Yangshao Millet Agricultural Revolution
c. 5000-3000 BCE · Prehistoric
The Yangshao culture developed millet-based agriculture in the Yellow River Valley's middle reaches between approximately 5000-3000 BCE. Farmers initially cultivated broomcorn millet, then shifted to foxtail millet as climate conditions changed. Archaeological evidence indicates they used crop rotation, field management, and early manuring practices. This agricultural system supported permanent settlements with painted pottery and organized village structures. The millet farming innovations enabled population growth and provided a foundation for later Chinese agricultural development through adaptation to mid-Holocene environmental changes.
Key Figures
Johan Gunnar Andersson
Locations
Yellow River ValleyBanpo Site
Topics
agriculturemilletchinayangshaoclimate adaptation
Connected Events — 2 Connections
Created the agricultural surplus and sedentary population necessary to support specialized bronze craftsmen and elite ritual consumption at Erlitou, enabling the social stratification that bronze vessels symbolized First Bronze Ritual Vessels at Erlitou
Contemporary but separate grain domestication — rice in south, millet in north China Rice Domestication in the Yangtze Delta
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