Yaowu Hu

Childhood is a unique phase in human life history, in which newborns are breastfed and weaned, and are progressively familiarized to adult diets. By investigating dietary changes from infancy to adolescence, valuable information regarding past cultural behaviors and aspects of human lives can be explored and elucidated. Here, in conjunction with published isotopic results of serial dentine (n = 21) from Yingpan Man, new δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N results are obtained from 172 samples of incremental dentine from 8 teeth of 8 individuals of the Yingpan cemetery, located in Xinjiang, China. The δ¹³C values range from – 18.2 to – 14.6‰ with a mean ± SD value of – 16.3 ± 0.9‰, and the δ¹⁵N results range between 13.4 and 19.9‰ with a mean ± SD value of 16.0 ± 1.4‰. This indicates that the childhood diets were mixtures of C₃ and C₄ dietary resources and were clearly influenced by breastfeeding and weaning practices. In particular, the findings indicate that there were significant inter-individual differences in terms of the timing and duration of breastfeeding and weaning practices as well as childhood dietary practices at Yingpan. For instance, three individuals were exclusively breastfed after birth, while, two individuals and Yingpan Man were not. In addition, the post-weaning diets of most Yingpan individuals were relatively stable, but one individual and Yingpan Man displayed clear evidence of increased consumption of C₄ foods, likely millet, during late and post-weaning periods. Further, 7 individuals had unique dietary changes between 9 to 14 years old. Potential factors related to this are presented from the perspective of changes in social roles that might be caused by their early participation in the social division of labor or puberty and marriage.

Yingpan Man, is one of the most exquisitely preserved mummies found in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. Here links between Yingpan Man and the Silk Road are explored through a detailed isotopic and bioarchaeological investigation of his life history. Analytical techniques of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur stable isotope ratio analysis on hair, teeth, muscle and bones as well as associated animal and plant remains, radiocarbon dating and starch grain analysis of dental calculus are presented to visualize never before seen aspects of Yingpan Man’s life, including: environment, breastfeeding and weaning practices, adolescent and adult diet, disease and nutritional status as well as season of death. Furthermore, in combination with a detailed review of his associated grave goods, this research examines the social status and identity of Yingpan Man, and demonstrates the profound impact and cultural fusion that the Silk Road had upon the peoples of Xinjiang and Eurasia.

Donkeys facilitated trade and transport in much of the ancient world, but were seldom used in elite or leisure activities. While Tang Dynasty (AD 618–907) texts indicate that noble women played polo riding donkeys, this has never been documented archaeologically. Here, the authors present the first archaeological evidence of the significance of donkeys for elite Tang women through analyses of donkey remains recovered from the tomb of a Tang noblewoman in Xi'an, China. These findings broaden our understanding of the donkey's historic roles beyond simple load bearing.

In recent years, the reconstruction of individual life history by the multi-isotope analysis of different skeletal elements has become an active topic in bioarchaeological field. However, most studies focus on the persons with high social status and none cares for craftsmen with low social status. In this study, we undertook a comprehensive analysis on a human skeleton buried in the Oupan kiln, Anhui, China to recover his osteobiography. The archaeological context and dating result (534–644 cal. AD) indicate that he might be a potter at the kiln during the Sui and early Tang Dynasty, characteristic of low social hierarchy. The osteological investigation suggests that he had abnormal vertebrae related to long-term physical labor. In general, the isotopic data demonstrate that he mainly consumed C₃(wheat, beans)/C₄(millets)-based terrestrial foods. The isotopic (C, N) profiles of dentin sections and isotopic data (C, O) of bone apatite and teeth enamel indicate that he had experienced dramatic dietary changes and/or several migrations throughout the childhood and adulthood. His turbulent life trajectory was highly relevant to his identity and low social status. Our study provides a pilot insight into the life history of craftsmen who was generally overlooked in archaeological, historic and anthropological research.

Here, we present results of a pilot project that measured δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values in bone collagen (ribs and femora) as well as dentin serial sections to examine individual dietary life histories at a Late Neolithic (4500 bp) site known as Gaoshan Ancient City (高山古城) located on the Chengdu Plain in Sichuan Province, China. The isotopic data of the bones indicate that humans consumed C₃‐based foods, which corresponds to the dominance of rice agriculture in this region. However, the isotopic data of the dentin serial sections of five individuals display much more positive δ¹³C values than those of the bones, strongly suggesting that millets (a C₄ crop) contributed substantially to human diets during the weaning process and early childhood. Furthermore, the isotopic profiles of dentin sections of the first molars and canines demonstrate that the cession of weaning was individually variable and completed between ~2.5 and 4 years of age. Although limited in scope, this pilot study offers new evidence of millet consumption during human growth and development even though individuals relied on rice exclusively as adults. Moreover, our study provides another perspective with which to rethink the role that millets played during the development and spread of millet agriculture to the south of China in terms of cultural exchange and migration.

Research in to the nature of Neolithic agriculture in China is often focused on topics such as the domestication and spread of cereal crops and the reconstruction of human and animal diets in the past. Field management practices, such as organic manuring, have not been systematically investigated in Chinese archaeology. Here we present an isotopic dataset for archaeological foxtail millet (Setaria italica) and common millet (Panicum miliaceum) grains as well as associated faunal remains (both domesticated and wild) from seven sites in the Baishui Valley of north China, in order to find direct evidence of organic manuring during the Late Neolithic period. The elevated nitrogen isotope values of the millet grains (5500-3500 cal BP) in comparison with the estimated local vegetation indicates that millets were organically manured by animal dung, mostly likely originating from domestic pigs. Considering the low nitrogen contents of loess soils and their unsuitability for intensive cultivation, this organic manuring by animal dung would have played a key role in maintaining soil productivity and crop yield, which was necessary to support the demands of agriculture and cultural expansion during the Late Neolithic on the Loess Plateau of China.

Stable isotope analysis of ancient skeletons has become a routine method and widely used to answer diverse archaeological questions related to the human (animal) diets since the initial study in 1977. However, this study in china is underestimated and much less unknown to international circles considering the infrequent publications in English journals. In this review paper, the research history in China was overviewed shortly and then, the research progresses concerning different research themes, such as the chronological trajectory of human diets, the development and spread of agriculture, the mechanism of animal domestication, human social hierarchy, and so on, were introduced in detail, trying to draw a rough framework of human dietary evolution given the unique Chinese geography and cultures. At last, the potential research directions were also suggested for the future studies.

Objectives: Here we investigate breastfeeding and weaning practices and adult dietary habits at the Western Zhou Dynasty (1122–771 BC) site of Boyangcheng (薄阳城) located in Anhui Province, China. In addition, we utilize the differences in bone collagen turnover rates between rib and long bones from the same individual to examine past life histories, such as changes in diet or residence.Materials and methods: Bone collagen from both the rib and long bones (either femora or humeri) of 42 individuals was measured for stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N). In addition, δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values are reported for 35 animals (dogs, cows, horses, pigs, and deer).Results: The human δ¹³C values range from −20.7‰ to −12.0‰ with a mean value of −18.8 ± 1.6‰. The human δ¹⁵N values range from 9.1‰ to 13.4‰ with a mean value of 10.9 ± 1.0‰. The animals display a wide range of δ¹³C (−21.5‰ to −8.2‰; −15.8 ± 4.5‰) and δ¹⁵N values (4.0‰ to 9.5‰; 6.5 ± 1.8‰).Conclusions: The adult δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N results indicate that mixed C₃ (rice) and C₄ (millet) terrestrial diets with varying levels of animal protein (mostly pigs and deer) were consumed. The elevated subadult δ¹⁵N results return to adult levels by approximately 3–4 years of age, indicating that the weaning process was completed during this period. Individuals between 2 and 10 years old, with lower δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N results than the adult mean, possibly consumed more plant‐based diets, and this is consistent with Chinese medical teachings ∼1500 years later during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618–907). The isotopic offsets between the ribs and long bones revealed that five adults experienced dramatic dietary shifts in their later lives, switching from predominately C₃/C₄ to C₃ diets. This research provides the first isotopic information about ancient Chinese breastfeeding and weaning practices and establishes a foundation for future studies to examine diachronic trends.