Synthesis of stable isotopic data for human bone collagen: A study of the broad dietary patterns across ancient China

Abstract

Ancient China is one of the most important regions for the development of agriculture in human history, contributing the two key crops millet and rice. Meanwhile, it was closely connected to the wider Eurasian network, receiving wheat and barley from the West. Because of the large isotopic differences between C3 and C4 crops, we are able to track their changing importance in different regions of China and underlying connections to their cultural and environmental contexts. We take a ‘big data’ approach, assembling the stable isotopic measurements on over 2000 ancient human bones. This is the first comprehensive meta-analysis of ancient Chinese human stable carbon and nitrogen isotope results and creates a more efficient tool for scholars to establish a fuller picture of dietary practices in ancient China. By charting their spatial-temporal variation, we can show that the primary crop facilitating the rise of the early Chinese state in the Central Plains was millet, particularly during the Bronze Age. The dominance of millet (C4), from an isotopic viewpoint, offers an opportunity to investigate the major changes in dietary practice through the proxy of δ13C, as a result of shifts between millet and other major C3 crops (rice, wheat and barley). More importantly, millet is probably one of the earliest examples for the existing local system in the Central Plains within which other imported elements (e.g. wheat) have to fit. This pattern, which has also been repetitively discovered with bronze and iron technology in later periods, starts to characterise some intrinsic features of Chinese prehistory.

Millet Consumption in Siberia Prior to Mid-Second Millennium Bc? A Review of Recent Developments

“…The Gansu Corridor is the most likely route by which millet ultimately arrived into the Minusinsk Basin in the mid-2nd millennium BC. Millets were already in use in southeast Gansu region in the 6th millennium BC (Dadiwan site, Barton et al 2009) and in northwest Gansu by at least 2000 BC (Atahan et al 2011;Ma et al 2016; see summary in Liu et al 2021). Interestingly, at around the same time as a millet signal is detected in the Minusinsk Basin at ca.…”

“…Interestingly, at around the same time as a millet signal is detected in the Minusinsk Basin at ca. 1400 BC, there appears to be a parallel decrease in δ 13 C values in Gansu, suggesting the reciprocal arrival of wheat there (Ma et al 2016; see also Liu et al 2021). Whether this can be linked to climate change as proposed by Ma et al (2016) is a subject for further research.…”

Human Subsistence Strategies and Adaptations in the Lower Yangtze River Region During the Prehistoric Era

“…Since 2010, the isotopic studies in the LYRR have increased and relatively rich isotopic data from human and animals have been accumulated. Compared to the summary of isotopic data (Chen, 2017;Qin and Fuller, 2019;Liu et al, 2021), we collected more isotopic data (Table 3) including the previously published and unpublished data as well as two reference groups from South China, in order to better understand human subsistence strategies and adaptation within the environmental, spatiotemporal, economic contexts in the region. The information on the site name, site location (Figure 1), date, the isotopic data and references is listed in Table 3 and the error bar plot is shown in Figure 2.…”

Collagen stable isotope data from East and Northeast Asia, c. 7000 BC–1000 AD

“… Linxi Daijing 林西大井 Inner Mongolia, PRC c. 770-220 BC/Eastern Zhou Cannot locate reference Raw data provided in Liu et al., [116] . Xiyasi [115] 西亞斯 Henan, PRC c. 770-220 BC/Eastern Zhou Raw data not provided in report Raw data provided in Liu et al., [116] . Puge Xian [112] 普格縣 Sichuan, PRC c. 475 BC – AD 220/Warring States to Han Collagen QC not provided Qilangshan [123] 七郎山 Inner Mongolia, PRC c. 220 BC-150 AD/Eastern Han (early Xianbei) Raw data not provided in report Yangtun [112] 楊屯 Liaoning, PRC c. 698-926 AD /Balhae Kingdom Collagen QC not provided …”