Abstract
Stable isotope analysis has long been a key approach for reconstructing ancient human and animal diets and mobility in archaeology. Over the past four decades, and particularly during the past decade, isotopic datasets in China have expanded rapidly, creating a clear need for timely updates to comprehensive compilations. Existing compilations primarily focus on human bone carbon and nitrogen isotope data, while omitting animal and plant multi-isotope datasets, as well as strontium isotope records. In this study, we present the Isotope Dataset for Archaeological Biological Remains in China, the most comprehensive dataset to date. It compiles nearly 20,700 isotope measurements (1984–2026) spanning the Palaeolithic to historical periods across major cultural regions. The dataset integrates multi-isotope data (δ13C, δ15N, δ18O, δ34S, and 87Sr/86Sr) from human and animal tissues (e.g., bone, dentine, enamel, hair) and plant remains, alongside archaeological, chronological, and geographic data. Chronological control is provided by radiocarbon dates, cultural chronology, and stratigraphic information; quality indicators (collagen yield, %C, %N, %S, C/N ratios, C/S ratios, N/S ratios) are recorded where available. Hosted on the open-access Zenodo platform, the dataset provides an up-to-date resource for cross-study and cross-regional comparisons of archaeological isotope data in China, supporting future sampling strategies.
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Data availability
All data generated and analysed in this study have been deposited in Zenodo (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18816437).
Code availability
No custom code was used in the generation, processing, or analysis of the dataset described in this Data Descriptor.
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Acknowledgements
This study was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2024YFC3306700), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 42402192), and the Open Research Fund of the Center for Archaeological Science, Sichuan University (Grant No. 24SASA04). We thank Dr. Yongchao Ma from Sichuan University for helpful discussions during manuscript preparation.
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Y. Zhang collected and curated the dataset and drafted the original manuscript. X. Wang supervised the study, contributed to figure preparation, and revised the manuscript during both the initial submission and revision stages.
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Zhang, Y., Wang, X. Isotope dataset for archaeological biological remains in China. Sci Data (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-07089-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-07089-3
