Abstract: The Qinglongquan site lies in Yunxian, Hubei Province. Excavations at the site yielded some remains with Yangshao, Qujialing and Shijiahe culture patterns. Based on the analysis of the archaeological remains, the site is believed to be a transitional region between North and South China Neolithic. Evidence from excavation and isotope analysis shows the Qinglongquan residents had remarkable skills in agriculture, stockbreeding, fishing and hunting. While people relied on millet agriculture as well as animal resources, the prevailing type of economy is still in question.
In order to investigate the diets and economic type of people living at the site, 1075 teeth from 87 individuals were examined for rate of their attrition, caries, antemortem tooth loss and robustness of jaw bones.
Compared to the other Neolithic populations in China, the Qinglongquan human teeth were characterized by a lesser degree of tooth wear on average, a higher frequency of caries, less antemortem tooth loss and oblique molar wear. The robustness of jaw bones is less pronounced and suggests that the Qinglongquan residents consumed more extensively prepared food rich in carbohydrate. The authors believed that the agriculture was thriving in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River before 5,000 years ago, millet and other grains had reached a dominant position in diet and residents of Qinglongquan might have aquired abundant knowledge of food processing.

Key words: Tooth wear; Caries; Diets; Archaeology; Physical anthropology; Qinglongquan