Examining social and cultural differentiation in early Bronze Age China using stable isotope analysis and mortuary patterning of human remains at Xin'anzhuang, Yinxu

摘要

The site known as Yinxu (present-day Anyang, Henan, China) is believed to be the last capital of China's first historical dynasty, Shang (ca. 1600-1046 BC). We use stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of human bone collagen to reconstruct the dietary practices of 59 humans from the site Xin'anzhuang (XAZ), a residential neighborhood in Yinxu. By comparing the reconstructed diets with other archaeological and mortuary evidence, the study reveals that the XAZ inhabitants had a varied diet and that their dietary patterns correlate with certain mortuary practices (e.g., burial orientation, burial goods, etc.). This complex internal social stratification suggests that XAZ consisted of an agglomeration of people of different socio-cultural affiliations, confirming the hypothesis that Yinxu was a vibrant and diverse cultural center in early Bronze Age China.