Browsing by Author "Hu, SM"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Oldest directly dated remains of sheep in China
    (Springer Nature, 2014-11-24) Dodson, JR; Dodson, E; Banati, RB; Li, XQ; Atahan, P; Hu, SM; Middleton, RJ; Zhou, XY; Nan, S
    The origins of domesticated sheep (Ovis sp.) in China remain unknown. Previous workers have speculated that sheep may have been present in China up to 7000 years ago, however many claims are based on associations with archaeological material rather than independent dates on sheep material. Here we present 7 radiocarbon dates on sheep bone from Inner Mongolia, Ningxia and Shaanxi provinces. DNA analysis on one of the bones confirms it is Ovis sp. The oldest ages are about 4700 to 4400 BCE and are thus the oldest objectively dated Ovis material in eastern Asia. The graphitisised bone collagen had δ13C values indicating some millet was represented in the diet. This probably indicates sheep were in a domestic setting where millet was grown. The younger samples had δ13C values indicating that even more millet was in the diet, and this was likely related to changes in foddering practices. © 2014, Macmillan Publishers Limited
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Use of coal in the bronze age in China
    (Sage, 2014-03-03) Dodson, JR; Li, XQ; Sun, N; Atahan, P; Zhou, XY; Liu, HB; Zhao, KL; Hu, SM; Yang, ZM
    People in northern and western China were probably the first in the world to use coal as a source of energy in a consistent way. The ages cluster around 1900–2200 BC in modern day Inner Mongolia and Shanxi provinces. These are areas where near-surface coal is abundant today and woody vegetation was scant in the Bronze Age. Since coal is bulky to transport, it was probably not a cost-effective energy source in areas with abundant wood supply. The sites where coal was first used were probably occupied for a century to a few centuries at most and were associated with Bronze Age societies. The earliest age is about 3490 BC from a house site at Xiahe in Shaanxi Province; however, the coal is not securely tied to the radiocarbon ages and is assumed to have been used at this site sometime after 3490 BC. The elemental composition of modern mine and sedimentary coal in nearby archaeological contexts suggests that coal was used from local sources, and that elemental composition of coal may be a useful tool in identifying site origin of coal.