Stable Carbon And Nitrogen Isotope Study Of Human Bones From Dahekou Western Zhou Cemetery In Yicheng,Shanxi

The Dahekou Cemetery in Yicheng,Shanxi,is one of the significant archaeological sites from the Southern Shanxi region of the Western Zhou.Through multiple excavations from 2007 to 2016,a complete Western Zhou feudal state cemetery was fully revealed,leading to the discovery of a state previously unrecorded in historical documents,called the Ba State（霸国）.The population of this cemetery belongs to a branch of the Di people who were assimilated with the Central Plains Shang and Zhou cultures while maintaining their own characteristics.The discovery of tens of thousands of precious cultural relics at the Dahekou Cemetery provides abundant material for researching and reconstructing the history of the Western Zhou.This article presents a carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of the human bones excavated from the Western Zhou cemetery at Dahekou in Yicheng.The research covers the diet structure and economic activities of the population,with a particular focus on exploring the factors that influenced the food resource allocation of the Ba population.Additionally,the dietary characteristics of the Southern Shanxi population during the Western Zhou period were summarized,and the evolution of the diet of the population in the Southern Shanxi region during the pre-Qin period was discussed.The population of the Western Zhou period at the Dahekou Cemetery primarily consumed C₄ millet as their staple food,supplemented by limited amounts of C₄ animal meat.Some individuals also consumed small amounts of C₃ food,mainly consisting of vegetables,wild plants,rice,wheat,beans,and other plant-based foods,as well as free-range or wild animals that consumed C₃ food.Some individuals of higher social status may have also consumed a small amount of aquatic animals such as freshwater fish.Overall,the population at Dahekou formed a diversified subsistence pattern based on millet agriculture supplemented by animal husbandry,as well as hunting,gathering,and fishing.Throughout the Western Zhou period,the population at Dahekou maintained their consumption habits of using C₄ millet as their staple food,and the consumption amount gradually increased over time,reflecting the continuous development of millet agriculture and the increasing dependence on millet as a food source.In the early Western Zhou period,the population at Dahekou consumed relatively more meat,while in the middle to late periods,the consumption of meat decreased.The diet structure of different social classes in the Dahekou site varied significantly.The aristocrats consumed not only C₄ millet as their staple food,but also a certain amount of C₃ plants,such as rice.They generally consumed a large amount of C₄ animal meat,supplemented by a small amount of free-range or wild animal meat that fed on C₃ plants.Some aristocrats with higherδ¹⁵N values may have also consumed a small amount of freshwater fish.The aristocrats diet did not show significant changes throughout the Western Zhou period.The commoners relied more heavily on C₄ millet and consumed limited amounts of meat.In the late Western Zhou period,the consumption of C₄millet by the commoners significantly increased.Compared to the commoners,the aristocrats had more diverse food sources and a more stable diet structure,while the commoners had a more limited food sources and a more variable diet structure.There was also stratification within both the aristocracy and the commoners,and the allocation of food resources followed the rules of the social hierarchy.Overall,the diet structure of the Dahekou population was strongly influenced by the social hierarchy.There were significant dietary differences between male and female commoners at the Dahankou cemetery.Female commoners consumed relatively more meat,indicating that in the Western Zhou period,the status of women in the lower strata may not have been significantly lower than that of men,at least in terms of food treatment.With the passage of time,the meat consumption of female commoners gradually decreased,reflecting the trend of their declining status.There were dietary differences among groups with different burial practices at the Dahenkou site,and this phenomenon was more significant among the lower classes.People buried in flexed positions consumed more C₄ crops than those buried in extended positions,indicating a more uniform dietary preference for plant-based food,reflecting a stronger consistency in their living environment and dietary behavior.This finding to some extent supports the understanding that the flexed burial population during the Western Zhou period may belong to an ethnic group outside of the mainstream population.The diet structure of the Dahekou population was less affected by age and burial orientation,indicating a relatively homogeneous diet across different social groups represented by different burial orientations.The diet of the population in Dahekou was less influenced by age and burial orientation,and the different groups of people reflected by burial orientation had already been well integrated.During the Western Zhou period,dietary patterns among the Southern Shanxi population remained relatively stable,indicating that C₄ millet agriculture and animal husbandry provided a stable food source for the people.However,localized changes in dietary patterns began to emerge in the late Western Zhou period,with an increase in meat consumption among the aristocracy and an increase in C₄ millet consumption among the common people,reflecting the intensification of social differentiation.Within the various states in Southern Shanxi during the Western Zhou period,dietary differentiation was observed,with most states strongly influenced by the hierarchical system and a few states less influenced,suggesting that the degree of social differentiation varied among the states.Overall,the hierarchical system had a widespread impact on the dietary patterns of the Southern Shanxi population during the Western Zhou period,and food resource allocation among different social strata followed hierarchical rules both within and between social strata.During the pre-Qin period,the diet structure of the population in southern Shanxi was dominated by millet crops,and millet agriculture continued to develop.The proportion of livestock husbandry in the livelihood gradually increased,providing a stable source of meat for people.In the middle to late period of the Neolithic Age,people had already established relatively mature millet agriculture,with millet as the staple food.The source of meat shifted from mainly wild animals to domesticated animals.In the late Neolithic Age to the Xia Dynasty,the diet structure of the population remained stable.During this period,the influence of millet agriculture was further deepened,supporting the prosperity of livestock husbandry.At the end of the Shang Dynasty and the beginning of the Western Zhou,the diet structure of the population was stable,but internal differentiation was apparent.During the Western Zhou period,the diet of people from different social classes was strongly influenced by the hierarchical system,leading to increased social differentiation and solidified class structure.In the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period,meat consumption increased,and the influence of the hierarchical system on food distribution remained.During the Warring States period,meat consumption decreased and C₃-type plant-based foods began to increase.The diet structure of the population shifted from a C₄ type to a C₃/C₄mixed type,reflecting the impact of social changes during the late Eastern Zhou period and the promotion of new crops such as wheat in the Southern Shanxi region.Based on stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of human bones,this study reveals the dietary characteristics of the Dahekou cemetery population,providing new insights into the subsistence economy,social system,and class differentiation of the southern Shanxi population during the Western Zhou and pre-Qin periods.The study highlights the significance of dietary structure as a reflection of living strategy,and sheds light on the economic and social development of ancient Chinese societies.