Exploring the Process of Agriculturalization in the Pingcheng Period (398–494 ce ) by Isotopic Analysis of Human Remains From the Yongtainanlu and Shanghuaju Northern Wei Cemeteries

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ABSTRACT Around 398 ce , the Tuoba Xianbei拓跋鮮卑 established their capital at Pingcheng (now Datong city), where they experienced rapid population growth and a sudden increase in demographic complexity, accompanied by the emergence of diverse subsistence practices. What were the relative proportions of these subsistence strategies? Which subsistence economy best contributed to the stability and development of Pingcheng as a capital? This study presents stable isotope analysis of human bones from the Yongtainanlu and Shanghuaju Northern Wei cemeteries, Datong, Shanxi, China, to reconstruct dietary construction and subsistence practices in the Pingcheng period (398–494 ce ). Meanwhile, we also examine the role of agriculture, the degree of agriculturalization among Pingcheng populations, and the extent of population integration. By integrating isotopic data from 11 Northern Wei cemeteries or archaeological sites in the Pingcheng area, a chronological analysis reveals a consistent increase in the consumption of millet‐based foods, a convergence in dietary habits, and an acceleration of cultural and population integration in Pingcheng over time. Firstly, most of the past population gradually adopted a uniform dietary pattern with millet‐based food, and millet‐based agricultural practices became the dominant subsistence. Secondly, the process of agriculturalization directly or indirectly promoted cultural and population integration. Thirdly, social reforms aimed at transforming customs and traditions faced a certain degree of resistance, suggesting possible opposition from nomadic groups to agriculturalization and integration policies. Overall, a millet‐based agricultural economy proved to be the most suitable subsistence, contributing to the stability and development of Pingcheng as a capital. Under the influence of Tuoba Xianbei policies, nomadic populations increasingly adopted agricultural subsistence directly or indirectly. Agricultural subsistence foundation facilitated cultural and population integration and sinicization, providing an early historical precedent for the formation of a shared national identity.

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