Subsistence strategies in the eastern Taihang foothills: Isotopic evidence for differentiated pig management at Wangjiagang (770–221 BCE)

• Zooarchaeological and isotopic data were integrated at Wangjiagang (770–221 BCE). • Domestic pig dominance was identified using mortality and skeletal indicators. • Two pig δ 13 C clusters indicate high-input C4 and low-input C3 feeding pathways. • Comparative data reveal regional variability in Zhou-period pig management. • Pigs supplied most biomass, with cervid hunting remaining supplementary. This study integrates zooarchaeological analysis, stable isotope evidence, and quantitative meat-yield estimation to reconstruct differentiated pig management and animal exploitation at the Eastern Zhou site of Wangjiagang in the eastern Taihang foothills (northern China). Zooarchaeological indicators-taxonomic abundance, mortality profiles, and epiphyseal fusion—suggest a suid assemblage dominated by domestic pigs managed primarily for meat. Pig collagen isotopes show marked inter-individual δ 13 C variability with two clusters: a C 4 -enriched group consistent with pen/yard feeding on millet byproducts and household waste, and a C 3 -dominated group indicating a lower-input pathway relying mainly on C 3 resources (e.g., local forage and/or C 3 -dominated household waste). Historical and archaeological records document pig-keeping practices from penning to outdoor keeping in northern China, offering a broader interpretive framework for diversified management. Meat-yield estimates indicate domestic pigs provided the largest share of mammalian biomass (≈58%), while wild cervids contributed ∼ 26% as supplementary resources. Together, these results point to a mixed economy integrating millet agriculture, pig management, and opportunistic hunting, and show how pig isotope variability can illuminate adaptation in ecotonal landscapes.