Collagen stable isotope data from East and Northeast Asia, c. 7000 BC-1000 AD.

Stable isotope analysis is routinely used in archaeology to answer questions related to past diets. As the technique matures, data from archaeological sites have been generated at an exponential rate over the past several decades, thus provided an invaluable opportunity to examine past dietary practices and subsistence economies in much larger geographical and temporal settings. In Asia, a significant proportion of isotopic data is published in non-English journals or in grey literature, therefore remains largely inaccessible to general researchers. In order to provide easier access to these data, and to encourage future large-scale meta-data analyses in Asia, this collection presents the most comprehensive set of collagen stable isotope data of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur from East and Northeast Asia (29-51˚N, 96-136˚ E) to date, including sites located within the modern territories of the People's Republic of China, Mongolia, the Russian Federation, and the Republic of Korea. Using academic search engines such as Google Scholar, the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and ScienceON, a total of 3,304 previously published archaeological human and faunal stable isotope data from 136 archaeological sites in East and Northeast Asia, spanning over a period of 8,000 years (c. 7000 BC to AD 1000) are collected. The collated data are deposited on the open-access platform IsoArcH (https://isoarch.eu/) for any interested parties to use.

Specifications Table

Value of the Data

Numerous studies have shown that meta-analyses of stable isotopic data can help connect between past human subsistence patterns and larger social issues such as long-distance trading networks, socio-political transitions, and climatic/envn class="Chemical">ironmental changes [6], [7], [8], [9], [10]. These patterns are usually hidden in smaller scale studies, and are only revealed when sample sizes are large enough.

Stable isotope analysis has been increasingly applied in archaeological research in Asia, however, many data are being published in non-English journals or grey literature. In order to help make these data more accessible, this collection brings together stable isotopic data from 136 archaeological sites across East and Northeast Asia.

The area in concern is chosen specifically to help better understand the spread and effect of agriculture in Northeast Asia. All sites concerned are dated from the early Neolithic to later historical periods (c. 7000 BC–1000 AD), covering key dates concerning major changes in subsistence economies in the region, including the origin of agriculture, and the subsequent spread of millet (westward), n class="Species">rice (northward), and wheat (eastward) across the continent.

Sometimes, subsets of stable isotope data from the same site are published in separate reports. This is especially common in larger sites, such as Yinxu. However, smaller data subsets can be overlooked in larger studies of the site/region. Here, effort has been made to ensure data from the same sites are organized together so that all associated data can be located easily.

This collection is consisting of data coming from sites located within the modern territories of four countries, none of which's official language is English. Therefore, site names and bibliographic information are provided in both the local language as well as English, whenever possible/necessary. This shall allow users to locate these sites/original references easier, should the need arise.

The data are curated carefully. All δ13C and δ15N values that are not published with conventional quality control (QC) criteria, or have failed these criteria, are excluded. This is to ensure that the data are reliable and directly comparable. As the QC for δ34S is less well established, all S isotope measurements are included as reported.

Data Description

This collection is consisted of a total of 3,304 entries of stable carbon and n class="Chemical">nitrogen isotope data, of which 3,224 (2,343 human, 881 fauna) come from unique individuals, with additional 249 entries of stable sulfur isotope data from 241 (190 human, 51 fauna) unique individuals. Multi-tissue measurements are available from 80 individuals. All stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data come from 136 archaeological sites, where 15 sites also have corroborating stable sulfur isotope data (Fig. 1). An interactive map showing the locations of all sites is also available on IsoArcH (https://database.isoarch.eu/map.php). The dataset is deposited in IsoArcH [5] under the following DOI: https://doi.org/10.48530/isoarch.2021.001. Table 1 provides a summary of all the sites involved, describing the locations, archaeological cultures and time periods, and numbers of human and/or faunal samples from each respective site. All stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data included in this collection have passed all accompanied collagen QC criteria. For most sites, the excluded data only constituted a small portion of the total data reported. However, data from a number of sites are entirely excluded, please see Table 2 for more information. As the QC for δ34S is less well established, all S isotope measurements are included as reported.

Fig. 1

Map showing all sites included in this collection. A key to site IDs is provided in Table 1. The black star indicates the location of Nanzhuangtou, the site with the earliest evidence of domesticated crop in Northeast Asia (no isotope data is available from this site). Modern geopolitical borders included for reference.

Table 1

Site ID, names, references, cultural phases and time periods, coordinates (latitudes and longitudes), elevations, general description of geographic zones, and numbers of δ13C and δ15N data from all sites included in the database. Bracketed numbers are the number of samples with corroborating δ34S values. Site ID corresponds to the numbers shown on Fig. 1. * indicates that the faunal assemblage is not contemporaneous with the human assemblage.

									Total number of data
Site ID	Site	Local name	Location (modern reference)	Time period/culture	Latitude	Longitude	Altitude (m.a.s.l.)	Geographic zones	Human	Faunal
1	Zongri [11]	宗日	Qinghai, PRC	2200-1800 BC/Zongri Culture	33.552134	96.380682	4242	Tibetan Plateau	24
2	Huoshaogou [7]	火燒溝	Gansu, PRC	1900 - 1300 BC/Siba Culture	39.960279	97.655051	1761	Hexi Corridor	30
3	Ganguya [7]	乾骨崖	Gansu, PRC	1350-950 BC/Siba Culture	39.382711	98.856553	1827	Hexi Corridor	30	12*
4	Huoshiliang [12]	火石梁	Gansu, PRC	2135-1682 BC*/Siba Culture	40.26	99.305	1195	Hexi Corridor	2	18
5	Wuba [7]	五壩	Gansu, PRC	2490-1950 BC/Banshan – Machang Cultures	39.380785	99.890372	1360	Hexi Corridor	55
6	Xichengyi [13]	西城驛	Gansu, PRC	4100-3600 BC/Machang – Siba Cultures	39.014436	100.365415	1460	Hexi Corridor	4	4
7	Hupo [14]	護坡	Gansu, PRC	2234-2094BC*/Banshan – Machang Cultures	36.4	102	2512	Hexi Corridor	6
8	Sanheyi [14]	三合乙	Gansu, PRC	1961-1881 BC/Qijia Culture	36.4	102	2512	Hexi Corridor	5
9	Wenbuju [15]	文卜具	Qinghai, PRC	ca. 2000 BC/Majiayao Culture	36	102	2000	Hexi Corridor	1
10	Lajigai [14]	拉吉蓋	Gansu, PRC	1328-1082 BC*/Kayue Culture	36	102.3	2382	Hexi Corridor	5
11	Lajia [16]	喇家	Qinghai, PRC	2300-1600 BC/Qijia Culture	35.8543	102.8278	1760	Linxia Basin	4
12	Xiahaishi [17,18]	下海石	Gansu, PRC	1920-1800 BC*/Machang Culture	36.344608	102.856376	1771	Hexi Corridor	14(4)	9
13	Mozuizi [7,15]	磨嘴子	Gansu, PRC	2350-2000 BC/Machang Culture	37.801425	102.86876	1599	Hexi Corridor	16
14	Lianhuatai [18]	蓮花台	Gansu, PRC	1470-1080 BC/Xindian Culture	35.769601	103.165769	1757	Hexi Corridor	6(2)
15	Mogou [7,14]	磨溝	Gansu, PRC	1750-1100 BC/Qijia – Siwa Cultures	34.977773	103.780975	2348	Wei River valley	85
16	Zhanqi [7,18]	占旗	Gansu, PRC	1100-950 BC/Siwa Culture	34.714335	103.844992	2263	Wei River valley	45(8)	2(1)
17	Qijiaping [19]	齊家坪	Gansu, PRC	1515-1264 BC/Qijia Culture	35.887345	104.062574	2037	Hexi Corridor	42	19
18	Buziping [17]	堡子坪	Gansu, PRC	2126-1744 BC/Qijia Culture	35.4	104.5	2298	Hexi Corridor	1	7
19	Buzishan [17]	堡子山	Gansu, PRC	2126-1744 BC/Qijia Culture	35.4	104.5	2298	Hexi Corridor	1	5
20	Maojiaping [20]	毛家坪	Gansu, PRC	1046-221 BC/Western and Eastern Zhou	34.756619	105.099274	1380	Hexi Corridor	51
21	Bayanbulag [21]	Баянбулаг	Umnugovi, Mongolia	365 - 107 BC/Pre-Han	42.6	105.175	1246	Steppe	15
22	Lixian [22]	禮縣	Gansu, PRC	2832-2470 BC/ Longshan Culture; 803-543 BC/Zhou; AD 1027-1201 Song Dynasty	34.189345	105.17864	1414	Wei River Valley	3
23	Xishan [23]	西山	Gansu, PRC	475-221 BC/Western Zhou to Warring States	34.192296	105.183033	1414	Hexi Corridor	19
24	Dadiwan [24]	大地灣	Gansu, PRC	4500-2900 BC/ Yangshao Culture	35.01948	105.92631	1585	Wei River Valley		5
25	Baga Gazaryn Chuluu [25]	Бага Газарын Чулуу	Dundgovi, Mongolia	2000-500 BC/Bronze Age; 1000-400 BC/Iron Age; 300 BC-AD 200/Xiongnu; AD 600-800/Turkic; AD 1200-1400/Mongol	46.2034	106.0299	1584	Desert	38	14*
26	Jianhe [23]	建河	Shaanxi, PRC	480-221 BC/Warring States period	34.515439	106.364578	964	Wei River valley	14
27	Fenggeling [22]	鳳閣嶺	Shaanxi, PRC	533-361 BC/Eastern Zhou	34.529939	106.44783	903	Wei River Valley	4
28	Nalin Taohai [26]	納林套海	Inner Mongolia, PRC	202 BC- 8 AD/Western Han	40.487159	106.6411	1042	Desert	6
29	Shigushan [18]	石鼓山	Shaanxi, PRC	1200-1000 BC/Predynastic Zhou to early Western Zhou	34.343362	107.190987	607	Wei River valley	1(1)
30	Sunjianantou [27]	孫家南頭	Shaanxi, PRC	770-221 BC/Eastern Zhou	34.472717	107.24411	686	Wei River valley	25
31	Zhouyuan [18,23]	周原	Shaanxi, PRC	1200-1000 BC/Predynastic Zhou to early Western Zhou	34.486595	107.602417	774	Wei River valley	20(5)
32	Zhanguo [22]		Shaanxi, PRC	511-376 BC/Eastern Zhou	34.296124	107.96717	541	Wei River Valley	1
33	Xunyi [22]	旬邑	Shaanxi, PRC	2447-2034 BC/Longshan Culture	35.107672	108.332886	976	Wei River Valley	3
34	Jichang [28]	機場	Shaanxi, PRC	AD 25-220/Eastern Han	34.429958	108.738685	488	Wei River valley	30(27)	1(1)
35	Guanzhong Prison [29]	關中監獄	Shaanxi, PRC	475-221 BC/Warring States	34.360057	108.752309	378	Wei River valley	25
36	Yuhuazhai [22]	魚化寨	Shaanxi, PRC	3779-3347 BC/Yangshao Culture	34.233445	108.860317	406	Wei River Valley	2
37	Guandao [28]	官道	Shaanxi, PRC	141 BC-AD 220/Mid-Western Han to Eastern Han	34.752401	108.90653	629	Wei River valley	5(5)	1(1)
38	Guangming [28]	光明	Shaanxi, PRC	141 BC-AD 24/Western Han	34.440213	108.976327	405	Wei River valley	7(7)	2(2)
39	Dongying [30]	東營	Shaanxi, PRC	2600-2000 BC/Kexingzhuang II	34.44333	109.0153	374	Wei River valley	5	28*
40	Banpo [31]	半坡	Shaanxi, PRC	4800-4300 BC/Banpo Culture	34.2729	109.053402	421	Wei River valley	1
41	Lintong [22]	臨潼	Shaanxi, PRC	391-4 BC/Eastern Zhou to Western Han; AD 426-585 Six Dynasties	34.3673	109.21376	471	Wei River Valley	3
42	Jiangzhai [31,32]	姜寨	Shaanxi, PRC	4900-4000BC/Banpo and Shijia Cultures	34.377858	109.218143	446	Wei River valley	20
43	Shijia [31]	史家	Shaanxi, PRC	4300-4000 BC/Shijia Culture	34.725018	109.357346	384	Wei River valley	9
44	Baijia [33]	白家	Shaanxi, PRC	5709-5389 BC*/Laoguantai Culture	34.55209	109.4107	350	Wei River valley	1	21
45	Beiliu [34]	北劉	Shaanxi, PRC	6000-5000 BC/Laoguantai and 4000-3500 BC/Miaodigou cultures	34.374866	109.555338	583	Wei River valley	9
46	Shengedaliang [35]	神圪墶梁	Shaanxi, PRC	1825-1615 BC/Yongxingdian-Dakou II culture	38.63355	109.93335	1220	Ordos Plateau	28	25
47	Muzhuzhuliang [36]	木柱柱樑	Shaanxi, PRC	1950-1780 BC/ Late Longshan Culture	38.639179	110.043702	1164	Ordos Plateau	8
48	Xinhua [22]		Shaanxi, PRC	2014-1770 BC/Longshan Culture	38.734138	110.099833	1156	Ordos Plateau	1
49	Zhukaigou [22]	朱開溝	Inner Mongolia, PRC	2195-1696 BC/ Longshan Culture	39.644967	110.432119	1338	Ordos Plateau	2
50	Shimao [22]	石峁	Shaanxi, PRC	2107-1746 BC/ Shimao Culture	39.064226	110.453179	1124	Ordos Plateau	4
51	Liangdaicun [23,37]	梁帶村	Shaanxi, PRC	1200-1000 BC/Western Zhou to Spring-Autumn	35.507316	110.502839	366	Wei River valley	30
52	Neiyangyuan [38]	內陽垣	Shanxi, PRC	770-476 BC/Xia and Spring-Autumn	35.98988	110.785445	1079	Lüliang Mountains	23
53	Xipo [39]	西坡	Henan, PRC	3300-3000 BC/Yangshao Culture	34.35444	110.846353	871	Wei River valley	30	3*
54	Qinglongquan [40], [41], [42]	青龍泉	Hubei, PRC	3500-3000 BC/Yangshao,3000-2600 BC/Qujialing and 2600-2200 BC/Shijiahe Cultures, 770-221 BC/Eastern Zhou	32.83979	110.851701	189	North China Plain	36(26)	36(32)
55	Qiangliang Temple [43]	清涼寺	Shanxi, PRC	3300-3000 BC/Miaodigou and 2300-1800BC/Longshan cultures	34.76158	110.894048	532	Yellow River valley	27
56	Dakou [22]	大口	Inner Mongolia, PRC	2339-2041 BC/Longshan Culture	39.403118	111.136222	852	Ordos Plateau	2
57	Xiazhai [44]	下寨	Henan, PRC	2600-2000 BC/Longshan Culture	33.011159	111.273355	171	North China Plain	22
58	Shenmingpu [45]	申明鋪	Henan, PRC	480-221 BC/Warring States and 220 BC-220 AD/the Han Dynasties	33.002771	111.303279	166	North China Plain	32	9
59	Gouwan [46]	溝灣	Henan, PRC	5000-3500 BC/Yangshao and 3000-2600 BC/Qujialing Cultures	33.078699	111.47917	176	North China Plain	41
60	Tuchengzi [47]	土城子	Inner Mongolia, PRC	475-221 BC/Warring States	40.441392	111.800105	1150	Loess Plateau	17
61	Xindianzi [48]	新店子	Inner Mongolia, PRC	770-221 BC/Eastern Zhou	40.241491	112.07507	1190	Loess Plateau	20
62	Dabaoshan [49]	大堡山	Inner Mongolia, PRC	410-180 BC/Late Warring States	40.228893	112.157243	1228	Loess Plateau	41
63	Xinhuacun [22]	杏花村	Shanxi, PRC	2337-2050 BC/Longshan Culture	37.808167	112.311249	1661	Lüliang Mountains	2
64	Zhonggou [50]	中溝	Henan, PRC	3010-2921 BC/Late Yangshao Culture	34.7	112.4	167	Luoyang Basin	26	5
65	Wanggedang [50]	王圪壋	Henan, PRC	2500-1750 BC/Late Longshan to early Erlitou Culture	34.63333	112.46667	140	Luoyang Basin	14	17
66	Xiaonanzhuang [51]	小南莊	Shanxi, PRC	770-221 BC/Eastern Zhou	37.7515	112.725311	828	Jinzhong Basin	16
67	Neidan [52]	聶店	Shanxi, PRC	2070-1600 BC/Xia Dynasty	37.751272	112.741538	855	Taihang Mountains	60
68	Meishan [44]	煤山	Henan, PRC	2600-2000 BC/Longshan Culture	34.175594	112.832212	219	North China Plain	4
69	Tunliu Yuwu [53]	屯留余吾	Shanxi, PRC	480-221 BC/Warring States and 220 BC-220 AD/the Han Dynasties	36.376475	112.843458	964	Taihang Mountains	21
70	Sandaowan [54]	三道灣	Inner Mongolia, PRC	AD 120-386/Eastern Han	41.710605	113.102828	1485	Ulanqab grassland	2
71	Huhewusu [55]	呼和烏素	Inner Mongolia, PRC	206 BC - AD 9/Western Han	40.737092	113.134797	1361	Hill/Plateau	5
72	Chenjiagou [56]	陳家溝	Henan, PRC	770-221 BC/Eastern Zhou	34.939501	113.149566	103	North China Plain	39
73	Xuecun [56]	薛村	Henan, PRC	141 BC-220 AD/Western and Eastern Han	34.865228	113.238266	141	North China Plain	53
74	Huayu Square [57]	華宇廣場	Shanxi, PRC	~AD 534/Late Northern Wei	40.06092	113.292698	1052	Datong Basin	16
75	Dongxin Square [57]	東信廣場	Shanxi, PRC	~AD 398/Early Northern Wei	40.055731	113.299989	1053	Datong Basin	26
76	Nanjiao [58]	南郊	Shanxi, PRC	AD 386-534/ Northern Wei	40.050959	113.304452	1053	Datong Basin	42	29
77	Yuchang Jiayuan [57]	御昌佳園	Shanxi, PRC	~AD 439/Middle Northern Wei	40.077464	113.347343	1047	Datong Basin	21
78	Miaozigou [59]	廟子溝	Inner Mongolia, PRC	~3500 BC/Miaozhigou Culture	40.766093	113.347685	422	Hill/Plateau	9
79	Guanzhuang [60]	官莊	Henan, PRC	1045-476 BC/ Late Western Zhou to Mid Spring Autumn Period	34.854892	113.37718	127	North China Plain	21
80	Wadian [61]	瓦店	Henan, PRC	2200-1900 BC/Longshan Culture	34.18744	113.4049	130	North China Plain	12	38
81	Yangdi [56]	陽翟	Henan, PRC	770-221 BC/Eastern Zhou	33.866937	113.446075	85	North China Plain	5
82	Jiazhuang [44]	賈莊	Henan, PRC	2600-2000 BC/Longshan Culture	33.809822	113.508243	82	North China Plain	1
83	Jiahu [62]	賈湖	Henan, PRC	7000-6200 BC/Jiahu Culture	33.612622	113.667383	70	North China Plain	9
84	Tianli [9,63]	天利	Henan, PRC	770-256 BC/ Eastern Zhou	34.368713	113.736025	114	North China Plain		13
85	Xinzheng City [56]	新鄭市	Henan, PRC	1046-221 BC/Western and Eastern Zhou	34.396609	113.753075	107	North China Plain	75
86	Laodaojing [64]	老道井	Henan, PRC	476-221 BC/Warring States	35.4065	113.913412	106	North China Plain	24
87	Bagou [54]	叭溝	Inner Mongolia, PRC	AD 120-386/Eastern Han	40.951547	113.937875	1576	Ulanqab grassland	5
88	Haojiatai [44]	郝家台	Henan, PRC	2600-2000 BC/Longshan Culture	33.592542	114.031276	64	North China Plain	11
89	Liuzhuang [65]	劉莊	Henan, PRC	1750-1600 BC/Proto-Shang	35.605103	114.132122	98	North China Plain	21
90	Songzhuang [63]	宋莊	Henan, PRC	770-220 BC/Eastern Zhou	35.562036	114.244393	69	North China Plain		48
91	Jiangjialiang [66]	姜家梁	Hebei, PRC	3300-3000 VC/Xiaoheyan Culture	40.2	114.283333	1347	Yongding River Basin	25
92	Yinxu [18,[67], [68], [69], [70]	殷墟	Henan, PRC	1250 - 1046 BC/Late Shang Dynasty	36.13944	114.3031	82	North China Plain	142(71)	120(9)
93	Gu'an [71]	固岸	Henan, PRC	AD 534-550/Eastern Wei to AD 550-577/ Northern Qi	36.229459	114.311262	91	North China Plain	4
94	Nancheng [72]	南城	Hebei, PRC	2000-1600 BC/Proto-Shang	36.50347	114.375754	81	North China Plain	75(20)
95	Pingliangtai [44]	平糧台	Henan, PRC	2600-2000 BC/Longshan Culture	33.683665	114.907931	44	North China Plain	8
96	Liujiazhuang [73]	劉家莊	Shandong, PRC	1086-919 BC/Shang Dynasty	36.421557	116.838755	142	North China Plain	20
97	Xiaojingshan [74]	小荊山	Shandong, PRC	6060-5750 BC/Houli Culture	36.496515	116.844681	67	North China Plain	10
98	Oupan kiln [75]	歐盤窯	Anhui, PRC	AD 534-644/Sui-Tang Dynasty	34.137875	117.054959	36	North China Plain	1
99	Dawenkou [76]	大汶口	Shandong, PRC	3700-2450 BC/Dawenkou Culture	35.939856	117.09958	97	North China Plain	26	24
100	Xigongqiao [77]	西公橋	Shandong, PRC	3000-2500 BC/Dawenkou Culture	34.937363	117.23151	53	North China Plain	3
101	Houjiazhai [78]	候家寨	Anhui, PRC	5350-3250 BC/Houjiazhai Culture	32.517778	117.272222	33	Jianghuai Plain		52
102	Zhalainuoer [79]	扎賚諾爾	Inner Mongolia, PRC	220 BC-150 AD/Eastern Han	49.451343	117.750787	543	Steppe	1(1)	1(1)
103	Liangwangcheng [80]	梁王城	Jiangsu, PRC	3000-2500BC/Dawenkou Culture	34.505537	117.793111	26	North China Plain	27	12
104	Jinggouzi [81]	井溝子	Inner Mongolia, PRC	650-350 BC/Jinggouzi Culture	43.382352	118.250093	1030	Inner Mongolian Plateau	10
105	Boyangcheng [82]	薄陽城	Anhui, PRC	1122-771 BC/Western Zhou	32.200878	118.295896	39	Yangtze River Delta	39	29
106	Dashanqian [83]	大山前	Inner Mongolia, PRC	800-300 BC/Upper Xiajiadian	42.203063	118.81785	694	Yan Mountains	9
107	Junzhuang [84]	軍莊	Jiangsu, PRC	206 BC-25 AD/Western Han	32.947137	118.886298	23	Jianghuai Plain	9
108	Sanxingcun [85]	三星村	Jiangsu, PRC	4500-3500 BC/Sanxingcun Culture	31.681159	119.493831	5	Yangtze River Delta	18
109	Dongwuzhuer [79]	東烏珠爾	Inner Mongolia, PRC	222 BC-150 AD/Eastern Han	49.23139	119.70473	627	Steppe	4(4)	4(4)
110	Tuanjie [79]	團結	Inner Mongolia, PRC	221 BC-150 AD/Eastern Han	49.228	119.80145	641	Steppe	1(1)	1(1)
111	Beiqian [86,87]	北遷	Shangdong, PRC	4100-3500 BC/Dawenkou Culture and 1046-256 BC/Zhou Dynasty	36.600228	120.740882	33	North China Plain	42	32
112	Lamadong [88]	喇嘛洞	Liaoning, PRC	300-450 AD/Sanyan Culture	41.800152	120.770245	220	Highland	20
113	Tianluoshan [89]	田螺山	Zhejiang, PRC	5050-3050 BC/ Hemudu Culture	30.036505	121.400808	49	Yangtze River Delta	9	33
114	Tashan [90]	塔山	Zhejiang, PRC	3950-2250 BC/Liangzhu Culture	29.478818	121.883833	5	Yangtze River Delta	1	6
115	Tianrui Cement Plant [91]	天瑞水泥廠	Liaoning, PRC	220 BC-220 AD/the Han Dynasties	40.275651	122.197996	20	Coastal	12	6
116	Xiaozhushan [92]	小珠山	Liaoning, PRC	4750-2150 BC/Xiaozhushan Culture	39.187535	122.359547	27	Island		81
117	Tuerji Mountain Tomb [93]	吐爾基山遼墓	Inner Mongolia, PRC	AD 916-1125/ Liao Dynasty	43.652	122.8376	166	Sanhe Plain	1
118	Shuangta [94]	雙塔	Jilin, PRC	4500-4000 BC/Huangjia Weizi Culture	45.3946	122.95867	153	Horqin Grassland		5
119	Daejuk-ri [95]	대죽리	Chungcheongnam-do, Republic of Korea	2500-1900 BC/Late Chulmun	37.003235	126.401251	12	Coastal	1
120	Gonam-ri [96]	고남리	Chungcheongnam-do, Republic of Korea	2100-1100 BC/Late Chulmun	36.416	126.41	6	Coastal	1
121	Yeongdong-ri [97]	영동리	Jeollanam-do, Republic of Korea	AD 300-600/Baekje Period	35.003	126.64	7	Naju Plain	9
122	Pungnap Toseong Fotress [98]	풍납 토성	Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea	18 BC-AD 475/Baekje Period	37.538214	127.122025	20	Han River Plain		17
123	Ando [95]	안도	Jeollanam-do, Republic of Korea	6000-5000 BC/Incipient Chulmun	34.488231	127.810068	70	Island	5	8
124	Troitskiy Cemetery [99]	Трóицкое кладбище	Amur Oblast, Russian Federation	AD 698-926/Balhae	50.740585	127.933789	138	Amur-Zeya Plain	4
125	Neukdo [100]	늑도	Gyeongsangnam-do, Republic of Korea	550-300 BC/Late Mumun to 300 BC-AD 1 /early Iron Age	34.924232	128.034867	18	Island	48	45
126	Sunheung Mural Tomb [101]	순흥 벽화 고분	Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea	AD 300-688/ Three Kingdoms Period	36.912756	128.565621	233	Jungnyeong Mountain	7(7)
127	Janghang [102]	장항	Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea	Early Neolithic	35.057563	128.80703	6	Island	10
128	Yean-ri [103]	예안리	Gyeongsangnam-do, Republic of Korea	AD 300-688/ Gaya Culture	35.259	128.955	181	Hill	109
129	Daepo [104]	대포	Gyeongsangnam-do, Republic of Korea	5000-4400 BP/Early Chulmun	35.259	128.955	181	Island	5
130	Dongsam-dong [105]	동삼동	Gyeongsangnam-do, Republic of Korea	3500-2000 BC/Middle Chulmun	35.07113	129.079751	5	Island	1	20
131	Dongnae Paechong [106]	동래 패총	Gyeongsangnam-do, Republic of Korea	AD 21-337	35.205	129.082	10	Coastal	1	16
132	Gyeongju [107]	경주	Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea	57 BC-AD 935/ Silla Kingdom	35.82748	129.21327	39	Gyeongju Basin	1
133	Donggung palace and Wolji pond [108]	동궁과 월지 3호	Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea	AD 856-1025/	35.834747	129.226382	56	Gyeongju Basin	4
134	Boisman 2 [109]	Бойсмана-2	Primorye, Russian Federation	4500-2700 BC/Boisman Culture	42.783333	131.28333	0	Coastal	10
135	Cherepakha 13 [110]	Черепаха-13	Primorye, Russian Federation	1410-930 BC/Yankovsky Culture	43.283333	132.3	0	Coastal	11
136	Chertovy Vorota [109]	Чертовые ворота	Primorye, Russian Federation	4800-3900 BC	44.483333	135.5	371	Khanka Lowlands	2

Table 2

Summary of sites that are entirely excluded, listed in chronologically order.

Site	Local name	Location (modern reference)	Period/Culture	Excluded reason	Note
Xinglongwa [111]	興隆漥	Inner Mongolia, PRC	c. 6200-5400 BC/Xinlongwa Culture; 4700-2900BC/Hongshan Culture; 2200-1600 BC/Lower Xiajiadian Culture	Collagen QC not provided
Beishouling [112]	北首嶺	Shaanxi, PRC	c. 5100-3790 BC/ Yangshao Culture	Collagen QC not provided
Xiaowu [113]	曉塢	Henen, PRC	c. 5000-3000 BC/ Yangshao Culture	Collagen QC not provided
Xipo [114]	西坡	Shaanxi, PRC	c. 5000-3000 BC/Yangshao Culture	Collagen QC not provided
Xishan [114]	西山	Henan, PRC	c. 5000-3000 BC/ Yangshao Culture	Collagen QC not provided
Yuhuazhai [114]	魚化寨	Henen, PRC	c. 5000-3000 BC/Yangshao Culture	Collagen QC not provided
Banpo [112]	半坡	Shaanxi, PRC	c. 4800-3300 BC/Banpo Culture	Collagen QC not provided
Guanjia [115]	關家	Henan, PRC	c. 4000-3500 BC/ Middle Yangshao	Raw data not provided in report	Raw data provided in Liu et al., [116].
Songze [111]	崧澤	Shanghai, PRC	c. 4000-3300 BC/Songze Culture	Collagen QC not provided
Changdao Beizhuang [111]	長島北莊	Shandong, PRC	c. 4000-1900 BC/Dawenkou Culture	Collagen QC not provided
Lingyanghe [112]	凌陽河	Shandong, PRC	c. 4000-1900 BC/Dawenkou Culture	Collagen QC not provided
Qixia Guzhendu [111]	栖霞古鎮	Shanxi, PRC	c. 4000-1900 BC/Dawenkou Culture	Collagen QC not provided
Baishicun [112]	白石村	Shandong, PRC	c. 3900-3400 BC/ Baishicun Culture	Collagen QC not provided
Guchengzhai [114]	古城寨	Henen, PRC	c. 3000-1900 BC/Longshan Culture	Collagen QC not provided
Hemudu [111]	河姆渡	Zhejijang, PRC	c. 3000-1000 BC/Hemudu Culture	Collagen QC not provided
Wadian [114]	瓦店	Henen, PRC	c. 3000-1900 BC/Longshan Culture	Collagen QC not provided
Xinzhai [117]	新砦	Henen, PRC	c. 3000-1900 BC/Longshan Culture; 1870-1720 BC/Xinzhai Culture; 1750-1530 BC/Erlitou Culture	All C/N ratios fall outside of acceptable threshold.
Huxizhuang [112]	滸西莊	Shaanxi, PRC	c. 2700-2400 BC/ Miaodigou Culture	Collagen QC not provided
Taosi [112,118]	陶寺	Shanxi, PRC	c. 2300-1900 BC/Taosi Culture	Collagen QC not provided
Guojiashan [119]	郭家山	Gansu, PRC	2463-1525 BC/Machang Culture	Elemental concentrations too high
Qipanshan [119]	棋盤山	Gansu, PRC	2194-2034 BC/Machang Culture	Elemental concentrations too high
Shuikou [119]	水口	Gansu, PRC	2192-1982 BC/Machang Culture	Elemental concentrations too high
Xihuishan [119]	西灰山	Gansu, PRC	1915-1531 BC/Siba Culture	Elemental concentrations too high
Yichuan Nanzhai [111]	伊川南寨	Henen, PRC	c. 1900-1500 BC/Erlitou Culture	Collagen QC not provided
Lijiageleng [119]	李家圪楞	Gansu, PRC	1860-1638 BC/Qijia Culture	Elemental concentrations too high
Erlitou [118,120]	二里頭	Henen, PRC	c. 1750-1500 BC/ Erlitou Culture	Collagen QC not provided
Yanshi Shangcheng [111]	偃師商城	Henen, PRC	c. 1600-1400 BC/ Early Shang	Collagen QC not provided
Dadunwan [119]	大墩灣	Gansu, PRC	1495-1268 BC/Siba Culture	Elemental concentrations too high
Tuba [119]	土壩	Gansu, PRC	1218-1056 BC/Dongjiatai Culture	Elemental concentrations too high
Yinxu [121]	殷墟	Henen, PRC	c. 1250-1046 BC/ Late Shang	Collagen QC not provided	Sacrificial victims from M54
Yinxu [111]	殷墟				Context not specified
Qianzhangda [122]	前掌大	Shandong, PRC	c. 1200-800 BC/Late Shang to early Zhou	Collagen QC not provided
Liulihe [111]	琉璃河	Beijing, PRC	c. 1045-771 BC/Western Zhou	Collagen QC not provided
Xujianian [112]	徐家碾	Gansu, PRC	c. 1000-700 BC/Siwa Culture	Collagen QC not provided
Shangsunjia [111]	上孫家	Qinghai, PRC	c. 900-600 BC/Kayue Culture; 202 BC - AD 220/Han Dynasty	Collagen QC not provided
Zhaojiashuimo [119]	趙家水磨	Gansu, PRC	820-415 BC/Shanma Culture	Elemental concentrations too high
Gudongtan [119]	古董灘	Gansu, PRC	794-431 BC/Shanma Culture	Elemental concentrations too high
Minqin Sanjiaocheng [119]	(民勤)三角城	Gansu, PRC	775-539 BC/Shajing Culture	Elemental concentrations too high
Shichengshan [119]	石城山	Gansu, PRC	c. 770-220 BC/Eastern Zhou	Elemental concentrations too high
Changxinyuan [115]	暢馨園	Henan, PRC	c. 770-220 BC/Eastern Zhou	Raw data not provided in report	Raw data provided in Liu et al., [116].
Linxi Daijing	林西大井	Inner Mongolia, PRC	c. 770-220 BC/Eastern Zhou	Cannot locate reference	Raw data provided in Liu et al., [116].
Xiyasi [115]	西亞斯	Henan, PRC	c. 770-220 BC/Eastern Zhou	Raw data not provided in report	Raw data provided in Liu et al., [116].
Puge Xian [112]	普格縣	Sichuan, PRC	c. 475 BC – AD 220/Warring States to Han	Collagen QC not provided
Qilangshan [123]	七郎山	Inner Mongolia, PRC	c. 220 BC-150 AD/Eastern Han (early Xianbei)	Raw data not provided in report
Yangtun [112]	楊屯	Liaoning, PRC	c. 698-926 AD /Balhae Kingdom	Collagen QC not provided

Experimental Design, Materials and Methods

The area in concern is designed to collect isotopic data that can capture the development and spread of agriculture in Northeast Asia. The earliest evidence of crop domestication in Northeast Asia is found at an early Neolithic site Nanzhuangtou 南莊頭, (c. 9,550–9,050 cal. BC) [124], located about 100km southwest of the modern city of Beijing, PRC (see Fig. 1) – unfortunately, no isotopic data is available from this site. Treating this site as the tentative “ground zero” of the Northeast Asian agricultural revolution, a circle with a radius of roughly 1,500 km is drawn around the site, where isotopic data are collected from within.

In terms of time period, all sites involved are dated between c. 7000 BC to AD 1000. Note that as a majority of the publications describe the chronological periods of archaeological sites using the BC/AD (or BCE/CE) framework, all periods described in BP will be converted to BC/AD. All reported time periods are gathered from the studies reporting the stable isotope data, more refined chronology of the sites may be available in other associated reports.

Geographically, this area is consisted of several distinctive geological features, including plains, mountains, steppes, plateaus, deserts, and islands. A general description of the geographic zones, altitude, and cultural affiliations are included in Table 1. Few coordinates are exact. For a vast majority of the sites, coordinates are extrapolated from textual descriptions, therefore only represent the approximated locations of the sites. Elevations are obtained from mapcoordinates.net (https://www.mapcoordinates.net/en) using the approximated coordinates described above. Distances to the coast (online database only, not shown in Table 1) are estimated using the “measure distance” function on Google Maps. Note that the “coast” refers to the modern coastline as shown on the satellite view on Google maps. Therefore, all these measurements should only be treated as a general reference.

Meta-datasets from archaeological contexts should not be constrained by modern geo-political borders, therefore, the area chosen for data collection is not limited by such. The data included in this dataset come from archaeological sites traversing several modern countries. Therefore, wherever possible, bibliographic information (i.e. author names, article/book/thesis titles), and site names are provided in both the original published language as well as English. This is an important point, as Romanization of site names can be inconsistent across publications: e.g. 乾骨崖 can be spelled as Ganguya [18,119] or Ganguai [7]; and 순흥 벽화 고분 was spelled as Sunhung Mural Tomb in one study [101], and as Sunheung Mural Tomb in others [125,126]. By providing bibliographic information and site names in its original language, users of this dataset should be able to locate the original publication(s) regarding particular site(s), or to pursue more information on particular site(s) beyond the references provided here. Note that the original site names cannot be recovered for two of the sites, Xinhua (Shaanxi, PRC) and Zhanguo (Shaanxi, PRC), due to the lack of precise information provided in the original report [22]. Three other site names from the same report: Lintong, Lixian, and Xunyi are county names and therefore offer little information about the sites. Hence, the coordinates of these five sites are only estimated from the figure provided in the original report.

Data are systemically collected using academic search engines Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.com/), the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (https://www.cnki.net/), and ScienceON (https://scienceon.kisti.re.kr/main/mainForm.do), with keywords such as “archaeology”, “stable isotope analysis”, “collagen”, “carbon isotope”, “n class="Chemical">nitrogen isotope”, “palaeodiet”, in English, Chinese, and Korean. Search results included publications in peer-reviewed journals, research dissertations/theses, and book chapters. Focusing on reports published before December 2019, only collagen (bone and dentine) stable isotope data are collected. In some instances, the same dataset is published in multiple languages. In that case, only one publication is cited. This collection is by no means an exhaustive list of all stable isotopic data from within the described geographical and temporal zones. It is hoped that this effort can serve to initiate more active research sharing and collaborations among Asian archaeologists, and more importantly, to encourage more scholars to contribute their research data from the region to help filling in the temporal and geographical gaps in the current dataset.

Descriptions of the collagen extraction protocol are provided in all reports, mostly following the standard procedure after the Longin method [127], with various minor modifications. Not all studies report conventional QC criteria for collagen. In this collection, only studies that include at least the atomic C/N ratios are included. All data in this dataset has atomic C/N ratios between 2.9 and 3.6, and has passed all other QC criteria, whenever included [1], [2], [3], [4]. While there are certain advantages to also include data that is not reported with, or did not pass the QC criteria, the key priority of this database is to allow users to obtain data that is immediately comparable. Therefore, users interested in those excluded data are recommended to seek out the original reports. For stable sulfur isotope data, even though most studies follow the QC outlined in Nehlich & Richards’ report [128], the efficacy of using %S to determine whether diagenetic changes have taken place is debated [129]. Therefore, before a universally accepted QC for stable n class="Chemical">sulfur isotope measurements in collagen is established, all previously published δ34S values are included in this dataset, along with information of their elemental compositions (%S, C/S, N/S). Users are encouraged to check the elemental compositions associated with all S isotope data in this dataset carefully before selecting the data for analysis.

Most studies report isotopic measurements to 1 significant figure. However, some report up to 3 significant figures. To ensure consistency, all isotope measurements are round up to 1 significant figure. Regarding precision, accuracy, and overall uncertainty of measurements, unfortunately, very few studies reported detailed information regarding check standards and calibration methods. Furthermore, it has been noticed that non-matrix matched materials (i.e., non-collagen) were used as internal standards in some instances. Unfortunately, there is little that can be done post-hoc, therefore users are warned that a level of assumption has to be made concerning the comparability and compatibility of the data. Future studies are thus urged to report carefully and fully on their calibration methods, as detailed in Szpak et al.’s study [130].

Last but not the least, high elemental concentrations (e.g. averages of %C and %N higher than 45% and 15%, respectively) have been observed in several studies [21,22,35,54,119]. As the collagen yields, atomic C/N ratios, and isotopic measurements appear to be admissible for most samples, it is speculated that the unusually high elemental concentration was a result of calibration error, which could be rectified if the elemental concentrations of the standards were provided. Another possibility is that the higher than usual elemental concentrations may be a result of contamination. At current stage, it is not possible to draw any conclusion without detailed measurements from the standards used in these analytical sessions. Herein, data from all but one report [119] are still included in this collection, provided the samples still meet the conventional QC criteria. Data from Yang et al., [119] are excluded for now, as the elemental concentrations (%C and %N) for more than half of the samples analysed are higher than those of the conventional acceptable thresholds [3]. It is hoped that these data can be added to the collection in the future if the problem proves to be a calibration issue.

Ethics Statement

This study does not involve any modern human or animal subject.

CRediT Author Statement

Christina Cheung: Conceptualization, Methodology, Data curation, Writing.

Declaration of Competing Interest

The author declares that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships which have or could be perceived to have influenced the work reported in this article.

Subject	Social Sciences – Archaeology
Specific subject area	Stable isotope analysisCollagen (bone and dentine)CarbonNitrogenSulfurPalaeodietSubsistence economyArchaeologyAnthropology
Type of data	TableFigure
How data were acquired	Collated from published articles, dissertations/theses, and book chapters.
Data format	Raw
Parameters for data collection	This compilation only includes data that are reported alongside atomic C/N ratios. For those that are published along with any additional collagen quality control (QC) criteria, only those that has passed the conventional criteria are included: %C between 15.3% and 47%; %N between 5.5% and 17.3%; and atomic C/N ratio between 2.9 and 3.6 [1], [2], [3], [4]. Sulfur isotope data are not screened, and are included with %S, C/S, and N/S ratios as reported (please refer to the main text for more discussion on the QC for sulfur isotope measurements).
Description of data collection	A systematic literature review was conducted using Google Scholar, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and ScienceON, focusing on reports published before December 2019.
Data source location	This collection of data is consisted of a total of 3,304 previously published human and faunal collagen (bone and dentine) stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data (δ13C and δ15N) from archaeological sites (n = 136) located between 29–51˚N, 96–136˚ E. The area covers parts of the modern territories of the People's Republic of China (PRC), Mongolia, the Russian Federation, and the Republic of Korea. Coordinates of the sites are provided in Table 1, reported in the geodetic reference system WGS 84. In addition, 249 corroborating stable sulfur isotope data (δ34S) from 15 sites are also included. All sites are dated between 7000 BC to AD 1000. For details of primary data sources please refer to Table 1 below.
Data accessibility	The dataset is deposited in IsoArcH (www.isoarch.eu) [5] with the following digital object identifier (DOI): https://doi.org/10.48530/isoarch.2021.001