Qin Recipes Research

Qin dynasty is the first and multinational feudal empire in Chinese history. Qin culture, which was created by ancient Qin people, was splendid and laid foundation for Chinese civilization. So the study on Qin history and culture is the hot and important spot in history and archaeology field.Qin people enjoyed a long history, and Qin Culture has a long developing process. The study on the early Qin history was one of the important parts of Qin culture. And it also was the key component in academic subjects about Chinese civilization origin and early history. But there is still much unknown historical information because of the limitation of documents and archaeological materials for a long time.In recent years, palaeodiet analysis is one of the hot issues in the international bioarchaeological field. It can supply a lot of valuable information, such as the dietary culture, the paleoenvironment, climatic conditions and vegetation. At the same time it reflected the changes of lifestyle, social structure, immigration, ancient animals and plants, domestication of animals, and so on. So the study on ancient people's dietary is the important content in anthropology and archaeology and very significant for the rebuilding of ancient environment and reconstruction of human history.Study on dietary of ancient Qin people is part of the searching for early Qin history and civilization. There are not sufficient documents about the dietary of ancient Qin people. In our country there were some achievements about palaeodiet by scientific methods and mordern techniques. However up till now there is still no new achievement of the research on dietary of ancient Qin people based on modern scientific methods.In this doctoral dissertation some bone samples unearthed in Qin graves were analyzed from Xihan River valley in Gansu province and the west area of Hanzhong in Shaanxi province. In order to reconstruct the palaeodietary of Qin people, the carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes and some trace elements related to dietary in human bones, whose age were from Xizhou dynasty to the late Warring States, were tested and exposit the dietary character of ancient Qin people. And the dietary of ancient Qin people within different regions and different ages has done a comparative analysis. Moreover the important historical information about Qin people's lifestyle and social economic pattern were discussed based on the above analysis.Firstly the carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in human bones, which were from Xishan site, Lixian County, Gansu Province, were analyzed The result showed the animal albumen occupied more part than plant in Xishan inhabitants'diet. The different diet in different genders demonstrated that women eat more meat than men because of social division of labor. Based on the geographic place, climate, archeaological and history records, we can infer that their substance strategy was a kind of mixture by agriculture and stockbreeding.Secondly the carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in human bones, which were from Sunjianantou site, Fengxiang, Shaanxi Province, were analyzed. The result showed that ancient Qin people's diet structure was polyphagous, which mainly relied on C4 plants and some meat in spring and autumn and warring stage period. Their substance strategy we infer is a kind of mixture by planting broomcorn millet and rearing livestock. According to comparative diatery analysis on the human as funerary objects, their owners could be differentiated of their social relationship. The diet was no significant difference in different genders.Thirdly the carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes and in human bones, which were from Jianhe Grave in Baoji City, Shaanxi Province were analyzed. And the same time some elemrnts related to the dietary were discussed such as Sr, Ca and Ba and so on. The results showed that ancient Qin people's diet structure was polyphagous, which mainly relied on C4 plants and some meat in Warring stage period. Their substance strategy we infer is a kind of mixture by agriculture and rearing livestock.Forthly the dietary was contrastively dicussed about ancient Qin people in different area and period. Overall the dietary of ancient Qin people living in Xihan River valley in Xizhou dynasty relied on C4 plant and included a lot of meat. This phenomenon was related to the economic pattern of agriculture and animal husbandry sideline. In Dongzhou period ancient Qin people's diet structure was polyphagous, which mainly relied on C4 plants and some meat. This indicated their economic pattern was a kind of mixture by agriculture and rearing livestock. Fifly the dietary of Qin people was comparative analyzed with the people surrounding areas'different cultures and nationalities. The results demonstrated early Qin people's dietary and life style were influenced by the people in Zhou culture area and the "Rongdi" tribe. The dietary of ancient Qin people living in Xihan River valley included a lot of meat in Xizhou dynasty. However when Qin people inhabited in Guanzhong area their diet structure was mainly relied on C4 plants. This phenomenon was because of the economic pattern change from agriculture and animal husbandry sideline to agriculture and rearing livestock.