Localized management of non-indigenous animal domesticates in Northwestern China during the Bronze Age
Abstract The movements of ancient crop and animal domesticates across prehistoric Eurasia are well-documented in the archaeological record. What is less well understood are the precise mechanisms that farmers and herders employed to incorporate newly introduced domesticates into their long-standing...
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| Format: | Article |
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Nature Portfolio
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-95233-x |
| _version_ | 1818432584761212928 |
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| author | Petra Vaiglova Rachel E. B. Reid Emma Lightfoot Suzanne E. Pilaar Birch Hui Wang Guoke Chen Shuicheng Li Martin Jones Xinyi Liu |
| author_facet | Petra Vaiglova Rachel E. B. Reid Emma Lightfoot Suzanne E. Pilaar Birch Hui Wang Guoke Chen Shuicheng Li Martin Jones Xinyi Liu |
| author_sort | Petra Vaiglova |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The movements of ancient crop and animal domesticates across prehistoric Eurasia are well-documented in the archaeological record. What is less well understood are the precise mechanisms that farmers and herders employed to incorporate newly introduced domesticates into their long-standing husbandry and culinary traditions. This paper presents stable isotope values (δ 13C, δ 15N) of humans, animals, and a small number of plants from the Hexi Corridor, a key region that facilitated the movement of ancient crops between Central and East Asia. The data show that the role of animal products in human diets was more significant than previously thought. In addition, the diets of domestic herbivores (sheep/goat, and cattle) suggest that these two groups of domesticates were managed in distinct ways in the two main ecozones of the Hexi Corridor: the drier Northwestern region and the wetter Southeastern region. Whereas sheep and goat diets are consistent with consumption of naturally available vegetation, cattle exhibit a higher input of C4 plants in places where these plants contributed little to the natural vegetation. This suggests that cattle consumed diets that were more influenced by human provisioning, and may therefore have been reared closer to the human settlements, than sheep and goats. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T16:07:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fca1e83f7d4c407784ee0cfcdfeda5cb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T16:07:32Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-fca1e83f7d4c407784ee0cfcdfeda5cb2022-12-21T22:55:04ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222021-08-0111111310.1038/s41598-021-95233-xLocalized management of non-indigenous animal domesticates in Northwestern China during the Bronze AgePetra Vaiglova0Rachel E. B. Reid1Emma Lightfoot2Suzanne E. Pilaar Birch3Hui Wang4Guoke Chen5Shuicheng Li6Martin Jones7Xinyi Liu8Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. LouisDepartment of Anthropology, Washington University in St. LouisMcDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of CambridgeDepartment of Anthropology, Department of Geography, University of GeorgiaDepartment of Cultural Heritage and Museology, Fudan UniversityGansu Institute of Cultural Relics and ArchaeologyDepartment of Archaeology, Sichuan UniversityMcDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of CambridgeDepartment of Anthropology, Washington University in St. LouisAbstract The movements of ancient crop and animal domesticates across prehistoric Eurasia are well-documented in the archaeological record. What is less well understood are the precise mechanisms that farmers and herders employed to incorporate newly introduced domesticates into their long-standing husbandry and culinary traditions. This paper presents stable isotope values (δ 13C, δ 15N) of humans, animals, and a small number of plants from the Hexi Corridor, a key region that facilitated the movement of ancient crops between Central and East Asia. The data show that the role of animal products in human diets was more significant than previously thought. In addition, the diets of domestic herbivores (sheep/goat, and cattle) suggest that these two groups of domesticates were managed in distinct ways in the two main ecozones of the Hexi Corridor: the drier Northwestern region and the wetter Southeastern region. Whereas sheep and goat diets are consistent with consumption of naturally available vegetation, cattle exhibit a higher input of C4 plants in places where these plants contributed little to the natural vegetation. This suggests that cattle consumed diets that were more influenced by human provisioning, and may therefore have been reared closer to the human settlements, than sheep and goats.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-95233-x |
| spellingShingle | Petra Vaiglova Rachel E. B. Reid Emma Lightfoot Suzanne E. Pilaar Birch Hui Wang Guoke Chen Shuicheng Li Martin Jones Xinyi Liu Localized management of non-indigenous animal domesticates in Northwestern China during the Bronze Age Scientific Reports |
| title | Localized management of non-indigenous animal domesticates in Northwestern China during the Bronze Age |
| title_full | Localized management of non-indigenous animal domesticates in Northwestern China during the Bronze Age |
| title_fullStr | Localized management of non-indigenous animal domesticates in Northwestern China during the Bronze Age |
| title_full_unstemmed | Localized management of non-indigenous animal domesticates in Northwestern China during the Bronze Age |
| title_short | Localized management of non-indigenous animal domesticates in Northwestern China during the Bronze Age |
| title_sort | localized management of non indigenous animal domesticates in northwestern china during the bronze age |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-95233-x |
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