The Shijiahe culture is a milestone in Chinese civilization development.However,there are still disputes as to the absolute age of the Shijiahe culture and the interaction between climate changes and human activities during this epoch.Sample profile from the Tanjialing site,i.e.a typical site of Shijiahe culture,was analyzed based on AMS ~(14) C dating and geochemical elements,combined with the methods of principle component analysis(PCA)and ratio of elements(C value).The results show that the absolute age of the Shijiahe culture is around 4 800-4 100cal.a BP based on three AMS ~(14) C dating measured in the America NSF-Arizona AMS Laboratory,consistent with the relative age of Shijiahe culture.Between 4 850and 4 300cal.a BP,high value of the second principle component(F_2),C value and Mg/Ca ratio indicate that the environment might be relatively warm and wet.Meanwhile,high values of the first and third principle components(F_1and F_3)reflect strong human disturbances. For the period from 4 300to 4 124cal.a BP,low value of F_2, C value and Mg/Ca ratio are indicative of cold and drought conditions.Meanwhile,low values of F_1 and F_3 might be related to weak human disturbances and the collapse of the Shijiahe culture.This study reveals that the flood events in the climate changes from warm and wet to cold and drought back ground could be one potential trigger of the collapse of the Shijiahe Culture.