Herding in Shifting Politics: A Preliminary Isotopic Study on Dian Lake Faunal Remains, Southwestern China

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This paper combines isotope analysis from collagen and hydroxyapatite patterns from the Bronze Age to imperial periods in the humid sub-tropical highlands of southwestern China. We sampled and analyzed 28 faunal bones and 4 teeth from two occupation sites in the Lake Dian basin that are associated with the Dian polity (ca. 700 – 100 BC) and span into the Ming-Qing period (ca. 1600-1900 AD). The combined results from carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen isotope identify a pastoralist animal regime markedly distinct from the herding practices more typical of the semi-arid temperate grassland and offer a contrasting view of specialized herd management oriented around the symbolic and political significance of certain livestock species in the constitution of highland society. Pairing this isotopic research with Dian animal art and iconography, we expand on the social significance of certain species based on the varying kinds of animal rearing and “veterinary” care accorded to different animals.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38639.0