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Although there is little question that societal scale and mode of production from foraging to farming correlate with increases in economic inequality, there is no consensus over the relative importance of those factors or the role of institutions in the variance of inequality across time and space. To better understand the dynamics of economic inequality, it is necessary to expand our analytical horizon beyond the present into the deeper past. However, an analytical protocol especially oriented towards the systematic study of economic inequality with archaeological data is lacking. Here we propose the utility of grave size as a reliable proxy for estimating prehistoric social inequality and provide a methodological framework for analyzing this type of data. Our case studies using grave-size data from two Neolithic settlements in North and East China suggest that the asymmetric double Pareto distribution can be used as an alternative model to fit to the size distribution of grave wealth usually skewed and long-tailed. Based on the analytical connection between the probability density function and the Lorenz curve, a parsimonious algebraic expression of the Gini coefficient was derived. This analytical protocol also can serve as a convenient tool for quantifying economic inequality in prehistoric societies using other types of archaeological data such as land and house areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The stable carbon isotope ratio of archaeological human skeletons has been increasingly used to reconstruct paleodiet, which in turn may provide deep insight into the origin and spread of agriculture. However, little is known about the spatial and temporal variability of some staple crops in many areas of the world. Here, we present radiocarbon ages and stable carbon isotope data of charred millet and rice grains from 14 Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeological sites in the lower Yellow River area, a region which has not been adequately considered. The mean δ13C value of prehistoric millet grains is −9.13‰, which is ca. 2‰ higher than that of modern millet grains. The mean δ13C value of prehistoric rice grains is −24.14‰, which is very close to that of modern rice grains. Our study not only provides updated information that facilitates a more precise reconstruction of human paleodiet based on δ13C analysis of skeletal remains, but also supports previous conclusions that C4 plants can be used as a reliable proxy for atmospheric carbon isotopic composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A chemical investigation of the plant Psidium guajava L., collected in Guangdong province, afforded two novel skeleton sesquiterpenoids 1 and 2. Compound 2 also known as isocaryolan-9-one was a new natural product. The structure of the novel compound 1 was determined as guavacid A by various spectroscopic methods. A possible biosynthetic pathway for 1 and 2 was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A further chemical investigation of the plant Rubus corchorifolius L. f., collected in Hunan Province, afforded two new ent-kauranoids 6 and 7. Their structures were elucidated by various spectroscopic methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A further chemical investigation of the plant Rubus corchorifolius L.f., collected in Hunan Province, afforded a new ent-kaurane diterpenoid 6. The structure of the new compound was determined to be (16 R)-16,17dihydroxy-ent-kaur-2-one by various spectroscopic methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]