Agricultural Extensification Corresponding to the Increase of Pastoral Activities in Prehistoric Chifeng, Northeast China

Production and consumption of food has been one of the central themes in modern-day archaeology, yet few studies have examined cultivation practices concerning labor organization in the field. This study explores the diachronic changes in labor organizations in the Chifeng region in the context of changing subsistence strategies between 4000 and 2000 BP. We use nitrogen isotope values (δ¹⁵N) of archaeologically recovered grains to inform soil preparations such as manuring or farmyard middening. Our results show a decrease in plant δ¹⁵N values from the Early Bronze Age to the Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age, suggesting a decrease in manuring activities. Such changes correspond to the cultural transition between Lower and Upper Xiajiadian periods, with communities increasingly relying on pastoral activities during the Upper Xiajiadian period. We argue that these isotopic data lend support to a trend of agricultural extensification across this cultural transition. Our results resonate with previous observations made in Ordos and Eastern Tianshan, also showing a similar trend in agricultural extensification over time.