Subsistence and Feasting in the Bronze Age:
Zooarchaeological Evidence from a Chinese City Site

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the role of animals in subsistence, craft production, ritual, and especially feasting practices at the Ancient Capital of the Zheng and Han States (ZHGC), a key urban center in the Central Plains of China during the Eastern Zhou period. Based on 10,053 animal bone specimens from twelve excavation points, this research applies zooarchaeological and stable isotope analysis to explore how animals contributed to the city’s daily life, economy, and ritual systems.
The faunal assemblage reveals a dominance of domesticated pigs, cattle, and sheep/goats. Pigs were mainly consumed in daily contexts, while cattle held more ritual importance. Isotopic and age pattern analyses indicate differentiated management strategies: pigs were raised using both penning and free-ranging methods; cattle were foddered with millet by-products; and sheep primarily grazed on wild plants. These findings reflect an organized subsistence system integrating millet agriculture and livestock husbandry. Beyond consumption, animal bones were repurposed for handicraft production. Worked bones, mainly from cattle, deer, and sheep, show evidence of household-based industries, possibly alongside larger official production. The variety of production stages and tool marks suggests standardized workflows and the use of metal tools. Animals also played important roles in sacrificial contexts. Dogs, pigs, and sheep were commonly deposited in low-ranking burials and sacrificial pits, while cattle appeared more selectively, indicating elite-controlled access. Horses, associated with warfare and royal authority, were found only in the highest-status contexts.
A central focus of this study is the identification of feasting events through faunal remains. Four distinct cases were interpreted as feasting episodes based on species selection, butchery patterns, preservation, and depositional context. These ranged from grand banquets serving hundreds to small family gatherings. Cattle and sheep dominated these events, reflecting their ritual and ideological significance. By applying feasting theory to the archaeological record, this study introduces a new methodology for recognizing feasting behavior in Chinese contexts and demonstrates how such events were deeply embedded in the social and political fabric of ZHGC.
Finally, the dissertation traces diachronic changes in the social roles of animals, particularly the rising prominence of cattle as both an economic and ritual resource. This is evident in meat supply, foddering practices, artifact production, and sacrifice. The preference for female cattle in ritual contexts, contrasting with earlier roles of males as draft animals, may reflect shifting gendered divisions in livestock use during the Zhou dynasty.
This study makes two major contributions: it fills a significant zooarchaeological gap in Chinese urban archaeology by systematically analyzing faunal materials beyond elite contexts, and it pioneers the application of feasting theory in Chinese archaeology, offering new perspectives on ritual and social life through animal remains.