Politicising violence - an isotopic case study of human sacrificial rituals in Bronze Age China

Christina Cheung

This talk will explore the complex interplay between ritual violence and political power in Bronze Age China. At Yinxu, the last capital of Shang Dynasty, abundant evidence of large-scale sacrificial events involving both humans and/or animals has been uncovered. Focusing on the stable isotope data (C,N,S) of human sacrificial victims at Yinxu, we explore several possible motivations behind such practices – were these sacrificial humans offerings to the gods or were the acts strategic political propaganda? By drawing on historical, archaeological, and stable isotopic data, the discussion highlights how a multi-proxy approach can enrich interpretation of the past, shedding new light on topics that are often difficult to grasp within an archaeological context.