DIETARY CONDITIONS AND DIFFERENTIAL ACCESS TO FOOD RESOURCES AMONG THE VARIOUS CLASSES DURING THE HAN PERIOD

摘要

In this thesis, I study how food resources and dietary conditions were determined by social and economic status during the Han period in China, B.C. 206~A.D.220. Even though earlier scholars have published research concerning the Chinese food culture of this period, these studies were limited in that they only illustrated the dietary culture of the upper class or the available food resources in one geographic area. Also, without any persuasive data, it has been assumed by these earlier scholars that there were big differences in food resources and food consumption between the upper and lower classes. In this thesis, for comparison among the classes, I divide the social and economic classes into five stratified groups: nobles, officials, peasants, soldiers and convicts. After a brief introduction of the nature of each social class, I examine the food resources and nutritional condition of each group using information such as the wealth and income of each group, the market price of food resources, the agricultural products of peasants, and the amount of food distribution to soldiers and convicts. I found these data from archaeological remains, received historical records and pictorial data, and excavated texts. This research shows a broader view of Chinese dietary condition focusing not only on the variety of food resources of nobles, but also on the different food accessibilities among the officials, and the food deficiencies of peasants. It also deals with the situations of food supply for soldiers and convicts in an effort to reveal the true dietary consumption and nutritional conditions for all Chinese. This research proves that the various classes during the Han period in China had different food resources and dietary conditions.