Holocene pollen and phytolith dataset from the Xinglong site in the Bashang Grassland, northern China.

This dataset comprises pollen and phytolith records obtained from the Xinglong site (42.09°N, 114.61°E) in the Bashang Grassland, northern China. The data were systematically collected from a 340 cm sediment profile (TG1E) containing well-stratified deposits from the Paleolithic-Neolithic transition to mid-Neolithic period (13,500-5000 cal. a BP). 70 contiguous samples were taken in 5 cm interval for multi-proxy analyses. The dataset provides fundamental material for reconstructing early-mid Holocene environment and human-environment interactions. Pollen extraction followed standardized HCl-NaOH-HF protocols using Lycopodium spore tracers, with subsequent sieving, centrifuging and preserving in glycerol. Microscopic analysis identified 29,447 pollen and spore grains (average approximately 421 grains/sample), including 27,729 grains of angiosperm pollen, 1622 grains of fern spores, 76 grains of algae, 20 grains of bryophyte spores, representing 66 plant taxa, including woody species (16 taxa), herbaceous plants (41 taxa), fern types (7 taxa), algae (1 taxon) and bryophyte(1 taxon). Phytolith extraction employed H2O2-HCl-ZnBr2 protocols with Lycopodium tracers, followed by sieving, centrifuging, ethanol dehydration and mounting in Canada balsam. Microscopic analysis revealed 21,344 specimens (average about 305 grains/sample), dominated by bulliform, square, rectangular, elongate psilate, bilobate, acicular hair cell and rondel from species such as Phragmites australis, Eragrostoideae, Panicoideae, and Pooideae. All raw data are provided in .xls format. This dataset offers significant reuse potential for: (1) Investigating early rainfed agricultural development patterns in northern China; (2) Analyzing regional vegetation and environmental history; (3) Modeling human occupation dynamics and human adaptation strategies during the Paleolithic-Neolithic transition; (4) Conducting comparative studies with other paleoenvironmental records across East Asia;(5) Serving as a methodological reference for future archaeobotanical research in similar regions.