HANGZHOU, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- Archaeologists said they found large expanses of prehistorical rice paddies, with the oldest dating back more than 6,000 years, in east China's Zhejiang Province.

Zhejiang's institute of cultural relics and archaeology said the paddies, discovered in the city of Yuyao, have provided significant insights into the prehistorical society along the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

The paddies belong to three eras. The oldest, featuring ridge-like humps, dates back to 4300 BC during the early stage of the Neolithic Hemudu culture. In relatively newer paddies, dated 3700-3300 BC, researchers found both artificial and natural ridges, comprising of raised strips used as roads or demarcations.

In the most recent paddies, dating back to 2900-2500 BC in the era of the Liangzhu culture, archaeologists found ridges in the shape of a "#," and some were complete with roads and irrigation systems.

The institute said the discovery of the paddy sites suggested that rice farming was already an economic pillar in early Chinese cultures like Hemudu and Liangzhu. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)