식이 분석을 통한 한국 선사시대 사회구조 이해의 새로운 시도-인간 유해 자료의 동위원소 분석 결과를 중심으로-

초록

Recent studies of Prehistoric social structures have suggested new interpretive possibilities through bioarchaeological approaches. Bioarchaeological methods are used to infer social relationships such as social status, gendered divisions of labor, and hierarchical organization by examining differences in health conditions and labor intensity reflected in human skeletal remains. Accordingly, bioarchaeology is a useful tool for understanding prehistoric social structures and social differentiation by linking individual life histories with their broader social contexts. This study applies stable isotope analysis to human remains from archaeological sites to investigate dietary patterns and social classification in Prehistoric Korea. By examining differences in dietary patterns according to sex, age, and individuals, this research explores social differentiation reflected in dietary practices. Furthermore, the results of this analysis are considered alongside previous studies that have examined social structures through the multidimensional analysis of factors such as human remains, burial structures, and associated grave artifacts. By combining the analysis of dietary patterns with burial systems, this study aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding of patterns of social differentiation in prehistoric societies. Stable isotopic studies on dietary patterns suggest that there was no clear social stratification based on sex or age during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. Distinct dietary differences associated with social status or gender become more clearly visible only during the Three Kingdom period. In contrast, researches on burial practices indicate that the formation of social hierarchies and increasing horizontal segmentation within communities began as early as the Bronze Age. This discrepancy between the two approaches to social differentiation may suggest that the social hierarchies expressed through mortuary practices were not directly reflected in the daily dietary practices of individuals. In other words, dietary patterns tend to be relatively stable and conservative. Even when drastic changes occur in subsistence economies or social stratification, these shifts are not immediately reflected in diet; rather, clear dietary differences tend to emerge only when social stratification and hierarchical differentiation become more pronounced and well-established.

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