Dietary shift from marine to agriculture in coastal Lower Yangtze Delta during Neolithic revealed by isotopic evidence from Jingtoushan

Abstract

Neolithic agriculture is considered to have reduced marine food reliance among coastal populations, yet whether this dietary transition occurred in Neolithic China remains unclear. The lower Yangtze River Delta, central to both marine adaptation and rice agriculture origins, provides key evidence. In this study, stable isotope data from human and faunal bone collagen from the Jingtoushan site (8300–7800 BP), combined with published regional data, were used to investigate the dietary patterns and shifts. Results show that Jingtoushan dogs consumed a marine-based diet, indirectly suggesting humans relied heavily on marine foods. From the early and middle to late Neolithic, coastal populations in the region underwent a pronounced dietary shift from marine-dominated to C 3 terrestrial-dominated resources, closely linked to the intensification of rice agriculture. This study provides critical regional isotopic evidence for understanding the interplay between subsistence adaptation, agricultural development, and marine resource use in Neolithic coastal China.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. npj Heritage Science, 2026 · DOI ↗