Prehistoric agricultural decision making in the western Himalayas: ecological and social variables

The high-altitude landscape of western Tibet is one of the most cxtreme environments in which humans have managed to introduce crop cultivation. To dare, only sparse palaeoeconomic data have been reported from this region. The authors present archaeobotanical evidence from five sites (daring from the late first millennium BC and the early first millennium AD) located in the cold-arid landscape of western Tibet. The data indicate that barley was widely grown in this region by c. 400 BC but probably fulfilled differing roles within local ecological constraints on cultivation. Additionally, larger sites are characterised by more diverse crop assemblages than smaller sites, suggesting a role for social diversity in the development of high-altitude agriculture.

Automated summary

This study presents archaeobotanical evidence from western Tibet, revealing the development of agriculture in the high-altitude landscape. The data indicate that barley was widely grown in this region around 400 BC and played different roles based on local ecological constraints. Additionally, social diversity may have played a role in the development of high-altitude agriculture.