Human Lifestyle and Adaptation in Prehistoric China

Part of: Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

In recent years, human lifestyle and adaptation in prehistory, and the potential role of environmental changes in those processes, have been intensively studied in China. This session aims to present new findings, ideas, and theories in how and why human adaptation shifted in prehistoric China. This panel will clarify the relations between human adaptation and environmental changes across China and provide suggestions on what research is needed in the future. Researches from bioarchaeology, zooarchaeology, archaeobotany, palaeoenviroment, and other related perspectives are warmly welcomed.

Other Keywords
Subsistence Strategy • Phytolith • Bone Collagen • Subsistence Patterns • Stable Isotopes • Dental Calculus • stable isotope analysis • paleodiet • Qijia • starch grain

Geographic Keywords
Asia (Continent) • Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Isl (Country) • Territory of Guam (Country) • Republic of Indonesia (Country) • Republic of Tajikistan (Country) • Kyrgyz Republic (Country) • Japan (Country) • Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lan (Country) • Kingdom of Thailand (Country) • Kingdom of Cambodia (Country)

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  • Documents (9)
Documents
  • Carbon and Nitrogen isotopic analysis on human and animal bones of Nanwa site, Henan Province, China (2017)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Guowen Zhang.

    The Nanwa site（1680BC-Song Dynasty; located in Dengfeng city, Henan Province, China, provided a valuable opportunity for the Xia Dynasty and the Chinese civilization investigation. We could provide effective evidence for the food resources utilize pattern and agricultural economy development. Stable isotopic carbon, nitrogen analysis of 14 animals and 22 human bone collagen from the Nanwa site indicated that, wild animals (-19.9‰, 4.4‰, n=1) have a C3-based terrestrial diet. Domesticated pigs...

  • Community memories? Ritual animal use of "Qijia Culture", Evidence from Mogou Cemetery, Lintan County, Gansu Province, China (2017)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Hua Wang. Jing Zhou. Ruin Mao.

    This study focuses on human ritual animal use behaviors of Qijia communities, with the study of animal bones recovered from the Mogou Cemetery in Gansu Province. More than 1600 tombs have been excavated at the Mogou site. Since multiple burials with a few individuals of both sex and different ages were common and human bones were clumped together, most burials were classified as multiple and/or secondary burials. Animal offerings were also common in these burials, and animal bones were found...

  • Farming vs. Herding: Subsistence Practice during the Late Neolithic Evidenced by Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopes in Shengedaliang, North Shaanxi, China (2017)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only XiangLong Chen. ZhouYong Sun. XiaoNing Guo. PengCheng Zhang. SongMei Hu.

    In order to explore subsistence patterns in northern Shaanxi Province around 4,000 BP, human and animal bones from the Shimao, Zhaimouliang, Shengedaliang, Huoshiliang, and Muzhuhzuliang sites were sampled for stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratio analysis. The results show that most people primarily subsisted on C4 resources, e.g. millet and millet-related animal products, despite the fact that there was some intake of C3 plants by some individuals. Stable nitrogen isotope values indicate...

  • Investigating the diet and health of Neolithic boar in Central Turkey: A pilot study from Boncuklu Höyük (2017)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Quan Zhang.

    Boncuklu Höyük (the 9th millennium to the 8th millennium cal. BC) is an Early Neolithic settlement found in the Konya Plain, Central Anatolia. At this site, wild boar (Sus scrofa) is the most common species found in the mammal remains. This pilot study tries to explore the relationship between Boncuklu boar and the community that inhabited this area. Samples of archaeological boar’s teeth from Boncuklu Höyük are analysed using three methods: (1) dental morphometrics, (2) dental microwear...

  • Investigation of incising techniques on jades from the Fuhao tomb in Yinxu (2017)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Ye Xiaohong. Tang Jigen.

    During the Shang dynasty，the remarkable tradition of working jades extends back to the Neolithic period. However, the duplicate or symmetrical design incised on jades is the major artistic style at that stage. The present study is based on examination of molds of tool marks on several jades unearthed from the Fuhao tomb in Yinxu by scanning electron microscopy. Our observations suggest that rotary incising wheels charged with abrasive (which is called Jieyu sand in ancient China) were used for...

  • Isotopic evidence of affinity and social classes of Mongolian noble family during Yuan Dynasty (2017)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only YaoWu Hu. Dong Wei. Ning Wang. YaShan Ren.

    So far, the relationship among Mongolian noble families is scarce due to little findings of Mongolian burials. In this study, isotopic analysis of Mongolian noble tombs was undertaken, aiming to understand the dietary affinity and social classes within Mongolian families. The isotopic similarity and difference was discerned among the population and the reason to account for that was also discussed.

  • Multiple evidences for variations in subsistence strategy of prehistoric humans from the Guanzhong area in Shaanxi province, China (2017)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Yating Qu. Yaowu Hu. Jianxin Cui.

    Influenced by the continual infiltration of surrounding cultures and the extension of agriculture originating in various independent centers, the multi-cultures and diversified economy had been formed in the Guanzhong area, Shaanxi, in the process of the prehistoric culture evolution. In this paper, the comprehensive analyses of stable isotopes (carbon and nitrogen) of humans and animals and the plant and faunal remains from the different periods and sites in the Guanzhong area will be employed...

  • Silk Road and Archaeology in Xinjiang：Insight from Adunqiaolu (2017)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Dexin Cong.

    The "Silk Road" describes the cultural communication routes established in the Han and Tang Dynasties. The term, coined by German scholar Richthofen (李希霍芬) in the historic literature, has since spread globally. The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in China, located in the line of communication between East and West, was part of the Western Region in Chinese historic literature. Because of the unique climate conditions of Xinjiang, preservation of ancient remains is excellent, providing a rich...

  • Starch Grain Analysis of Human Dental Calculus from Guanzhuang Site, Henan Province (2017)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Tao Dawei.

    This research aims to investigate the human foodstuffs and lifestyle during the Western and Eastern Zhou Dynasties in the core area of the Central Plains using starch grain analysis of human dental calculus. Plant microfossils, starch grains and phytoliths, which were found in most of calculus samples from Guanzhuang site, were from millets, bread wheat, rice, adzuki, tubers and acorns. Diversity of starch grains and phytoliths in morphological characteristics extracted from dental calculus...