Abstract: Parafunctional and other tooth wear, caries and antemortem tooth loss, as well as other oral health indicators and cultural related characteristics were studied on dental remains dating to the Pre Qin period from the Xishan site, Lixian County, Gansu Province. Based on dental comparisons with other available samples from other ancient people in China and abroad, our results indicate that the dietary structure of the Xishan people was polyphagous and that their subsistence strategies were mixture of herding and agriculture.

Key words: Xishan site; Early Qin people; Dental anthropology; Subsistence strategy