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

This essay analyzes a robust body of C and N stable isotopes from human and animal collagen and plant remains ( n  = 423) in the area of Lower Yangtze River dating to 8000 − 4300 cal. BP, combined with new isotopic data recovered from the Zhelin site in Shanghai, to explore the dietary differences between coastal region the inland core area of the Liangzhu culture (5300 − 4300 cal. BP). Our results reveal that the periphery dwellers of the Liangzhu cultural area became increasingly reliant on a limited number of domesticated species over time, while maintaining a marked social differentiation of foodways that was potentially a result of the growing but unequal influence of populations from the core Liangzhu area.