Neolithic cultivation of water chestnuts (Trapa L.) at Tianluoshan (7000-6300 cal BP), Zhejiang Province, China.

ABSTRACT: Water chestnuts (Trapa) are frequently recovered at Neolithic sites along the Lower Yangtze River Valley and have been important components of the diets of prehistoric people. However, little systematic research has been conducted to determine their cultural and dietary importance. Excavations at the Tianluoshan site produced large quantities of well-preserved specimens, which provide an excellent collection for studying morphological changes with time. Using modern wild and domesticated water chestnuts (n = 447) as a reference, we find Neolithic samples (n = 481) at Tianluoshan are similar in shape but smaller in size compared to the domesticated species Trapa bispinosa. In particular, the Tianluoshan water chestnuts have bigger seeds than the wild species Trapa incisa. Further, water che

SUBMITTER: Guo Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5701232 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature