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<p>This study investigates the systematic utilisation of crop straw resources in traditional agricultural societies. Drawing on an ethnographic investigation in western Henan Province, Central China, the paper reconstructs the <i>chaîne opératoire</i> for the straw of major crops – including <i>Triticum aestivum</i> L. (bread wheat), <i>Setaria italica</i> (L.) P. Beauv. (foxtail millet), <i>Panicum miliaceum</i> L. (broomcorn millet), <i>Zea mays</i> L. (maize), <i>Glycine max</i> (L.) Merr. (soybean), <i>Sorghum bicolor</i> (L.) Moench (sorghum) and <i>Oryza sativa</i> L. (rice). The analysis traces the utilisation trajectory, from harvesting, threshing, storage, processing to diverse applications in fodder, construction, fuel, and ritual. The findings reveal a composite utilisation strategy highly adapted to local ecological conditions and livelihood patterns, shaped primarily by the physical properties of the straw, the frequency of demand, and specific subsistence goals. This management system exemplifies an autarchic socio-economic model characterised by high efficiency and long-term sustainability. Furthermore, the paper discusses a range of approaches in terms of how to identify the management and utilisation of crop straw in archaeological context, including phytolith and macro-remain analysis, use-wear analysis, residue analysis, stable isotope analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. Linking ethnographic and archaeological data, this study demonstrates that straw management drove agricultural intensification and social resilience in the Central Plains from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age. Ultimately, by integrating these ethnographic insights with multi-proxy archaeological analyses, this research provides a critical ethnographic reference and an interdisciplinary framework for interpreting straw utilisation behaviours in archaeological contexts and reconstructing ancient agricultural resource management mechanisms.</p>

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From field to find: an ethnographic study of crop straw use and its archaeological implications

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月20日

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  • Jiaxin Chen,
  • Ting An

摘要

This study investigates the systematic utilisation of crop straw resources in traditional agricultural societies. Drawing on an ethnographic investigation in western Henan Province, Central China, the paper reconstructs the chaîne opératoire for the straw of major crops – including Triticum aestivum L. (bread wheat), Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv. (foxtail millet), Panicum miliaceum L. (broomcorn millet), Zea mays L. (maize), Glycine max (L.) Merr. (soybean), Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench (sorghum) and Oryza sativa L. (rice). The analysis traces the utilisation trajectory, from harvesting, threshing, storage, processing to diverse applications in fodder, construction, fuel, and ritual. The findings reveal a composite utilisation strategy highly adapted to local ecological conditions and livelihood patterns, shaped primarily by the physical properties of the straw, the frequency of demand, and specific subsistence goals. This management system exemplifies an autarchic socio-economic model characterised by high efficiency and long-term sustainability. Furthermore, the paper discusses a range of approaches in terms of how to identify the management and utilisation of crop straw in archaeological context, including phytolith and macro-remain analysis, use-wear analysis, residue analysis, stable isotope analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. Linking ethnographic and archaeological data, this study demonstrates that straw management drove agricultural intensification and social resilience in the Central Plains from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age. Ultimately, by integrating these ethnographic insights with multi-proxy archaeological analyses, this research provides a critical ethnographic reference and an interdisciplinary framework for interpreting straw utilisation behaviours in archaeological contexts and reconstructing ancient agricultural resource management mechanisms.