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Isotopic reconstruction of human diet in the Ji'erzankale site, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China
Author(s) -
Guo Yi,
Lou Jia,
Xie Shiyu,
Wu Xinhua,
Fuller Benjamin T.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
international journal of osteoarchaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1099-1212
pISSN - 1047-482X
DOI - 10.1002/oa.2831
Subject(s) - foxtail , panicum miliaceum , setaria , arid , radiocarbon dating , population , geography , bovidae , biology , archaeology , physical geography , zoology , botany , ecology , demography , sociology
The Ji'erzankale Necropolis (吉尔赞喀勒墓地) is located on the Pamir Plateau in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. Composed of numerous stone circle graves and directly radiocarbon dated to the Iron Age (ca. 2400–2600 years cal BP), this site is unique in that numerous lines of archaeological evidence suggest that those interred here were followers of the Zoroastrian religion. Here, we present carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) stable isotope ratio measurements of seeds ( Nitraria pamirica , n = 7), animals ( n = 14), and humans ( n = 24) to reconstruct ancient diet and lifeways at the Ji'erzankale Necropolis. The results of the N. pamirica reflect the natural C 3 vegetation and arid environment of this region. The δ 13 C (mean ± SD = –18.6 ± 0.8‰) and δ 15 N (mean ± SD = +8.1 ± 1.6‰) results of the animals (13 sheep and 1 hare) display a mostly C 3 terrestrial diet with variable levels of protein consumption. Adult humans ( n = 19) have δ 13 C (mean ± SD = –17.9 ± 0.2‰) and δ 15 N (mean ± SD = +13.1 ± 0.3‰) results that tightly cluster above the sheep by approximately +5‰. This is evidence that the diet of this population was relatively homogenous and mainly based on sheep and/or their secondary products and did not have a large input of C 4 crops such as foxtail ( Setaria italica ) or common millet ( Panicum miliaceum ).