Holocene climatic transition in the Yangtze River region and its impact on prehistoric civilizations

Holocene climate transitions have substantially impacted prehistoric civilizations, including those in the Yangtze River Basin (YRB), one of the cradles of human civilizations. The lack of undisturbed sedimentary archives in the YRB poses challenges in understanding the pattern of Holocene climate transitions. We present high-resolution pollen data from a mostly undisturbed wetland in the middle YRB from 11840 cal yr BP to the present. Lithological variations in the sediment core suggest that the wetland transformed into an organic-rich peatland approximately 8000 cal yr BP. Using a tailored pollen-climate training set, our quantitative precipitation reconstruction and a Rate of Change analysis of the reconstructed precipitation indicate that the period 10350–8000 cal yr BP, despite being warm and humid, experienced significant precipitation fluctuations. The increased climate stability during 8000–5500 cal yr BP may have stimulated the development of Neolithic cultures in the YRB. The Late Neolithic cultures rose and fell with an oscillatory precipitation decline due to the weakening monsoon from 5500 cal yr BP. The collapse of YRB Neolithic cultures around 4000 cal yr BP, along with the fall of major civilizations worldwide, suggests a global impact of climate anomalies during mid-late climate transitions. Our study offers insights into the changes in subalpine landscapes in the middle YRB region and the impact of Holocene climate transition on the YRB prehistoric civilizations.