鄂爾多斯及其鄰近地區專化遊牧業的起源

Origins of Specialized Nomadic Pastoralism in the Ordos and Neighboring Areas

專化遊牧業的起源是歷史學者與考古人類學者共同關懷的主題。西方學者專賴考古資料的研究，多強調氣候變遷、馴養技術等因素。研究鄂爾多斯及其鄰近地區專化遊牧業的起源，我們在考古資料外還有豐富的文獻資料，據此本文提出一個補充性的新見解。大約在西元前四○○○至二○○○年間，本地區被類似仰韶──龍山文化的人群所佔居，與南方仰韶──龍山文化人群不同的是，大量細石器與獸骨遺存，顯示在農業外他們還相當依賴馴養及野生動物。西元前二○○○至一○○○年前後本地遭到氣候趨於乾旱的威脅，但是這並沒有使當地人群發展出專賴馴養家畜以利用自然環境的生活方式；反倒是他們逐漸放棄在此地的居留（可能部份南下爭奪農業資源）。西元前一四○○年左右，馬的馴養傳入中國北方，但由商到西周時期，馬主要被長城地帶的人群用於戰爭，也沒有立刻造成遊牧業的產生。本地的專化遊牧業出現在春秋中晚期之後。因此，在所有條件皆具備的情形下，似乎是政治社會與族群因素──農牧混合經濟人群對農業邊緣地帶的爭奪，華夏的形成以維護共同資源，長城的建立，以及遊牧的不能自足性與由此產生遊牧人群的對外掠奪等等──進一步推動鄂爾多斯及其鄰近地區全面的遊牧化。

The purpose of this article is to analyze the origins of specialized nomadic pastoralism in the Ordos and its neighboring areas. In this case both archaeological materials and historical literature allow us to explore this problem with respect not only to ecological and technical changes, but also social and ethnic constraints. During the period 5000-2000 B. C., this area was occupied by a mixed-farming population. Their artifacts are similar to those of Yang-shao and Lung-shan farmers in the south, except for a large amount of microlithic tools and animal bones which might represent optional subsistence dependent on animal products. After 2000 B.C. most of the late neolithic settlements were abandoned due to dry climate. Nomadic pastoralism failed to occur at this time probably because the horse, the key animal for steppe nomadism, had not yet been introduced to this area. However, even though the domesticated horse was introduced to North China by about 1400 B.C., from the Shang to the Western Chou horses were used by northern peoples mainly in warfare, and specialized nomadic pastoralism did not occur. Nevertherless, even though all these ecological and technical situations favored the emergence of nomadic pastoralism, it was the social and ethnic constraints － the competition for agricultural resources along the northern edge of the Central Plains, the formation of the Hua-hsia ethnos for protecting agricultural resources, and the building of the Great Wall by the Hua-hsia states － that finally stimulated the re-occupation of the Ordos by pastoral nomads by about 500 B.C.