Investigating wheat consumption based on multiple evidences: stable isotope analysis on human bone and starch grain analysis on dental calculus of humans from the Laodaojing cemetery, Central Plains, China

AbstractThe introduction and spread of wheat contributed to the transformation of the tradition millets agriculture in North China. However, when and how wheat came to be a staple crop in China is still unclear. Stable isotope data from some archaeological sites suggested that the dietary change from C4 based diet to C3/C4 mixed diet occurred during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770 ‐221BC) on the Central Plains of China. However, the role of each C3 crop (wheat, rice and soybean) in human diet are not well understood in this key period. Some scholars have argued that wheat made the biggest contribution to human diet among the C3 crops. To further investigate the dietary role of wheat and agricultural economy in the Eastern Zhou on the Central Plains of China, combined methods of stable isotope analysis on human bones and starch grain analysis on human dental calculus were conducted at Laodaojing cemetery during the Warring States period.The meanδ13C values ( –14.7±2‰,n =24) and meanδ15N values (9.1 ±0.9‰,n=24) of individuals from Laodaojing cemetery suggest that Laodaojing humans had a reliance on the mixture of C3/C4 foods and a certain proportion of animal protein was consumed. Given that the small elevation ofδ15N values (<3 ‰) of Laodaojing humans, the contribution of domesticated animals to the mixed C3/C4 diet of Laodaojing population is relatively limited. Combined with starch grains extracted from human dental calculus, we argue that C3 and C4 foods at ...
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - Category: Science Authors: Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research