Where is the Beef? Aurochs Exploitation in Neolithic Northeast China

• Author / Creator

  Zhang, Zhe

• Houtaomuga site is located at the embankment of Lake Xinhuangpao in Da’an County of northeast China. Excavations from 2011 to 2015 revealed an occupation ranging from the early Neolithic period to late Liao Dynasty. This dissertation will focus on an unusual feature from the late Neolithic period at the site, the 5500-year-old G2 trench, with its many aurochs, as well as related house structures, in order to make a detailed analysis of faunal remains, to reconstruct the construction and deposition process for the G2 trench, and to better understand this Neolithic economy. The results will also allow investigation of social constructs and ideologies at Houtaomuga.
  Aurochs are the dominant species in the G2 trench, and their large numbers suggest that they were a significant terrestrial meat resource. Genetic analyses of ancient DNA from the G2 aurochs indicate that they were wild animals, but they had reduced body sizes. There was also a selective slaughtering pattern. These factors suggest that the G2 aurochs came from a population that may have been somewhere along the range between fully wild and fully domesticated animals.
  I present data on the species present in G2 trench and house structures at Houtaomuga, the distribution of animal species and elements, butchering and cooking practices, scavenger damage to the bones, and postdepositional weathering patterns. I also engaged in a spatial analysis to clarify the function of the G2 trench. On the basis of this evidence, along with the clustering in radiocarbon dates, I argue that the faunal remains in the G2 trench resulted from one or a few episodes of mass procurement, followed by one or a few depositional events that occurred in a short time. I also suggest that the Houtaomuga inhabitants engaged in large-scale feasting, and that the G2 trench was built for symbolic and social reasons rather than for purely functional purposes. 

• Subjects / Keywords

  • aurochs
  • feast
  • Neolithic Northeast China
  • zooarchaeology

• Graduation date

  Fall 2023

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Doctor of Philosophy

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-f3gq-w307

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.