World’s oldest rice paddies are discovered in China dating back 6,300 years and covering more than 222 acres of land
- The world’s oldest and largest rice paddies have been found in China
- The field was farmed some 6,000 years ago and is said to cover 222 acres
- Experts found the paddies had changed three times over since first being built
- The first was designed with mounds of soil on the edges of the paddies
- The second add roads and the newest is laid out like a checkerboard
- The latest change also has roads along the fields and irrigation systems
The world’s oldest rice paddies have been uncovered in China that experts say were farmed more than 6,000 years ago.
The ancient checkboard patterned fields were found in the city of Yuyao, east China’s Zhejiang Province and are said to cover about 222 acres – only one acre has been excavated thus far.
Archaeologists said that the paddies had different forms across three prehistoric periods that span about 2,000 years with the oldest dating back to around 4,300 BC.
Prior to the recent discovery, experts had placed the first rice paddies some 3,000 years ago.
The world’s oldest rice paddies have been uncovered in China that experts say were farmed more than 6,000 years ago
Rice is found in a number of cultures around the world, but has been a way of life for the Chinese for thousands of years.
Rice paddies, or wet rice farming, survive in stable conditions that are not too hot or cold.
The fields are flooded to supply water during the growing seasons and without modern technology, harvesting crops by hand is time consuming and grueling world.
Previous studies have analyzed DNA of ancient rice dating back nearly 2,000 years and compared the results with that of today’s.
The ancient checkboard patterned fields were found in the city of Yuyao, east China’s Zhejiang Province and are said to cover about 222 acres – only one acre has been excavated thus far
The findings showed that early humans dined on a variety of rice, instead of the two domesticated varieties, japonica and indica, we consume today.
The latest discover ywas announced by the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and the Ningbo Cultural Heritage Management Research Institute, CGTN reports.
The ancient paddies were located outside the Hemudu Site, which revealed artifacts of a Neolithic culture that once flourished in China from 5500 BC to 3300 BC.
Wang Yonglei, a researcher with the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, told CGNT: ‘Archaeologists had found some smaller ancient paddy fields here in the past, with insufficient evidence.’
‘[The rice paddies found at] the Shi’ao Site in Yuyao, Zhejiang are large with organized patterns.’
‘They can be traced back to the early Hemudu Culture. This is the largest and oldest large-scale ancient paddy field in the world.’
The exposed areas reveal the paddies formation changed throughout three prehistoric periods that lasted about 2,000 years.
The oldest, dating to around 4300 BC was constructed with mounds of soil around the edges of the fields.
The team also discovered rice glumes, cobs and weed seeds in the paddy soil that dates back to the Liangzhu Culture from 2900 BC to 2500 BC
At the tail end of the Hemudu Culture, between 3700 BC to 3300 BC, the fields were designed with robust ridges that were used as roads.
And the newer paddies were laid out in a checkerboard pattern that included roads and irrigation systems – this dates back to the Liangzhu Culture from 2900 BC to 2500 BC.
The team also discovered rice glumes, cobs and weed seeds in the paddy soil that dates back to the Liangzhu Culture.
‘We discovered five prehistoric human village sites in an area of one square kilometer around the rice fields,’ Wang said.
The team plans to conitnue cleawring away the other parts of massive field and will look for settlements that match the ancient rice fields of Shi’ao Site.