What do "barbarians" eat? Integrating ceramic use-wear and residue analysis in the study of food and society at the margins of Bronze Age China.

Karine Taché,Edward Standall,Jing Zhou,Hui Wang,Yitzchak Jaffe,Shengpeng Jiang,Oliver E Craig,Alexandre Lucquin,Rowan K Flad,Peter F Biehl

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0250819

Abstract

The Siwa archaeological culture (ca. 3350 and 2650 cal yr BP) has often been associated with the tribes referenced in textual sources as Qiang and Rong: prized captives commonly sacrificed by the Shang and marauding hordes who toppled the Western Zhou dynasty. In early Chinese writings, food plays a key role in accentuating the ‘sino-barbarian’ dichotomy believed to have taken root over 3000 years ago, with the Qiang and Rong described as nomadic pastoralists who consumed more meat than grain and knew little of proper dining etiquette. To date, however, little direct archaeological evidence has allowed us to reconstruct the diet and foodways of the groups who occupied the Loess Plateau during this pivotal period. Here we present the results of the first ceramic use-wear study performed on the Siwa ma’an jars from the site of Zhanqi, combined with the molecular and isotopic characterization of lipid residues from foodcrusts, and evidence from experimental cooking. We report molecular data indicating the preparation of meals composed of millet and ruminant dairy among the Siwa community of Zhanqi. Use-wear analysis shows that Zhanqi community members were sophisticated creators of ceramic equipment, the ma’an cooking pot, which allowed them to prepare a wide number of dishes with limited fuel. These findings support recent isotope studies at Zhanqi as well as nuance the centrality of meat in the Siwa period diet.

Highlights

The Siwa archaeological culture has often been associated with the tribes referenced in textual sources as Qiang and Rong: prized captives commonly sacrificed by the Shang and marauding hordes who toppled the Western Zhou dynasty
Use-wear analysis shows that Zhanqi community members were sophisticated creators of ceramic equipment, the ma’an cooking pot, which allowed them to prepare a wide number of dishes with limited fuel
Foodways have played a central role in the way ‘The Other’ in Bronze Age China has been presented

Summary

Introduction

Rain-fed agriculture in the Western Loess Plateau of northern China developed by around 7800 cal yr B.P. and involved the adoption of foxtail (Setaria italica) and broomcorn millet. The incorporation of new research methods, stable isotope analysis conducted mostly on human skeletal data, have begun to provide insights into prehistoric diets in northwestern parts of the PRC To date such studies have focused on sites in the Hexi corridor north of the area inhabited by the Siwa archaeological culture. The present study provides direct molecular and isotopic evidence for the processing of millet, mixed with ruminant dairy fats and possibly other food sources, in ten ma’an jars from the Zhanqi cemetery in Gansu, China These results are combined with large scale use-wear analysis and experimental cooking to provide a better understanding of the diet and cooking practices associated with the Siwa cultural groups, and secondarily verify some of the presumptions made about their foodways. Among the representative Siwa culture artifacts found at the site, ma’an jars are the most distinctive

Ethics statement

Results from GCMS analysis of lipids

Results from compound specific isotope analysis

Conclusion