Abstract
 

The field of zooarchaeology has several research objectives that include understanding the types of animals exploited by ancient people in various regions, the ancient environments that surrounded archaeological sites, the nature of past human-animal interactions, and the nature of ancient human behaviors. This book lays a solid foundation for understanding the unique, diverse, and important innovations and outcomes of zooarchaeological research in China. 
 

From the 1930s to 1980s, the practice of zooarchaeology in China was still in its formative stage. The main zooarchaeological research was focused on identifying the faunal remains excavated from archaeological sites while also reconstructing past environmental conditions and human animal exploitation practice, researching animal domestication, and actively drawing from zooarchaeological methods developed outside of China. Since the 1990s, Chinese zooarchaeology has entered a period of development. Research topics include the origins of domestic animals, the process and development of animal husbandry, ancient meat acquisition patterns, the role of animals in ceremonial and religious rituals, bone artifact production and its relationship to craft production in general, and the use of animal secondary products. These are all important topics that inform studies of human history. Moreover, zooarchaeology has become more scientific through the development and combination of other methods including studies of morphology, statistics, ancient DNA, and stable isotopes.  

　　
Zooarchaeological research focuses on animal remains excavated from archaeological sites. Therefore its main objectives fall within the realm of the humanities and social sciences that seek to explore past human-animal interactions and reveal developments in human animal use. However, because animals are the primary objects of zooarchaeological research, zooarchaeological methods and interpretations are closely related to the field of zoology. Principles from zoology can be applied to zooarchaeology based on the theory of uniformitarianism—that natural laws observed in the modern world also apply to the past. For example, zooarchaeologists study taxonomy to determine animal species, faunal assemblage and animal evolutionary history; anatomy to determine morphological characteristics for identifying animal remains; zoogeography to determine distributions of animal taxa, and animal ecology to determine the behavioral characteristics of animals. Additionally, taphonomy and cultural ecology provide a scientific and sociological basis for understanding excavation contexts and human behaviors involving animals. Using these methods, zooarchaeology helps us to meet the needs of archaeological research.

　　
This book provides a general introduction on methods for collecting faunal remains in the field. These include the comprehensive collection of animal bones during excavation, the implementation of sampling strategies, and the extraction of complete skeletons. It also discusses procedures for cleaning bones, re-joining broken specimens, identifying bones, measuring bones, making observations about marks on bone surfaces, weighing bones, recording data, and other methods involved in sorting animal bones in the laboratory. The author provides a comprehensive overview of the primary methods of zooarchaeological data analysis including comparisons of size measurements and species frequencies using quantitative statistics, construction of age profiles, analysis of markings on bone surfaces, analysis of the materials and methods used to make bone artifacts, analysis of ancient DNA, analysis of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes, and analysis of strontium isotopes. The author also summarizes methods used to identify domestic animals including the analysis of physical characteristics, geometric morphometrics, pathologies, demographic, abundance, burial contexts, ancient DNA, stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes, and historical texts. 

　　
The ancient Chinese saying “Liuchuxingwang” meaning “thriving of the six domestic animals” (i.e., dogs, pigs, sheep and goats, cattle and water buffalo, horses, and chickens), is a saying that symbolizes prosperity. This book discusses the origin of these six main domesticates in China including the when, where, and possible motivations for their emergence. Additionally, zooarchaeological data and information from historical texts are used to discuss the history of domestication for fish, ducks, geese, donkeys, mules, camels, and other domestic animals in China. The process of domestication and emergence of domestic animals can be divided into two modes. The first is characterized by the domestication of indigenous wild animals after a long period of coexistence as people progressively controlled these animals to greater degrees. Dogs and pigs both fit into the first mode. The second mode is characterized by the introduction of domesticated species from other regions through cultural exchange. Horses, cattle and water buffalo, and sheep and goats all fit into the second mode. The domestication of animals from wild species shows that ancient people had an ability to modify nature. Through the process of domestication and the development of animal husbandry, raising animals became an important part of the ancient agricultural economy, forming a key aspect of human history. The husbandry of those domestic animals in China not only provided a stable source of meat, milk, and other food products, but also played a role in promoting agricultural and craft production, enhancing people’s capability for military combat, and promoting greater capacity for transportation. In addition, domestic animals also held a unique place in past human ritual spiritual practices.

　　
This book also discusses trends in ancient meat acquisition patterns based on the results of zooarchaeological analyses of over 200 archaeological sites. Meat acquisition patterns can be summarized as falling into three types: dependence on wild animals, preliminary exploitation of domestic animals, and intensive exploitation of domestic animals. In summarizing the characteristics of these three forms of meat acquisition, it is possible to create a model for the development of animal exploitation in which ancient societies moved from dependence on wild animals, to preliminary exploitation of domestic animals, and finally to intensive exploitation of domestic animals. Gradually through time, ancient Chinese people improved their capacity for acquiring meat resources to meet their subsistence needs. However, to understand these processes we also need to consider regional cultural traditions and how the natural environment and distribution of wild animal resources impacted human activities. During the Chinese Neolithic period in the northeastern plains and parts of the Inner Mongolian plateau, fishing and hunting were the primary means of meat acquisition. However, hunting and fishing was also supplemented occasionally by raising domestic animals. In the Yellow River valley, raising domestic animals was the primary means of meat acquisition, but was supplemented by hunting and fishing. In the Yangtze River valley, although some sites relied on more intensive domestic animal exploitation, most sites focused on hunting and fishing with only supplemental domestic animal husbandry. In the Lingnan region, people at some sites merely relied on hunting and fishing while hunting and fishing were also supplemented by raising domestic animals at some other sites. The way people in particular region established and improved their unique modes of subsistence reflects cultural adaptations to local environmental conditions based on local cultural tradition. At a fundamental level, these different subsistence systems were established passively according to the constraints of the available natural resources. Therefore the author argues for a “passive development” point of view. During the historical period, the meat acquisition strategies used in each region continued to develop based on the local traditions established during the Neolithic. In close relation to the environmental conditions and specific developments in the culture and history of each region, the livestock industry became more important or extensively developed by spreading in different regions over time with human populations grew and societies developed.

　　
Ancient Chinese funerary offerings and burial practices often involve domestic animals. Pigs played the most important role in funerary rituals during the Neolithic. Funerary offerings containing pigs include offerings of complete animals, pig skulls, skulls and limbs together, mandibles, mandibles and limbs together, mandibles and complete limbs containing phalanges, mandibles and feet, or pig teeth. Burials sometimes include complete pig skeletons, pig skulls, or pig skulls and limbs together. The author also notes regional similarities and differences in funerary and burial practices involving pigs. Although funerary and burial practices frequently included complete dog skeletons, the use of dogs was much less common and less widespread than the use of pigs. During the Late and Terminal Neolithic periods, sheep and cattle became more common in burial contexts. In the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, pig, cattle, and sheep forelimbs were sometimes included as offerings in large graves. Along with the increasing social complexity and social hierarchy seen at Shang Dynasty capital sites, horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, and dogs all took on important roles in various types of sacrificial rituals. In contrast, people in rural communities also offered pigs and dogs in sacrificial rituals like their Neolithic progenitors had done. 

　　
Zooarchaeology is a subfield of archaeology. Therefore, when exploring the origins of domestic animals, the development of animal management systems, the use of animals in ritual practice, the use of animals for labor power, the role of animals in warfare, or the role of animals in cultural exchanges, it is necessary to take a regional approach and to use archaeological regional cultural traditions as a guide for creating comprehensive comparisons. When conducting zooarchaeological research on historical periods whose societies had already reached advanced levels of social complexity and social hierarchy, it is important to include data from historical texts and to carefully consider the archaeological context of excavated faunal remains in order to fully understand the various ways animals were valued and used. Chinese zooarchaeology still has a few key research topics that need to be addressed in more depth including bone working and bone crafts, secondary animal products exploitation, the role of animals in art, and the use of animals in warfare and as beasts of burden etc. These research topics are indispensable directions in the future  that will deepen our understanding of the history of ancient Chinese agricultural production, animal husbandry, craft production, and warfare etc.