Sacrificial Rituals and Dietary Complexity on the Eve of State Formation: New Insights from Dental Calculus Microbotanical Analysis at the Kangjia Site in China

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Advances in Macrobotanical and Microbotanical Archaeobotany Part 1" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Late Neolithic Longshan culture in China witnessed profound social and political transformations, characterized by the emergence of increasing social competition, long-distance trade, and inter-polity warfare. These developments eventually culminated in the formation of the first state-level societies in the Central Plains. Among the Longshan culture settlements, Kangjia provides some of the best preserved archaeological evidence for reconstructing both daily and ritual activities. The site provides evidence of house rituals involving competitive feasting, divination activities, and human sacrifice. This study examines the microbotanical remains from the dental calculus of human sacrificial victims at Kangjia to provide new insights into their dietary patterns and cultural activities. Preliminary findings suggest that the sacrificial victims had a relatively restricted plant-based diet compared to household animals and other Longshan people. This comparative analysis explores the dietary disparities, ritual activities, and political transformations that occurred right before the formation of the early Chinese states.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Advances in Macrobotanical and Microbotanical Archaeobotany Part 1   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38683.0