Reconstructing the Tang Royal Diet in China: Stable Isotope Analysis of the Skeletal Remains of Emperor Xizong (862–888
ce
)
Edward Allen, Hailiang Meng, Yingzhao Wang, Kezhou Xie, Yiyuan Dao, Chenjie Kong, Jianlin Zhang, Zhao Li, Shaoqing Wen, Pengfei Sheng ABSTRACT
This study presents the first isotopic analysis from the skeletal remains of a Tang Dynasty Emperor, casting light on ninth‐century imperial dietary patterns in Chang'an. Compared with northern Chinese populations, the diet of Emperor Xizong diet featured fewer mixed C 3 /C 4 ‐based agricultural products and animal protein than earlier Imperial elites, such as Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou and the Crown Prince of Sui. Poor nutrition in Xizong's later years may reflect contemporary sociopolitical turmoil, which unlike earlier Emperors clearly affected Xizong's diet and lifestyle. This essay offers new insights and an overview of the dietary shifts of Chang'an royals from the 6th to 9th centuries.