Mid-Holocene climate change in North China, and the effect on cultural development

In this study, to reconstruct the paleoclimatic history, pollen and oxygen isotope were analyzed on the 160 samples of a 2.7 m peat core from Taishizhuang, Huailai County, Hebei Province. Combining our data with other information of climate history and archaeology from this area, we found that there is a close linkage between cultural development and the mid-Holocene (6000-3000 cal. aBP) environment changes. The main results and conclusions are presented as the following: The climate during 5678-5400 cal. aBP was unstable and in general colder and drier than today. From 5400 to 4800 cal. aBP the climate was much warmer and wetter than before. The climate during 4800-4300 cal. aBP was persistently cold, with an exceptional cold event occurring at 4600-4300 cal. aBP. This cold event was recorded at several other localities in Northern China even the Northern Hemisphere and played an important role in the cultural development. After the cold event, there was a return to warmer conditions between 4200 and 3300 cal. aBP.