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Humans, Volume 6, Issue 3 (September 2026) – 2 articles

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15 pages, 1563 KB  
Article
Matriarchs and Metopism: An Analysis of the Wari Iconographic Representation of the Skull
by Louise Deglin
Humans 2026, 6(3), 22; https://doi.org/10.3390/humans6030022 - 29 Jun 2026
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Abstract
While skeletal imagery appears across various ancient Andean traditions, the Wari Empire (c. 600–1000 CE) developed a uniquely standardized and widespread skull motif—the uma tullu—distributed throughout its former territory. Through an analysis of 63 artifacts spanning ceramic, textile, and metal, this study [...] Read more.
While skeletal imagery appears across various ancient Andean traditions, the Wari Empire (c. 600–1000 CE) developed a uniquely standardized and widespread skull motif—the uma tullu—distributed throughout its former territory. Through an analysis of 63 artifacts spanning ceramic, textile, and metal, this study identifies key diagnostic markers of the motif: the representation of the metopic suture and the application of red pigment. By cross-referencing these stylistic features with bioarchaeological data, the research posits that the uma tullu served as a central communicative device. In the absence of a formal script, this motif may have encoded imperial values and ancestral cult practices, facilitating ideological expansion and state identity. Ultimately, this work demonstrates how standardized iconography functioned as a system of graphic communication and ideological cohesion in the Middle Horizon Andes. Full article
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15 pages, 2964 KB  
Article
Dietary Reconstruction of Migrant Populations in the Core Region of Early China
by Yuze Sun
Humans 2026, 6(3), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/humans6030021 - 25 Jun 2026
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Abstract
This study focuses on 91 human individuals from the Western Zhou period excavated from the Jucun cemetery in Jiang County, southern Shanxi Province, and examines their dietary structure and its changes within the context of population movements in early China. Stable carbon and [...] Read more.
This study focuses on 91 human individuals from the Western Zhou period excavated from the Jucun cemetery in Jiang County, southern Shanxi Province, and examines their dietary structure and its changes within the context of population movements in early China. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis was employed, combined with archaeological phase divisions, to compare dietary patterns across different periods. The results show that the Jucun population exhibits a diet dominated by C4 resources, with a mean δ13C value of −8.0 ± 0.7‰ and a mean δ15N value of 8.6 ± 0.9‰, indicating a relatively low level of animal protein intake. Diachronic analysis indicates that δ13C values remain generally stable throughout the Western Zhou period, whereas δ15N values show a decreasing trend. Regional comparison further shows that populations of different origins all fall within the isotopic range characterized by millet-based agriculture in southern Shanxi. Overall, the dietary structure of this population exhibits a convergence toward an agriculture-based pattern centered on millet. This study provides bioarchaeological evidence for subsistence transformation and cultural integration among mobile populations in the Central Plains during the Western Zhou period. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Migration in Anthropological Perspective)
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