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The southeastern Lixiahe Plain (SELP) is the site of the only identified Neolithic human settlements in the eastern Northern Jiangsu Plain, East China, and it also represents the junction of the Lixiahe Plain (LP), the Northern Jiangsu coastal Plain, and the Yangtze River Delta northern flank Plain. Based on previous studies and lithology, marine micropaleontological analysis, and the results of AMS 14C dating of three sets of strata from the Neolithic "ruins area", we discussed the timings and mechanisms and the regional significance of the Early–Middle Holocene marine–terrestrial transitions in the SELP as well as the origins of its Neolithic culture. A rare phenomenon is identified in the study: Under the background of the rapid sea-level rise in the Early Holocene, the eastern part of the area accreted from the marine environment to a coastal tidal flat at approximately 8000 a BP (8900 cal a BP). This accretion was due to the obstruction of the palaeogeomorphic uplift belts to the east and south of the LP and the convergence and accumulation of sediments caused by the radiating tidal current field in the South Yellow Sea. The western part transformed into a swamp environment at approximately 5500 a BP (6300 cal a BP) due to the formation of the Yangtze River north coastal sand bank during the Early to Middle Holocene. As the first new land formed in the study area during the Holocene, the marine–terrestrial changes of the SELP formed the boundaries of the spatial evolution of the three plains, thus limiting their respective evolution range. As the archaeological evidence necessary to build a complete evidence chain is lacking, palaeogeography and traffic problems limit our current understanding on the Neolithic cultural origins in the SELP, which may be the future direction of research efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Thiessen polygon concept was applied to analyze how Neolithic sites were gathered and the features of agriculture, living environment and transportation in the Huaibei Plain, Anhui Province, East China, in the Shishanzi cultural period (8.0–6.5 ka BP), Dawenkou cultural period (6.5–4.5 ka BP), and Longshan cultural period (4.5–4.0 ka BP). The Thiessen polygon analysis method was effective in determining the settlement center of the region and helped to confer the complex relationships among agriculture, the living environment and transportation during the Neolithic Age. From the Shishanzi cultural period to the Longshan cultural period, a growing number of small polygons showed enhancement in the degree of gathering and cultural communication. In the Dawenkou and Longshan cultural periods, the central part of Huaibei Plain was the settlement center and the distance from the center of each Thiessen polygon to its edges was decreasing. This indicates that the ancients' dependence on agriculture and development conditions increased over the three cultures. The development of Neolithic cultures was also affected by the environmental changes in the Huaibei Plain. From the Shishanzi cultural period to the Longshan cultural period, the climate tended to be dry, and the area of marsh decreased. However, there was little change in temperature, which was beneficial to the ancients' lives and production. Not only did cultural sites and small polygons increase constantly, but groups of sites and settlement centers also appeared in the central part of plain and areas along the main stream of the Huai River. The Neolithic culture developed vigorously, and the abilities of ancients to adapt to environment and transform nature gradually improved. The NW to SE direction of the small polygons' distribution suggests the control of the ancient rivers on transportation in the Huaibei Plain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]