The Dashuitian Neolithic site is an important archaeological discovery in the Three Gorges region dating from 6300-5300 years ago. A large number of human bones with rich burial types are rarely found in this region. Based on the study of 248 human bones excavated from the Dashuitian site in 2014, this paper reveals the demographic characteristics, reproductive risk, health condition, nutritional levels, height and burial systems of the Neolithic inhabitants in the Three Gorges area. Furthermore, the subsistence economy, human-environment relationships and the evolutionary characteristics of burial patterns are discussed.
The number of male is more than female, showing a weak “high sex ratio” phenomenon. The demographic structure of the inhabitants of Dashuitian is more stable than the Daxi site. The living conditions of minors were bad. The mortality rate is very high, especially for infants and young children. Most inhabitants died in middle age. Few people lived to the old age, reflecting the generally low life expectancy of inhabitants. Males have higher mortality rates than females in both middle and prime age, which is related to the heavier manual labor and greater risk of death in productive activities. Males are not found in adolescence, and the female mortality rate is very high during this period. Because women were exposed to greater reproductive risks during pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium.
The prevalence of dental caries indicates that the survival strategies were dominated by the use of wildlife, especially aquatic organisms. The production economy was transitioning from hunter-gatherer to agricultural. Dry farming was primitive, with poor production techniques and low levels of sophistication. This transitional productive economy had also caused anaemia. Joint diseases mainly involve the knee, elbow, vertebrae and foot joints. The vertebral and elbow joints in male were severely affected. Male played an important role in agricultural production. Simple cutting tools and slash-and-burn farming methods put a heavy load on the joints. In addition, the mountainous environment was an important factor leading to the high incidence of foot arthritis. The fracture rate is very low, reflecting the stability and peace of the society. Traumatic injuries mostly occurred during daily work. Studies on height have shown that male used to have lower levels of development than female. In general, prehistoric inhabitants in the Three Gorges area had certain adaptability to the mountainous environment with dense water network and abundant wild resources. They made full use of the mountainous resources and adopted the survival strategy of fishing and hunting as the mainstay, supplemented by agriculture. However, due to the special geomorphic features and closure, the agricultural production level was very backward, and people were vulnerable to trauma and diseases in their daily life and production. To some extent, they had non-benign interaction with environment.
In addition, studies on burial styles have shown that people consciously placed the bodies of the dead during burials. Not only did they place the heads mainly toward the east or northeast, but they also bent the lower limbs of the most deceased, and even tied the bodies into the graves with tools such as ropes, vines, and tree bark. The Daxi culture, which is characterized by the flexed burial, had a profound influence on the culture of Central Plains in the past. But at the same time, with the impact of foreign culture, the flexed burial in Daxi culture had undergone a diachronic change from “bending” to “straight”.
