Preliminary Analysis on the Health Status of Human Skeletal Remains from Ali Region of Tibet

Summary

The Tibet Autonomous Region is located on the Tibetan Plateau,which is one of the most active areas in the development and interaction of ancient cultures. Human remains from Gur-gyam cemetery (1800±BP) in Gar County(often known as "Ali"), Ngari Prefecture of the western Tibet Autonomous Region of China is a group of inhabitants during the Xiang Xiong Kingdom period. It lies in front of a modern Bon monastery of Gur-gyam, which affirmed the capital of the ancient Xiang Xiong Kingdom based on both local Bon adherents’ oral tradition as well as archaeological evidence, which have significant academic value for studying the archaeological culture before imperial Tibet.

This study investigates the health condition of ancient humans from Gur-gyam cemetery by studying dental disease. The results show that meat was the main part of their food supply, while there was still a number of carbohydrates in their diet; and the results indicate that the agricultural, which the ancient population from Ali area had, probably arrived at the mutual level. It not only provides an evidence of the human health status in the Xiang Xiong Kingdom, but also helps greatly to establish a new understanding of health conditions of ancient residents in this region.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Bio-cultural Approach to the Osteoarchaeological Inquiries in China   •
• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16464