Subsistence strategies in the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age in Nenjiang River Basin: A zooarchaeological and stable isotope analysis of faunal remains at Honghe site, Northeast China

Abstract

AbstractThe Nenjiang River Basin, located in the northern part of Northeast China, is an important cultural region that has attracted much attention from academic communities. Previous studies demonstrated that hunting and gathering always dominate the subsistence for prehistoric populations in this region. Herein, we further investigate the evolution of dietary and economic strategies in the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age occupations at the recently excavated Honghe site of the Nenjiang River Basin by means of a multidisciplinary approach incorporating zooarchaeological and stable isotope analysis. The results of zooarchaeological approaches indicate that the Honghe populations rely extensively on hunting and fishing during the Late Neolithic (4500–4000 cal BP), consistent with the results of previous studies. Interestingly, by the Bronze Age (3100–2400 cal BP), animal husbandry develops as one main economic strategy, corresponding to the probable decline of hunting and fishing, which is different from the previous reports. In addition, based on the results of stable isotopic approaches, C3 plants are always prominent diets for animals and humans from the Late Neolithic to the Bronze Age, which signifies that crop agriculture does not appear to have been of primary importance during either of these eras, in contrast to the C4 agricultural tradition formed in the Neolithic Age of the southern part of Northeast China. The findings of this paper shed some more light on the evolution of human subsistence strategies in the Nenjiang River Basin.