Research on Faunal Remains from the 2012-2013 Season Excavation at the Shimao Site in Shenmu, Shaanxi

Author(s): Songmei Hu; Miaomiao Yang; Zhouyong Sun; Jing Sun

Year: 2017

Summary

In 2012-2013, a large number of faunal remains were unearthed from the Shimao site in Shenmu county, northern Shaanxi Province, China. All of these faunal remains were collected scientifically according to archaeological units and were carefully classified, measured and identified. The results of sorting and analysis indicates that there are at least 15 species including the Yangtze alligator, pheasant, rat, Myospalax fontanieri, Myospalax cansus, rabbit, dog, horse, domestic pig, goat, sheep and cattle. The identified goats are the oldest known cases in China. The identifications of these faunal remains suggest that the climate of the site was damper than at present, associated with large square grasslands, some forests and wetland areas. The economic pattern was semi-farming and semi-pasturing. Domestic animals were the main source for humans to obtain meat, with hunting wild animals only serving as a supplementary source of meat.

Cite this Record

Research on Faunal Remains from the 2012-2013 Season Excavation at the Shimao Site in Shenmu, Shaanxi. Songmei Hu, Miaomiao Yang, Zhouyong Sun, Jing Sun. Presented at The 81st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Vancouver, British Columbia. 2017 ( tDAR id: 432032)

Spatial Coverage

min long: 66.885; min lat: -8.928 ; max long: 147.568; max lat: 54.059 ;

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16586