Paleodiet reconstruction of human and animal bones at the Dalujiao cemetery in Early Iron Age Xinjiang, China

AbstractLong before the East-West ‘Silk Road’ appeared, cultural communication as well as exchanges of materials and technologies had existed between different populations across the Eurasian steppe. Xinjiang, located at a crossroads of the East and the West, is particularly important for exploring human interactions. The presen t paper contributes to this end from a stable isotopic perspective. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis were applied to 51 human and four animal bone remains collected from three types of tombs—namely, the earthen vertical tomb-pit, earthen vertical tomb-pit with second-tier ledge, and ear then vertical tomb-pit with side chamber—excavated from the Dalujiao cemetery, dated to the Early Iron Age (542BCE–59CE), in Xinjiang of northwest China. The δ13C (mean: –18.6 ‰) and δ15N (mean: 7.5 ‰) results of the fauna remains suggest that the two herbivore species (horse and sheep) were fed mainly by C3 terrestrial plants. By contrast, the human bone specimens differ in δ13C values (from −16.0‰ to −11.6‰, with a mean of –14.1‰±1.1‰, n= 51). People buried in vertical tomb-pits show a narrow range of δ13C values, an indication that they consumed quite stable sources of food. On the other hand, those who buried in vertical tomb-pits with second-tier ledge or with side chamber consumed more diverse foods and probably adopted different subsistence strategies. Taking into consideration both isotopic results and types of tomb...
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - Category: Science Authors: Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research