A Stable Isotopic (Carbon And Nitrogen) Evaluation Of Regional Differences In Herded Animal Diet And Pastoral Risk Management Practices During The Xiongnu Period Of Mongolia.

Abstract

During the Xiongnu Period (c. 300 BC- AD 100) of Mongolia, mobile agropastoralism constituted the primary form of subsistence. While this fact is supported by the recovery of animal and plant remains from mortuary contexts, there is a dearth of research concerning the variation of mobile agro-pastoralism across the Xiongnu confederacy. This text centers on regional differences in herding patterns during the Xionngu Period (c. 300 BC- AD 100) of Mongolia and how they relate to Xiongnu statecraft through the use of [delta]13C/[delta]15N bulk sampling of mandibular and maxillary teeth of livestock recovered from mortuary sites in the Egiin Gol Valley of northcentral Mongolia (EG) and Baga Gazaryn Chuluu (BGC), an area located within the Gobi Desert. By comparing the [delta]13C and [delta]15N values of samples from EG and BGC, this study reveals intra-species and inter-regional trends in C3/C4 plant and water consumption during the Xiongnu Period.