尼罗河三角洲早-中全新世气候-环境变化对早期农业发展的影响

A detailed reconstruction of the past vegetation and human occupation at the site "Kom El-Khilgan", northeastern Nile delta, was operated in the light of a 1.5 m sediment profile KH1 taken at the site. Lithology analyses coupled with grain size and radiocarbon dating results revealed that the early Holocene strata(150-100 cm)consist of fluvial turtle-beds, and the middle Holocene strata (100-27 cm) generally composed of delta sediments, and the overlying strata was topsoil. The site contained the information of Pre-dynasty to Old Kingdom epoch (6500-4200 cal a BP) of the ancient Egyptian civilization. Pollen and spore analysis indicated: 1) from 8000 to 4000 cal a BP, the climate changed from wet to moderate and then much drier; 2) in response, the early swampy wetlands of the site area became dry grassland, which provided the ancient foragers habitable and arable land for the early agriculture; 3) evidences from >35 μm Poaceae, pottery fragments and mirocharcoals in the site profile indicated that agricultural activity occurred about 6500 years ago at the site and was not disrupted till 4000 cal a BP. All these above suggest that the Nile delta transformed from non-habitable swamp into an agricultural center. The result of this paper sheds light on the further study of the ancient agricultural adaptation to the environment change in the Nile delta.