Tang, Liya;
Wangdue, Shargan;
Xi, Lin;
Tsering, Tashi;
Yu, Chun;
Zhang, Jianlin;
Zhao, Zhijun;
... Fuller, Dorian Q; + view all
(2025)
Early evidence of naked barley in western Tibet: cereal cultivation at extreme altitude along the upper Sutlej River, c. 3500 BP.
Antiquity
10.15184/aqy.2024.227.
(In press).
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Abstract
Despite being almost 4000m above sea level, cereal crops have been grown in the Ngari Prefecture on the Tibetan Plateau for thousands of years. Where and when domestic crop species adapted to high-altitude growing conditions is a matter of ongoing debate. Here, the authors present a new radiocarbon date from the Gepa serul cemetery, providing the earliest evidence of naked six-rowed barley in Tibet (c. 3500 BP). Evaluating the available evidence for barley cultivation and interregional connections in central Asia at this time, two hypotheses are considered—a generational advance with farmers migrating up river valleys or rapid, long-distance trade through mountain corridors.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Early evidence of naked barley in western Tibet: cereal cultivation at extreme altitude along the upper Sutlej River, c. 3500 BP |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.15184/aqy.2024.227 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2024.227 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author-accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | Hordeum vulgare, archaeobotany, Himalayas, South Asia, Central Asia, Indus valley, alpine agriculture |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Institute of Archaeology UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Institute of Archaeology > Institute of Archaeology Gordon Square |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10206464 |
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