A new study has used chemical analysis of ancient bones to reconstruct the diet of a Chinese emperor who ruled during the final, troubled decades of the Tang dynasty. The research marks the first time scientists have applied stable isotope analysis to the remains of a Tang dynasty ruler.
The emperor, Xizong, ruled China from 873 to 888 and died at age 26. His remains were recovered from the Jingling Mausoleum in Shaanxi province. Researchers tested a rib bone and found a radiocarbon date of 882 to 995 AD, a range that lines up with the historical record of his death.
The study measured two chemical signatures in the bone, carbon and nitrogen, which together show what kinds of plants and how much meat a person ate over their lifetime.
Xizong’s results showed lower nitrogen levels than those of two other Chinese royals who have undergone similar testing, suggesting he ate less meat and animal protein than they did.
Chinese emperor of the Tang Dynasty tested for diet clues
Researchers compared Xizong’s results to those of Emperor Wu, who ruled the Northern Zhou dynasty from 560 to 578, and Yang Yong, a crown prince of the Sui dynasty who died in 604.
Both of those royals showed higher nitrogen levels in their bones than Xizong did, pointing to richer diets. Xizong’s carbon levels fell between the other two, showing a mixed diet of wheat and millet rather than a diet weighted heavily toward one or the other.
The findings line up with what historians already know about Xizong’s reign. He took the throne as a child and relied heavily on palace eunuchs to run the government. His rule was marked by a severe famine and by major uprisings, including one led by the rebel leader Huang Chao.
Those forces captured the capital city of Chang’an in the early 880s, forcing Xizong to flee. He spent years away from the capital before returning to a weakened and divided empire.
By the time he died, central authority had broken down across much of the country, and the dynasty collapsed less than 20 years later.
War and famine left their mark on the diet
Researchers say the gap in diet between Xizong and earlier royals may reflect the disruption of his time. Wars, famine, and loss of control over large parts of the empire could have limited the food available even to the emperor himself.
The study adds to a growing body of research using bone chemistry to study China’s ruling class across different dynasties, including earlier work on elite figures from the Northern Zhou and Sui periods and on ordinary residents of Chang’an during the Tang dynasty.
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