Life history of a high-class noblewoman from the late Shu state in the Chengdu Plain during the Eastern Zhou period (770–221 BC): Childhood stresses and stable life

Abstract

This preliminary study aims at reconstructing the life history, including dietary patterns, mobility, and health conditions, of a high-class noblewoman (M154) from the late Shu state (晚蜀), the period of Kai Ming regime (開明氏), in the Shuangyuan Village Cemetery of the Eastern Zhou period (770–221 BC), Chengdu Plain, China, as a way to provide a glimpse into the human lifeway in the late Shu culture period under the impact of non-local cultures. We combined skeletal pathological observations with multi-isotope (carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen) analyses of bone collagen, enamel, and dentin serial sections and analyzed multi-tooth enamel from the remaining 10 humans in the cemetery as comparative data. The results suggest that the occupant of M154, a female who died at around 30 years of age, consumed mainly rice (C₃-based crop) and high animal protein throughout her life, was weaned at 2–3 years of age, experienced physiological stresses after weaning and at 7–8 years of age but recovered from both rapidly (less than a year), which probably was related to better care, and that the timing of physiological stress embodied in isotopic profiles from incremental dentin sections is consistent with the observed enamel hypoplasia and cribra orbitalia. She more likely lived with the local population from childhood to adolescence and did not experience long-distance migrations. After 7–8 years of age, she consumed relatively stable food resources and lived a stable life until death. Here, we show the stable and well-cared-for life history of a high-ranking noble of the late Shu state, providing new insights into the study of the ancient Shu people and a reference for further research.