Abstract:

The origin and dissemination of agriculture is an important innovation in the development of human society. This paper performed carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic analysis on human bones unearthed from the Dayindong cave site in Guangnan county, Wenshan prefecture, Yunnan Province, and explores the diet structure and the subsistence economy of ancient ancestors in Southeast Yunnan from the Neolithic Age to the Bronze Age. The results showed that the δ ¹³C values of the residents at Dayindong Site ranged from -20.2‰ to -17.5‰, mainly C₃ plants, and the δ¹⁵N values ranged from 9.2‰ to 10.7‰, and their trophic levels were high. There are differences in diet between the sexes, men consume more animal protein than women. In terms of the subsistence strategy, the residents of Dayindong cave site mainly engaged in rice agriculture and hunting, and made diversified use of animal resources, possibly supplement food sources through collection, fishing and hunting, and livestock breeding. On this basis, considering that Yunnan is an important channel for the spread of agriculture to the Indo-China Peninsula, the selection of the Neolithic-Bronze Age production strategy in Yunnan was further sorted out. The populations in different areas of the Neolithic Age in Yunnan had different agriculture management strategies. In the Bronze Age, with the introduction of wheat, the selection of agricultural economy became more diversified, and the technology for obtaining animal resources became more mature and diverse. In addition to being affected by natural conditions, different agricultural strategy choices are also the result of cultural interaction with neighboring regions.

Key words: Dayindong cave site, Bones, Stable isotopes, Dietary structure, Subsistence economy