From the distant past until the present day, the archetypal image of the vast steppe
lands of Inner Asia has been represented by populations practicing various forms of
nomadic pastoralism as their predominant means of subsistence and way of life. While
existing research in this region has focussed on questions pertaining to empire
formations and interactions, as well as social and political complexity, a more
developed understanding of diet, health, and activity patterns has yet to be established.
Towards this end, the broad aim of this dissertation entails the reconstruction of diet,
health and activity in discrete populations which inhabited this region from c. 1500
BCE to CE 600. These objectives have been addressed through a comprehensive
research programme involving osteological and chemical analyses of human skeletal
remains, derived from archaeological sites located throughout modern-day southern
Siberia, Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and Kyrgyzstan. Additional skeletal
samples dating from c. CE 1200 to 1300 and a late historic sample from c. CE 1700 to
1900 have been included to provide a comparative framework for the earlier material
under study.
This dissertation aimed to challenge assumptions, which often presuppose a
predominantly mobile pastoralist lifestyle for many of these populations, by providing
indirect and direct evidence for dietary habits and evidence for workload and activity
patterns. Long-term dietary intake was investigated through the analysis of stable
carbon and nitrogen isotopes on both human skeletal remains and associated
archaeological faunal material. Diet has also been assessed through a comprehensive
study of dental pathology and dental wear analysis. Health and nutrition has been
assessed through the study of dental pathology, linear enamel hypoplasia, and
degenerative joint disease. Workload and activity patterns have been addressed
through the combined analysis of musculo-skeletal stress markers and degenerative
joint disease.
The key results of this dissertation indicate dietary variation and similarities in distinct
communities which are related to food procurement strategies carried out at local
group levels. The results of the isotopic and dental pathology analyses indicate dietary
variation in discrete groups which may have been labelled under the same terms
historically and archaeologically, but based on these findings did not necessarily
engage in identical subsistence regimes. In addition, the results of the isotopic analyses
reflect the influence of the inhabitation of and environments on 615N isotopic
signatures and reinforce the need for contextualising isotopic results within local
environmental settings. The analysis of degenerative joint disease, coupled with
musculo-skeletal stress marker recording has provided an indication of variation in
workload and health between discrete groups. Based on these results workload
variation and activity patterns have been found to be relatable to local food production
activities and social circumstances of particular groups. Finally, the combined analyses
presented in this dissertation have provided a firm basis for reconstructing past lifeways
of these populations by presenting a more thorough understanding of diet, health
and group activities. In addition, this assessment provides a foundation for future
research in these areas, which will continue to contribute to our knowledge of the
ancient communities of this region.