Starch remains from human teeth reveal the Bronze and Early Iron Ages vegetal diet of Xinjiang, northwest China

AbstractChina ’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region has long been a vital link between Europe and eastern Asia. Xinjiang’s geographical location and natural environment have led to unique dietary habits and traditions among both the region’s modern inhabitants as well as their ancient forebears. Here, we rep ort on the analysis of human dental residue samples unearthed from the Jiayi Cemetery, a 10th to 2nd century BCE mortuary complex located in the Turpan Basin, Xinjiang, generating ancient starch granules produced by vegetal foodstuffs. Morphological analysis of starch granules and comparative data indicate that crops ofTriticeae tribe and subfamilyPanicoideae comprised a large portion of the diet, while common legumes, nuts, root and tuber were also present, although in relatively smaller proportions. The discovery of these plant starch granules in archaeological context provides direct evidence of the Jiayi population ’s vegetal diet and sheds light on agricultural practices during this period. With supporting evidence drawn from zooarchaeological, archaeobotanical, and paleo-isotopic studies of Bronze Age sites in Xinjiang, we conclude that the people interred in the Jiayi Cemetery practiced cereal crop cultiv ation and animal husbandry in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages. The species of cereal crops represented suggest meaningful economic communication between Central and West Asia.

Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - November 3, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Sen You, Long Wang, John W. Olsen, Ying Guan, Quanchao Zhang Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research