Dining at the Great Settlement Shang: Everyday meals, ordinary people, and urbanism at Yinxu, Late Shang China (ca. 1250–1046 BCE)

A millet-centric agricultural system, rather than crop diversification, ensured food stability during the Late Shang dynasty (ca. 1250–1046 BCE) at Yinxu, the capital of the Shang state. This finding challenges traditional assumptions about urbanization in ancient China and highlights the role of agricultural intensification in supporting population growth. The study, using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis on human skeletal tissues, reveals significant dietary variations among sub-adults and craft specialists, offering new insights into social identity formation at the neighborhood level. Unlike previous research focused on elite narratives, this work centers on everyday food practices, demonstrating how diet shaped social distinctions in urban settings.

Wu, M., Yue, Z., Metcalfe, J., Blake, M., Tang, J., & Jing, Z. (2026). Dining at the Great Settlement Shang: Everyday meals, ordinary people, and urbanism at Yinxu, Late Shang China (ca. 1250–1046 BCE). Archaeological Research in Asia, 48, 100743. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ara.2026.100743