The subsistence economy in the Pingcheng area during the Northern Wei Dynasty: Stable isotope analysis of human bones obtained from the Datong Erzhong cemetery in Shanxi, China

Abstract

Evidence indicates that diverse subsistence economies existed in the Pingcheng area (now Datong) during the Northern Wei Dynasty. This article details carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses conducted on human bones (n = 48) from the Datong Erzhong cemetery in Shanxi, China, to reveal the extent of agricultural factor development in diverse subsistence economies. The results show that, at the time, most humans (−10.4 ± 0.8 ‰, 9.7 ± 0.7 ‰, n = 40) primarily relied on millet-based foods. A few individuals (−14.7 ± 2.4 ‰, 10.9 ± 1.1 ‰, n = 8) lived on C3/C4 mixed food with abundant animal proteins. The isotope results of human and animal remains and charred millet obtained from nine contemporaneous cemeteries and/or sites indicate that millet-based agriculture was the dominant form of subsistence economy during the Pingcheng period (398–494 CE). Analysis of the proportion of millet-based food consumed by the individuals whose remains have been examined show that a dietary shift toward gradient millet consumption occurred in the Pingcheng area over time, indicating that millet agriculture became a dominant economic strategy.