Previous syntheses of palaeoclimate and archaeological data from the Kashmir Valley have proposed that climate changes drove prehistoric settlement of the valley, based on the adaptation of West Asian winter crops to mid-Holocene warm-humid conditions ca. 5000 BP. It has been argued that these conditions enabled population growth that became unsustainable following the onset of a cold-arid phase ca. 3000 BP, with these cycles of growth and collapse again repeating ca. 2000 and 1000 BP. Here we present multi-proxy palynomorph, charcoal and sediment data indicating that from ca. 4500-1500 BP the environment of the valley was characterised by drier conditions, comparable to other regional records indicating weakening Westerly precipitation over Central Asia. Considering recent archaeobotanical data indicating the presence of both West Asian winter crops and East Asian summer millets in the valley as early as 4500 BP, we argue that rather than Malthusian cycles of growth and collapse in Kashmir, early populations likely drew on a broad range of available domesticates and varied ecotopes across the valley to allow a Boserupian response to changing Holocene climate conditions. These adaptations were likely more oriented towards flexible systems of agro-pastoralism practiced throughout the Inner Asian mountains, rather than towards developing large urban settlements as was the case in the river basins and plains south of Kashmir.

先前对来自克什米尔山谷的古气候和考古数据的综合表明，气候变化推动了该山谷的史前定居，这是基于西亚冬季作物对大约全新世中期温暖潮湿条件的适应。5000 BP。有人认为，这些条件使人口增长在冷干旱阶段开始后变得不可持续。3000 BP，随着这些增长和崩溃的循环再次重复大约。2000 和 1000 BP。在这里，我们展示了多代理孢粉型、木炭和沉积物数据，表明来自约。4500-1500 BP 山谷环境的特点是干燥条件，与其他区域记录相比，表明中亚西风降水减弱。考虑到最近的考古植物学数据表明早在 4500 BP 山谷中就存在西亚冬季作物和东亚夏季小米，我们认为，与马尔萨斯式的克什米尔生长和崩溃周期不同，早期种群可能借鉴了广泛的整个山谷中可用的驯化动物和各种生态环境，使博塞鲁普对全新世气候条件的变化做出反应。这些适应可能更倾向于在整个亚洲内陆山区实行灵活的农牧业系统，而不是像克什米尔以南的河流流域和平原那样发展大型城市住区。早期种群可能会利用整个山谷范围广泛的可用驯养物和不同的生态环境，以允许博塞鲁普对全新世气候条件的变化做出反应。这些适应可能更倾向于在整个亚洲内陆山区实行灵活的农牧业系统，而不是像克什米尔以南的河流流域和平原那样发展大型城市住区。早期种群可能会利用整个山谷范围广泛的可用驯养物和不同的生态环境，以允许博塞鲁普对全新世气候条件的变化做出反应。这些适应可能更倾向于在整个亚洲内陆山区实行灵活的农牧业系统，而不是像克什米尔以南的河流流域和平原那样发展大型城市住区。