Research Progress on the Livelihood Patterns of Ancient Central Asian Populations Based on Stable Isotope Analysis

The Central Asian area was one of the core cultural areas in the ancient world and played a vital role in the process of world civilization and multi-ethnic integration. Hence, the reconstruction and restoration of the long-term food structures and the livelihood economy of the ancestors in this region have garnered significant attention. As the stable isotope data of the ancestors and animals’ hard tissues in this region have continuously accumulated and enriched, the contours of the ancestors’ food structure and the development and changes in their livelihood economy from the perspective of stable isotopes have become increasingly clear. In light of this, after collating and summarizing the published stable isotope data of humans and animals from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age in this region, and analysing the current hot research issues, it is noted that the sites where stable isotope analyses have been conducted are mostly concentrated in the northern part of Central Asia, while there are relatively fewer stable isotope achievements in the southern part. The research hotspots are centred on discussions of animal husbandry strategies, especially for goats and sheep, and the phenomenon of vertical grazing; the emergence and spread of C4 plants in Central Asia; and there is less research on population migration using strontium isotopes. The results indicate that from the Neolithic Age to the Iron Age in the northern part of Central Asia, the livelihood patterns of the ancestors underwent considerable changes; in the southern part of Central Asia, since the second millennium BC, a relatively stable livelihood pattern with agriculture as the mainstay and animal husbandry as a supplement has formed, with little change.