Subsistence and Ritual: Animal Economy in the Bronze Age Qaidam Basin in Northwestern China

Abstract

Understanding the diversity and complexity of human-animal interactions is crucial to examining human adaptation to specific environmental conditions and for exploring the development of ancient societies. The latter half of the second millennium BC witnessed the rise of the Shang Dynasty in northern China, marking the beginning of an era characterized by various economic, cultural, and political innovations. While previous zooarchaeological research has shed light on the significant roles that animals played in Shang society, our understanding of contemporary communities outside the Shang territories remains limited. This dissertation investigates the exploitation of animal resources in Bronze Age northwestern China during the latter half of the second millennium BC, with a specific focus on the Nuomuhong Culture located in the high-altitude Qaidam Basin of the northeastern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. Ongoing excavations at the large site of Xia’eryamakebu in present-day central Qinghai Province, have yielded a significant quantity of animal remains from both burial and non-burial contexts. Through the analysis of this extensive collection, this dissertation seeks to understand the animal-related subsistence strategies employed by the Nuomuhong people and the ritualistic mortuary practices unique to their society, which differ from those observed in other contemporary cultures. The wealth of zooarchaeological data from Xia’eryamakebu not only facilitates cross-cultural and cross-regional comparative research on animal use in Bronze Age China but also allows for a better understanding of the intricate interplay between subsistence practices and ritual traditions in ancient societies.