自1998年以来,绰墩遗址发现了大量的马家浜时期的水稻田.对遗址Ⅵ工作区两个剖面P01和P03进行植硅体和孢粉分析,P01的植硅体分析结果显示在马家浜文化中晚期、马桥文化时期、宋代直至现代,研究点都有水稻生长.孢粉分析还显示,在植硅体浓度较高土壤沉积物中,水生植物花粉在整个孢粉谱中所占比例较小,与现代水田相似.这表明,在新石器时代,人类在种植水稻过程中可能已将杂草除去.绰墩遗址孢粉分析的结果可能为判断古水稻土提供一个有效的方法.
Since 1998, many paddy fields related to Majiabang Culture have been discovered at Chuodun site (31°24′12" N, 120°50′31.5" E), Jiangsu Province. Studies of the ancient paddy fields at the Chuodun site are of great importance for unraveling the history of rice domestication in East Asia. To further validate this site as paddy fields, phytolith and pollen analyses were conducted for P01 and P03 profiles, which are located in the northeastern part of VI Unit. Pollen assemblages of ancient paddy soil also were compared with those of modern paddy soil to validate the method of pollen analysis as a possible approach toward the identification of ancient paddy fields. Results of phytolith analysis show that rice cultivation activities can be traced back to middle and late Majiabang Culture, Maqiao Culture and Song Dynasty at Chuodun site. Pollen data indicate that low aquatic herb pollen corresponding to more phytoliths in ancient paddy field. Low aquatic herb pollen value is also found in modem fields. This suggests that weeds might have been removed by human during rice cultivation in the Neolithic periods. Gramineae and aquatic herbs, together with phytolith analysis, can be used as an indicator of ancient paddy fields at archaeological sites on the Yangtze River Delta.