The circum-Longshan Mountain region, situated between the Central Plains and the Gan-Qing cultural zones, became one of the most developed areas within the Yellow River Valley during the late Yangshao period. In order to investigate the subsistence strategies underlying the early social complexity in this region and explore their economic foundations, radiocarbon dating and stable isotope analyses were conducted in this study, on the faunal and human remains from the central settlement of Nanzuo in Qingyang and the ordinary settlement of Lijiaping in Tongwei, located on the eastern and western sides of the Longshan Mountains. The radiocarbon dating results show that the ages of the Lijiaping and Nanzuo sites fall between 4960−4644 and 4840−4580 cal BP, respectively, consistent with previous archaeological studies. Stable isotope analyses reveal that the mean δ13C values of wild herbivores at both sites are below −19.0‰, indicating their diets are dominated by C3 plants, reflective of the surrounding C3 vegetation. In contrast, the mean δ13C values of omnivorous domesticates and humans are above −8.0‰, reflecting predominantly C4 millets in diets and highlighting the central role of millet agriculture in the subsistence economy. Some wild animals, including felids and phasianids, yielded δ13C values above −14.0‰, suggesting significant intake of C4 foods. Notably, domestic pigs at Lijiaping and Nanzuo exhibit distinct isotopic patterns: while pigs at Lijiaping show tightly clustered δ13C and δ15N values (variation <2‰), the δ13C and δ15N values of pigs at Nanzuo show broader variation (3.6‰ and 2.5‰, respectively) and can be grouped into multiple clusters. In view of the settlement hierarchy, the variability in isotopic data of pigs to some extent correlates with the complexity of early societies. Furthermore, the diachronic analysis of δ13C values from faunal and human remains across various Yangshao sites in the circum-Longshan Mountain region shows the increasing contribution of C4 millets to local diets, which demonstrates the continuous development of agricultural societies from the early to late Yangshao period in this region. Therefore, the sustained expansion of millet agriculture laid the economic foundation for the emergence of social complexity in the circum-Longshan Mountain region during the late Yangshao period.

Stable isotope evidence for early social complexity in the circum-Longshan Mountain region

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发表日期：

2026年3月24日

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Yueguang Yang,
Guoke Chen,
Shan Wang,
Yan Pan,
Yingliang Yang,
Xiaohong Wu

摘要

The circum-Longshan Mountain region, situated between the Central Plains and the Gan-Qing cultural zones, became one of the most developed areas within the Yellow River Valley during the late Yangshao period. In order to investigate the subsistence strategies underlying the early social complexity in this region and explore their economic foundations, radiocarbon dating and stable isotope analyses were conducted in this study, on the faunal and human remains from the central settlement of Nanzuo in Qingyang and the ordinary settlement of Lijiaping in Tongwei, located on the eastern and western sides of the Longshan Mountains. The radiocarbon dating results show that the ages of the Lijiaping and Nanzuo sites fall between 4960−4644 and 4840−4580 cal BP, respectively, consistent with previous archaeological studies. Stable isotope analyses reveal that the mean δ¹³C values of wild herbivores at both sites are below −19.0‰, indicating their diets are dominated by C₃ plants, reflective of the surrounding C₃ vegetation. In contrast, the mean δ¹³C values of omnivorous domesticates and humans are above −8.0‰, reflecting predominantly C₄ millets in diets and highlighting the central role of millet agriculture in the subsistence economy. Some wild animals, including felids and phasianids, yielded δ¹³C values above −14.0‰, suggesting significant intake of C₄ foods. Notably, domestic pigs at Lijiaping and Nanzuo exhibit distinct isotopic patterns: while pigs at Lijiaping show tightly clustered δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values (variation <2‰), the δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values of pigs at Nanzuo show broader variation (3.6‰ and 2.5‰, respectively) and can be grouped into multiple clusters. In view of the settlement hierarchy, the variability in isotopic data of pigs to some extent correlates with the complexity of early societies. Furthermore, the diachronic analysis of δ¹³C values from faunal and human remains across various Yangshao sites in the circum-Longshan Mountain region shows the increasing contribution of C₄ millets to local diets, which demonstrates the continuous development of agricultural societies from the early to late Yangshao period in this region. Therefore, the sustained expansion of millet agriculture laid the economic foundation for the emergence of social complexity in the circum-Longshan Mountain region during the late Yangshao period.