Social stratification during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty of China (771–476 <scp>bce</scp>): Mortuary and stable isotopic analyses of the Shangshihe cemetery

Zhou, Yue; Fu, Rongyu; Zheng, Lichao; Yan, Fei; Qian, Wang

doi:10.1002/oa.3015

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 37 publications

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“…The excavation at Dahekou continues. An expanded study to have all skeletons studied, especially those from elite classes (with larger grave chambers and richer grave goods), would be helpful in studying the impact of social stratification (Zhou et al 2021). For example, an investigation of females of different social classes during the Bronze Age using the life course approach following Agarwal ( 2016) would be suitable.…”

Section: Limitations Of This Study and Future Research Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex-Based Differences in Age-Related Changes of the Vertebral Column from a Bronze Age Urban Population in Ancient China

Han

Zhang

Xie

et al. 2022

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The health disparities between males and females in bioarchaeological settings are important indicators of gender-based differences in socioeconomic roles. In this study, sex-based differences of the vertebral column in spine pathology were investigated in human skeletons excavated from a Bronze Age cemetery of the Western Zhou Dynasty at the Dahekou site in Shanxi, China. Results demonstrated that females had a higher prevalence of vertebral compressive fractures, with the majority found in those between twenty-five and thirty years old, suggesting that the fractures were a consequence of osteoporosis and its early onset in females. In contrast, males expressed overall more severe ageing in all vertebral divisions compared to females. Males also had a higher prevalence of vertebral facet joint osteoarthritis in cervical and thoracic divisions than females. Likewise, the incidence of facet joint osteoarthritis was more asymmetric between the left and right joints in males than in females. These findings reflect disparities of vertebral health between the two sexes in an urban setting, in which ageing and injuries of the vertebral column might be driven by different mechanisms. Age-related changes in female vertebral columns may have been more influenced by conditions of hormone deficiency such as menopause, while male vertebral columns might have been more prone to age-related changes due to heavy labor-induced physical stressors. Further studies on the differentiation of ageing mechanisms between the two sexes based on physiology, socioeconomic roles, and living conditions are warranted. The studies are necessary in understanding how multiple sociocultural and physiological factors contribute to health disparities in historic and contemporary environments.

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Section: Limitations Of This Study and Future Research Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex-Based Differences in Age-Related Changes of the Vertebral Column from a Bronze Age Urban Population in Ancient China

Han

Zhang

Xie

et al. 2022

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Surviving punishment by body reduction in a hierarchical society: A bioarcheological study of two punitive amputation cases in Eastern Zhou Dynasty (771–256 BCE) with references to the penal and medical systems of ancient China

Zhou,

Liu,

Yan

et al. 2024

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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The intersection of diet, class, and sex during the Eastern Zhou (770–221 BCE): Bioarchaeological evidence from the Dahan cemetery, China

Zhang,

Liu,

Xiao

et al. 2024

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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The Eastern Zhou (770–221 BCE) was an important period of social transformation in ancient China. The development of class- and gender-based stratification of this period had profound effects on human diet. We aim to examine the relationships among diet, class, and sex (as a proxy for gender) during this period through comparative investigations of noble individuals and sacrificial human companions. We analyzed the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values of bone collagen of 61 human (26 nobles and 35 sacrificial companions) and 32 faunal samples from the Dahan (大韩) cemetery (an Eastern Zhou archaeological site). There are statistically significant class-based dietary differences, with the nobles consuming more socially valued foods (high protein food and millets) compared with sacrificial companions, which is also supported by paleopathological evidence. Sex-based differences were specific to class, with no significant dietary differences found in the nobles, whereas males may have had better diets than females in the lower classes. Our dietary analysis suggests that some sacrificial companions may have benefited from the resources of their noble masters, however, most sacrificial companions had a poorer diet. In addition, one noble individual possibly experienced social mobility in his lifetime, as shown by the discrepancy in his burial treatment and his long-term diet. This cemetery-wide study of dietary differences between nobles and sacrificial companions allows for novel insight into the intersection of class, gender, and diet during the Eastern Zhou period.

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Social stratification during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty of China (771–476 bce): Mortuary and stable isotopic analyses of the Shangshihe cemetery

Cited by 3 publications

References 37 publications

Sex-Based Differences in Age-Related Changes of the Vertebral Column from a Bronze Age Urban Population in Ancient China

Sex-Based Differences in Age-Related Changes of the Vertebral Column from a Bronze Age Urban Population in Ancient China

Surviving punishment by body reduction in a hierarchical society: A bioarcheological study of two punitive amputation cases in Eastern Zhou Dynasty (771–256 BCE) with references to the penal and medical systems of ancient China

The intersection of diet, class, and sex during the Eastern Zhou (770–221 BCE): Bioarchaeological evidence from the Dahan cemetery, China

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