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Stable isotope dietary analysis of the Tianyuan 1 early modern human

Yaowu Hu, Hong Shang, Haowen Tong, Olaf Nehlich, Wu Liu, Chaohong Zhao, Jincheng Yu, Changsui Wang, Erik Trinkaus, and Michael P. Richards
PNAS July 7, 2009 106 (27) 10971-10974; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0904826106
Yaowu Hu
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Hong Shang
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Haowen Tong
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Olaf Nehlich
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Wu Liu
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Chaohong Zhao
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Jincheng Yu
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Changsui Wang
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Erik Trinkaus
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Michael P. Richards
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  1. Contributed by Erik Trinkaus, May 1, 2009 (received for review March 27, 2009)

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Abstract

We report here on the isotopic analysis of the diet of one of the oldest modern humans found in Eurasia, the Tianyuan 1 early modern human dating to ≈40,000 calendar years ago from Tianyuan Cave (Tianyuandong) in the Zhoukoudian region of China. Carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of the human and associated faunal remains indicate a diet high in animal protein, and the high nitrogen isotope values suggest the consumption of freshwater fish. To confirm this inference, we measured the sulfur isotope values of terrestrial and freshwater animals around the Zhoukoudian area and of the Tianyuan 1 human, which also support the interpretation of a substantial portion of the diet from freshwater fish. This analysis provides the direct evidence for the consumption of aquatic resources by early modern humans in China and has implications for early modern human subsistence and demography.

  • archaeology
  • Asia
  • diet
  • fish
  • Late Pleistocene

Footnotes

  • 1To whom correspondence may be addressed. E-mail: trinkaus{at}artsci.wustl.edu or richards{at}eva.mpg.de
  • Author contributions: Y.H., H.S., H.T., W.L., C.Z., J.Y., C.W., and M.P.R. designed research; Y.H. and O.N. performed research; Y.H., O.N., E.T., and M.P.R. analyzed data; and Y.H., E.T., and M.P.R. wrote the paper.

  • The authors declare no conflict of interest.

  • Freely available online through the PNAS open access option.

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Stable isotope dietary analysis of the Tianyuan 1 early modern human
Yaowu Hu, Hong Shang, Haowen Tong, Olaf Nehlich, Wu Liu, Chaohong Zhao, Jincheng Yu, Changsui Wang, Erik Trinkaus, Michael P. Richards
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Jul 2009, 106 (27) 10971-10974; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0904826106

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Stable isotope dietary analysis of the Tianyuan 1 early modern human
Yaowu Hu, Hong Shang, Haowen Tong, Olaf Nehlich, Wu Liu, Chaohong Zhao, Jincheng Yu, Changsui Wang, Erik Trinkaus, Michael P. Richards
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Jul 2009, 106 (27) 10971-10974; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0904826106
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