Transition of human diets and agricultural economy in Shenmingpu Site, Henan, from the Warring States to Han Dynasties

Historical records and archaeological remains indicate that the Chinese agricultural economy changed significantly from the Warring States （475-221 BC） to Han Dynasties （206 BC-220 AD）, i.e., from rice-millet based agriculture to rice-millet-wheat based agriculture. However, the variation of human d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science China. Earth sciences 2012-06, Vol.55 (6), p.975-982
Main Authors: Hou, LiangLiang, Wang, Ning, Lü, Peng, Hu, YaoWu, Song, GuoDing, Wang, ChangSui
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural economics
Agricultural policy
Agriculture
Ancient civilizations
Archaeology
Diet
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Economics
Grain
Isotopes
Millet
Research Paper
Rice
Stable isotopes
Wheat
人类
农业经济
战国时期
河南省
秦汉时期
稳定同位素
网站
饮食
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Summary:Historical records and archaeological remains indicate that the Chinese agricultural economy changed significantly from the Warring States （475-221 BC） to Han Dynasties （206 BC-220 AD）, i.e., from rice-millet based agriculture to rice-millet-wheat based agriculture. However, the variation of human diets and the inner relationship between human diets and the agricultural transition during this period remain poorly understood. In this paper, the C and N stable isotopes from human and animal bones at the Shenmingpu site （SMPS）, Xichuan County, Henan Province were analyzed. If some outliers （M34, M36, M102） were excluded, the mean δ13C value （（-16.7±0.8）‰, n=15） of humans in Hart Dynasties was dramatically lower than that in the Warring States （（-12.7±0.8）‰, n=14）, indicating that the cultivation of rice and wheat, especially wheat, had been more widely popularized in Han Dynasties. Meanwhile, the range of 615N values of humans （6.6‰-9.3‰） in Hart Dynasties was narrower than that of the Warring States （6.2‰-10.4‰）, suggesting that the animal protein resources in human foods during Han Dynasties were more concentrated. The transition of human diets and the close relationship with the change of agricultural economy in SMPS were due to more stable society, the carryout of new agricultural policies, and the emergence of new agri- cultural tools in Han Dynasties.
ISSN:1674-7313
1869-1897
DOI:10.1007/s11430-012-4409-0