C,N Stable Isotope Analysis Of Animal Bones In Yuanping Xinzhang Site,Shanxi

From the late longshan period to the xia dynasty,millet agriculture presented an overall flourishing scene in the long-term accumulation and development,different cultural sequences have emerged in different parts of northern China.Archaeological excavations in the upper reaches of the Hutuo-river have provided great convenience for us to further understand the livelihood economic of the northern region during this period.In this paper,the Xinzhang-ruins in Xinding basin with relatively closed geographical and climatic environment is selected as a case study.In order to have a deep understanding of the relationship between Xinzhang-ruins and other sites of the same period in northen China in the aspects of animal diet and livestock raising,this paper uses the substitution index of domestic pig and dog to discuss the livelihood economic of Xinzhang ancestors.In this paper,carbon and nitrogen stable isotope experiments were carried out on 26 animal skeletons unearthed from the site,We obtained very valuable experimental data,and at the same time carried out in-depth systematic analysis of these data.The results showed that the pigs and dogs at Xinzhang-sites were omnivores,?13C data indicates that their food is millet or byproducts of millet crops,dogs have slightly higher ?15N levels than pigs,this suggests that dogs eat more animal protein in their diets,the reason for this may be that dogs ate the leftovers of our ancestors.Cattles and sheep are typical herbivores,cow's food also contains byproducts of millet crops;Although sheep are mainly free range,they are also influenced by millet and millet agriculture,and their food contains a small amount of C4 food.By comparing with other sites in northern China at the same time,it is found that the livestock feeding manner in central China may be influenced by paddy agriculture,Livestock feeding in northwest China is also affected by the livestock economy,but the Xinzhang-site still shows the typical characteristics of livestock feeding that mainly relying on millet and millet agriculture,it can be concluded that the area is less affected by the external environment and still highly dependent on millet agriculture.Finally,the carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes of pigs and dogs were used as an alternative index to discuss the dietary structure of Xinzhang ancestors,it is also concluded that the food structure of Xinzhang ancestors should be millet and millet plant food.To sum up,it can be seen that from the late longshan period to the xia dynasty,the material basis for the prosperity and development of the living economy of Xinzhang ancestors is the development of feeding livestock and millet agriculture,which is also the economic basis for the development of the archaeological culture in Xinding basin and other areas at the same time.