School of Archaeology and Museology, Peking University, Beijing, P.R. China.
Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology, Zhengzhou, P.R. China.
Sci Rep. 2024 Nov 28;14(1):29616. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-81065-y.
Bos and Bubalus are important Bovini resources worldwide and were widely exploited on the Central Plains of China during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. However, distinguishing between Bos and Bubalus remains were challenging due to their similar morphological traits, which leaves the interaction between them poorly understood. This study is the first to combine Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS) with zooarchaeological methods to identify Bos and Bubalus in China at the Tuchengwang (5600-4300 cal. BP), and Pingliangtai (4200-3900 cal. BP) sites. This was accompanied by carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of bone collagen to discuss their diets on the Central Plains. Our findings indicate that these exploitation strategies are dynamic. Aurochs (Bos primigenius) and water buffaloes (Bubalus mepistopheles) were exploited before the introduction of cattle (Bos taurus), and this exploitation continued into the Bronze Age. The exploitation of local wild Bovini resources may have influenced the adoption of cattle during the End Neolithic. By this time, cattle predominated in Bovini remains at most sites, but the adoption of cattle was not a phenomenon of unison, and their exploitation strategies became more diverse, especially in ritual practices. Wild water buffaloes had evolved into privilege goods by the Bronze Age, especially during the late Shang. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of human-animal-environment relationships between Bovini and ancient people.
牛属和水牛属是全球重要的牛科资源，在新石器时代和青铜时代，广泛分布于中国中原地区。然而，由于它们在形态特征上的相似性，区分牛属和水牛属仍然具有挑战性，这使得人们对它们之间的相互作用了解甚少。本研究首次结合稳定同位素分析和骨组织学方法，对中原地区的土城湾（5600-4300 cal. BP）和坪梁台（4200-3900 cal. BP）遗址出土的牛科动物进行鉴定。本研究结果表明，这些利用策略是动态的。在牛（Bos taurus）引入之前，已经利用了原牛（Bos primigenius）和水牛（Bubalus mepistopheles），并且这种利用一直持续到青铜时代。对当地野生牛科资源的利用可能影响了新石器时代末期牛的引入。此时，牛在大多数遗址的牛科动物遗骸中占主导地位，但牛的利用并不是一个一致的现象，其利用策略变得更加多样化，特别是在仪式实践中。野生水牛在青铜时代已经演变成特权商品，尤其是在商代晚期。本研究有助于更深入地了解牛科动物与古代人类之间的人-动物-环境关系。
