| Abstrakt: |
In this study, we conducted carbon, strontium, and oxygen isotope analyses on tooth enamel from human and pig remains that were excavated from the Chengdu Plain and its western highlands in Sichuan to investigate the dietary patterns of the peoples and possible population movements in these areas. The analyses of carbon isotope showed that the dietary patterns in these areas support our previous understanding that, while rice was an important food source for the peoples on the Chengdu Plain, millets played a crucial role at the mountainous sites. Moreover, the same dietary patterns in these two regions lasted from the late Neolithic Age to at least the Bronze Age. The result of strontium analyses suggests that the bioavailable strontium baseline of the Chengdu Plain is 0.71197–0.71400. Based on this strontium ratio and δ13C value ranges derived in this study, several unusual cases were identified. We also note an interesting difference in the oxygen isotope values between the late Neolithic and the early Bronze Age sites, which we suspect to be related to climate change in around 2000 BC. This finding, however, requires more data for verification. Overall, this is the first time isotopic analysis was used to test human and faunal remains in a more extensive manner and to enhance our understanding of the paleodietary patterns, human dynamics, and climatic changes in ancient Sichuan. The results provide information about the sites when other sources of evidence are lacking and suggest a baseline for future comparisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
