To eat like Liangzhu: isotopic investigation of diets in the Lower Yangtze area prior to and during the Liangzhu period (5300–4300 cal. BP)

A new isotopic analysis of diets from the Lower Yangtze River region reveals that during the Liangzhu period (5300–4300 cal. BP), inhabitants in the core area experienced a decline in dietary diversity, increasingly relying on domesticated rice and pigs—a trend likely influenced by rising economic and cultural dominance from inland populations. The study, combining stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes from human, animal collagen, and plant remains (n=423) with new data from the Zhelin site in Shanghai, contrasts this pattern with more varied diets in peripheral coastal regions. This suggests a shift toward agricultural specialization and centralized control over food production during the Liangzhu era.

Sheng, P., Allen, E., Huang, X., Zheng, X., & Storozum, M. (2024). To eat like Liangzhu: isotopic investigation of diets in the Lower Yangtze area prior to and during the Liangzhu period (5300–4300 cal. BP). Heritage Science, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-024-01374-3