press , 211-227 (in Chinese) (Sites 5,9,36,38,44,61,62,67-69,72)
21.
Hughen, K.A. , Overpeck, J.T. , Lehman, S.J. , Kashgarian, M. , Southon, J. , Peterson, L.C. , Alley, R. and Sigman, D.M.1998: Deglacial changes in ocean circulation from an extended radiocarbon calibration . Nature391, 65-68 .
22.
Jian, Z.M. , Li, B.H. , Plfaumann, U. and Wang P.X.1996: Cooling event in late Holocene in west Pacific . Science in China (Series D) 26, 461-466 .
23.
Kang, J.1959: Findings of Neolithic relics in Dianshan lake, Shanghai . Archaeology6, 314-315 (in Chinese). (Site 65)
24.
Liu, K. , Sun, S.C. and Jiang, X.H.1992: Environmental change in the Yangtze River Delta since 12 000 years B.PQuaternary Research38, 32-45 .
25.
Marchitto, T.M. , Cury, W.B. and Oppo, D.W.1998: Millennialscale changes in North Atlantic circulation since the last glaciation . Nature393, 557-561 .
26.
Municipal Museum of Shanghai1985: Excavation of the Tangmiaocun site at Song-jiang, Shanghai . Archaeology214, 584-594 (in Chinese). (Site 39)
27.
Nanjing Museum1982: Excavation of a Neolithic site at Yuecheng, Jiangsu . Archaeology182, 463-473 (in Chinese). (Site 4)
28.
Nanjing Museum1984: Excavation of the sidun site at Changzhou in Jiangsu in 1982 . Archaeology197, 109-129 (in Chinese). (Site 16)
29.
Nanjing Museum and Kunshan Cultural Center1984: Excavation of Zhuodun site, Kunshan, Jiangsu province . Cultural Relics333, 6- 11 (in Chinese). (Site 3)
30.
Shi, Y.F. , Kong, Z.C. , Wang, S.M. , Tang, L.Y. , Wang, F.B. , Yao, C.D. , Zhao, X.T. , Zhang, P.Y. and Shi, S.H.1992. China Holocene megathermal climatic fluctuations and associated key events . Science in China (Series B) 12, 1300-1308 .
31.
Smith, J.E. , Risk, M.J. , Schwarcz, H.P. and McConnaughey, T.A.1997: Rapid climate change in the North Atlantic during the Yanger Dryas recorded by deep-sea corals . Nature386, 818-820 .
32.
Stanley, D.J. and Chen, Z.1996: Neolithic settlement distributions as a function of sea level-controlled topography in the Yangtze delta, China . Geology24, 1083-1086 .
33.
Stanley, D.J. , Chen, Z. and Song, J.1999: Inundation, sea-level rise and transition from Neolithic to Bronze Age cultures, Yangtze Delta, China . Geoarchaeology14, 15-26 .
34.
Sun, J.Z. and Zhao, J.B.1991: Quaternary of the Loess Plateau, China. Beijing: Science Press (in Chinese, with English summary).
35.
Sun, S.C. and Huang, Y.P.1993: The Taihu lake. Beijing: China Ocean Press (in Chinese, with English summary). (Sites 50, 60)
36.
Sun, X.J.1987: Holocene vegetation and environmental change in Dianchi, Yunnan province, China. In Collection of Chinaaustralia Quaternary Conference. Beijing: Science Press , 28-42 (in Chinese, with English summary).
37.
Wang, D. and Miao, Z.1987: Brief investigation report of Neolithic site of Shazhou County, Jiangsu Province . Archaeology241, 2-10 (in Chinese). (Sites 15, 17-20)
38.
Wang, K.F. and Zhang, Y.L.1981: Some inferences of the climatic changes in the region of Shanghai-Hangzhou during the more than 10,000 years based on spore and pollen analysis . Historical Geography1, 126-131 (in Chinese, with English summary).
39.
Wang, K.F. , Zhang, Y.L. , Ye, Z.H. and Jiang, H.1978: Climatic change since 6000 yrs B.P. in Shanghai, interpreted by pollen-spore analysis . Scientia Atmospherica Sinica2, 139-144 (in Chinese, with English summary).
40.
Wang, K.F. , Zhang, Y.L. and Sun, Y.H.1982: The spore-pollen and algae assemblages from the surface layer sediments of the Yangtze River delta . Acta Geographica Sinica37, 261-271 (in Chinese, with English summary).
41.
Wang, K.F. , Zhang, Y.L. , Jiang, H. and Han, X.B.1984: Palynological assemblages from the Holocene sediments of the Yangtze River delta and their geological significance . Marine Geology and Quaternary Geology4, 70-86 (in Chinese, with English summary).
42.
Wang, P.X.1995: South China Sea since 150,000 yrs B.P. Shanghai: Tongji University Press House (in Chinese, with English summary).
43.
Wu, J.M.1988: The distribution and change of the circumstance of prehistoric sites in the Islet in Yangtze River . Culture of Southeast China6, 16-36 (in Chinese). (Site 42)
44.
Wu, S.1978: Excavation of the Neolithic site at Yu-tunin Ch'angchou, Kiangsu Province . Archaeology157, 223-240 (in Chinese). (Site 2)
45.
Wu, W.T.1983: Holocene paleogeography along the Hangzhou Bay as constructed on the basis of Neolithic cultural remains . Acta Geographica Sinica38, 113-126 (in Chinese, with English summary). (Sites 7, 8, 10-12, 45, 46, 56, 73, 74)
46.
Yan, Q.S. and Xu, S.Y. , editors 1987: The recent Yangtze Delta deposits. Shanghai: East China Normal University Publish House (in Chinese, with English summary).
47.
Yi, H.Z. and Zhang, Z.X.1962: Some new thoughts on Neolithic culture in Taihu lake region, Kiangsu Province . Archaeology66, 147-157 (in Chinese). (Sites 6, 13, 14, 21-35, 37, 41, 49, 52-55, 58, 59, 64, 70, 71)
48.
Yi, S.H. , Saito, Y. , Oshima, H. , Zhou, Y.Q. and Wei, H.L.2003: Holocene environmental history inferred from pollen assemblages in the Huanghe (Yellow River) Delta, China: climatic changes and human impact . Quaternary Science22, 609-628 .
49.
Zhao, X.T. , Tang, L.Y. , Sun, C.M. and Wang, S.H.1994: Holocene climate and sea-level fluctuations of Qignfeng profile, Jianhu, Jiangshu province . Acta Oceanologica Sinica16, 78-88 (in Chinese, with English summary).
50.
Zheng, Z.2000: Vegetation and climate since the Late Pleistocene in southern China . Journal of Geoscience of China2, 7-20 .
