Alicia Ventresca-Miller Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History DIVERSITY IN DIETARY INTAKE AMONG ENEOLITHIC AND NEOLITHIC CULTURES OF CENTRAL AND INNER ASIA Early populations in the northern portions of central and Inner
Asia are understudied, specifically in terms of their dietary intake.
Our study of previously published and new isotope data from the
northern steppe zone indicates diversity in the diets of these
populations. The shift to pastoralism may have occurred much earlier
than previously believed, which is evident based on a shift in the
isotopic niche widths and isospace of different communities. This is
further supported by results from ancient protein analyses of dental
calculus in the Altai. The timing of the transmission of millet and
dairy between central and inner Asia hinges on the Altai Mountains
which delimit the western and eastern steppes. Whether this zone is a
boundary or one of increased connectivity is unclear, as scholars
continue to grapple with clear evidence of trade and integration.
Several lines of evidence are accessed in this paper to clarify
interactions, including a discussion of the timing and location(s) of
horse domestication, the consumption of species-specific dairy
products, and the consumption of millet. Through detailed
biomolecular analyses we demonstrate that local communities
differentially adopted dairy and cultigens in this mountainous zone.
Thus, local groups engaged in varied economic lifeways while living
contemporaneously.
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Karina Rapp, Chloe Hathrill, Alan Outram Centre for HumAnE Bioarchaeology, Department of Archaeology, College of Humanities, University of Exeter
