Pig Management Strategies in the East Liao River Basin From the Bronze Age (c. 2000–256 BC) to the Liaojin Dynasties (907–1234 AD): Stable Isotope Analysis of Animals at the Changshan Site, Jilin Province, China

Pig domestication and management strategy has been increasingly discussed in recent years, focusing on the temporal-spatial differences of pig strategies. The East Liao River Basin with diverse ecosystems, cultural exchanges, collisions plays an important role development, exchange, integration processes between Northeast China Central Plains. Multiple studies have revealed that various forms subsistence economy, such as nomadism, fishing hunting, farming, existed this region. However, no report or discussion presented concerning status domestic animal strategies over a long-term Basin. Carbon nitrogen stable isotopes analysis were performed fauna bones at Changshan site Siping, Jilin, China, from Bronze Age (c. 2000–256 BC) to Liaojin Dynasties (907–1234 AD), reconstruct their dietary pattern reveal strategies, especially diachronic changes feeding results showed pigs (–19.3 ± 1.6%, 5.3 0.9%, n = 27), horses (–18.4 1.7%, 4.8 1.4%, 7), sheep (–19.8 1.5%, 5.7 0.5%, 6) primarily received through C 3 -based food. Nevertheless, cattle (–16.4 3.5%, 6.0 2.1%, 2) past human (–13.9%, 10.3%, 1) lived mixed /C 4 Notably, isotope data for (–19.1 2.0%, 5.4 1.0%, 9) 0.6%, 5.1 0.7%, 15) similar, indicating and/or relatively free range wild ecosystem long period. Related shown captivity mainly fed by millet-based food West middle reaches Yellow valley, where millet agriculture adequately developed. Abundant natural resources, including plants, animals, fishes, could provide sufficient population Thus, was just auxiliary site, leading gap driving force intensive pig.