Dietary evidence of incipient social stratification at the Dawenkou type site, China

Abstract

Archaeologists worldwide have long been interested in the development of complex societies. Several scholars have argued that the Dawenkou culture sites of late Neolithic China show signs of incipient social stratification, especially during the late Dawenkou period. The Dawenkou type site, Tai'an, provides an invaluable case study for us to investigate if the development of social complexity was reflected, or not, in food practices. Our results suggest that Dawenkou peoples' diets included large amounts of C4 foods (likely millets), while C3 components were also significant. Additionally, the C4 component increased slightly through time, possibly suggesting the increasing importance of millet farming. Furthermore, stable isotope analysis suggests that diet was not directly related to social status early on, however, foods with higher nitrogen isotope values were consumed more by people from elaborate burials during the late Dawenkou. Females consumed more C4 foods than males, yet no clear association of gender and social status was found. Overall, the dietary evidence supports the previous argument of gradual development of social complexity at the site in general.