Early emergence and development of pastoralism in Gan-Qing region from the perspective of isotopes

Ma, Minmin; Ren, Lele; Li, Zhipeng; Wang, Qianqian; Zhao, Xinya; Li, Ruo

doi:10.1007/s12520-021-01331-2

Cited by 18 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…This suggests that they changed from a nearly pure C 4 diet to a mixed C 3 / C 4 diet (Atahan et al, 2011;Yang e al. 2019;Ma et al, 2021;Vaiglova et al, 2021;Qiu et al, 2022), and that the consumption of C 3 crops (e.g., barley, wheat) by omnivores was gradually increasing . It shows that the breeding strategies of the ancestors of Hexi Corridor for pigs and dogs have changed significantly in different periods.…”

Section: Animal Utilization Strategy During the Han Dynasty In The He...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It shows that the breeding strategies of the ancestors of Hexi Corridor for pigs and dogs have changed significantly in different periods. In addition, domestic herbivores gradually changed from a mixed C 3 /C 4 diet to a primarily C 3 diet during this period (Atahan et al, 2011;Yang et al, 2019a;Ma et al, 2021;Vaiglova et al, 2021;Qiu et al, 2022), indicating that the feeding and management strategies of cattle and sheep may also have changed. To the Han Dynasty, the relatively enriched δ 13 C values of chickens, pigs, and dogs suggested that they had a mixed C 3 and C 4 diet, so these animals may have increased consumption of C 4 crops (i.e., foxtail millet and broomcorn millet) and/or their byproducts again.…”

Section: Animal Utilization Strategy During the Han Dynasty In The He...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Transformation of animal utilization strategies from the late Neolithic to the Han Dynasty in the Hexi Corridor, northwest China: Zooarchaeological and stable isotopic evidence

Wang²,

Ma³

et al. 2023

Front. Earth Sci.

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The trajectory and influencing factors for changes to ancient human livelihoods in the Hexi Corridor of northwest China have been intensively discussed. The Hexi Corridor is a key crossroads for trans-Eurasian exchange in both the prehistoric and historical periods. Although most studies have focused on the reconstruction of human paleodiet and plant subsistence, the diachronic change of animal utilization strategies spanning the prehistoric and historical periods remains unclear, due to the absence of zooarchaeological and isotopic studies, especially in Han Dynasty (202 BCE–220 CE). Here we report new zooarchaeological, stable isotope, and radiocarbon dating data from the Heishuiguo Cemetery of the Han Dynasty in the Hexi Corridor, indicating that humans mainly used domestic chickens, pigs and sheep as funerary objects, with other buried livestock including cattle, horses and dogs. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data suggest humans might have fed chickens, pigs and dogs more C4 foods (likely millets or their byproducts) than herbivorous livestock in the Heishuiguo during the Han Dynasty. Compared to other prehistoric zooarchaeological and isotopic studies in the Hexi Corridor, we detected an increasing significance of herbivorous livestock in animal utilization strategies compared with omnivorous livestock, and a basic declining weight of C4 foods in fodders from ∼2,300 to 200 BCE, which was probably induced by long-distance exchange and climate fluctuation. However, the trend was reversed during the Han Dynasty in the Hexi Corridor, primarily due to the control of the area by the Han Empire and the subsequent massive immigration from the Yellow River valley of north China.

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Section: Animal Utilization Strategy During the Han Dynasty In The He...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Animal Utilization Strategy During the Han Dynasty In The He...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Transformation of animal utilization strategies from the late Neolithic to the Han Dynasty in the Hexi Corridor, northwest China: Zooarchaeological and stable isotopic evidence

Wang²,

Ma³

et al. 2023

Front. Earth Sci.

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“…Archaeobotanical results showed that in ~2000-1300 BCE, the weight proportions of wheat/barley and foxtail/broomcorn millet were very similar (Figure 4d) [17,53,61]. Carbon isotopic evidence also shows mixed C 3 and C 4 signals (Figure 4c) [55,[62][63][64]. The data indicate that millet crops remained dominant in agriculture, and wheat/barley began to make a significant contribution in the Hexi Corridor area during this period.…”

Section: The Trajectory Of and Influencing Factors For The Change In ...mentioning

confidence: 93%

Alteration in Plant-Based Subsistence and Its Influencing Factors from Late Neolithic to Historical Periods in Hexi Corridor, Northwestern China: Archaeobotanical Evidence

Wei,

Shi,

et al. 2024

Land

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The spatio-temporal evolution of human subsistence strategies and their driving force in prehistoric Eurasia has received increasing attention with the rapid development of archaeobotanical, zooarchaeological, and isotopic research in recent decades, while studies focusing on the historical periods are relatively absent. In the Hexi Corridor in northwestern China, which has served as a hub for trans-Eurasian exchange since the late prehistoric period, archaeobotanical data have been reported from numerous Neolithic and Bronze Age sites, as well as sites from the Wei and Jin Dynasties (220–420 BCE) to the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368 BCE). However, no archaeobotanical study has been conducted at sites of the Han Dynasty (202 BCE–220 CE), a crucial period connecting prehistoric and historical eras. In this study, we identified 32475 plant remains, including 31,463 broomcorn millets, 233 foxtail millets, and 780 weeds, from the Shuangdun North Beacon Tower (SDNBT) site of the Han Dynasty at the western end of the Hexi Corridor, suggesting that millets played a prominent part in human subsistence strategies in the area during this period. In addition, sheep, chicken, dog, horse, and rodent remains were also collected at the site. By applying a multi-disciplinary approach, we detected a remarkable change in plant-based subsistence in the ancient Hexi Corridor. Specifically, the importance of millet crops, compared with other crops (especially barley and wheat), in plant-based subsistence declined from the Late Neolithic to the Bronze Age; it apparently improved during the Han and Sui-Tang Dynasties (581–907 CE), when agricultural empires controlled the area, and then declined again during the Wei, Jin, Northern, and Southern Dynasties (220–581 CE) and the Song-Yuan Dynasty (960–1368 CE), when nomadic regimes controlled the area. Climate change, trans-Eurasian exchanges, and geopolitical shifts influenced the diachronic change in plant-based subsistence from the Late Neolithic to the historical periods in the Hexi Corridor.

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“…Geographically, the Gan‐Qing region is located between the Loess Plateau to the northeast, the desert areas of Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang to the northwest, and the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau to the south (Bao et al, 2019) (Figure 1). During the late Neolithic and Bronze ages, the inhabitants of this area were the pre‐Qiang people (Yu, 1985), who practiced grassland animal husbandry of sheep, goats, and cattle (Lv & Yuan, 2019; Ma et al, 2021). Historically, the Huangshui Valley (湟水流域), where the Mapai cemetery is located, was the birthplace and a long‐time settlement of the Qiang People (Yu, 1985).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trepanation during the late Neolithic Age from the Mapai cemetery in the Gan‐Qing region, northwestern China—A bioarcheological and experimental study

Yang

Sun

et al. 2022

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Early emergence and development of pastoralism in Gan-Qing region from the perspective of isotopes

Cited by 18 publications

References 49 publications

Transformation of animal utilization strategies from the late Neolithic to the Han Dynasty in the Hexi Corridor, northwest China: Zooarchaeological and stable isotopic evidence

Transformation of animal utilization strategies from the late Neolithic to the Han Dynasty in the Hexi Corridor, northwest China: Zooarchaeological and stable isotopic evidence

Alteration in Plant-Based Subsistence and Its Influencing Factors from Late Neolithic to Historical Periods in Hexi Corridor, Northwestern China: Archaeobotanical Evidence

Trepanation during the late Neolithic Age from the Mapai cemetery in the Gan‐Qing region, northwestern China—A bioarcheological and experimental study

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