Spatial distribution data of cultural sites from the Paleolithic to Bronze Age in Xinjiang, China

Tan, Bo; Wang, Hongwei; Wang, Xiaoqin; Yi, Suyan; Zhou, Jianglin; Ma, Chen; Dai, Xinyan

doi:10.1038/s41597-022-01306-5

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 7 publications

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“…A conceptual model describing the relations between the climate, hydrology, and society of an arid mountain-basin system has also improved our understanding of the complex human-environment interactions in arid regions [37]. In the domain of archaeology, the second and third national surveys of cultural relics revealed dozens of archaeological sites in the southern Tarim Basin [38,39], the findings of which have become a primary reference for relevant research [40][41][42][43]. Despite the fact that researchers have dated the activity of Paleolithic human groups in the Kunlun Mountains during the Middle Holocene [44], it is still possible that it was not until the second half of the second millennium BCE that sedentary populations emerged in the oases [45].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radiocarbon-Refined Archaeological Chronology and the History of Human Activity in the Southern Tarim Basin

Ma,

Hu,

Qiu

2024

Land

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Famous for Taklimakan, the world’s second largest sandy desert, the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang has long attracted researchers from various fields to investigate its paleoenvironment and antiquity. The southern part of this basin is an ideal region in which to investigate the interactions between humans and the environment due to its fragile habitat and prosperous ancient civilizations. However, the lack of direct radiocarbon dating data has caused the chronologies of some of the archaeological sites to be debatable, which hinders our ability to reconstruct historical patterns of human activity and further understand, in a coherent manner, their interaction with the environment. This study reports 25 new radiocarbon dates acquired from ten undated archaeological sites in the southern Taklimakan Desert in order to refine their chronologies. Based on this, a radiocarbon dataset was established to reveal the trajectory of human activity with the support of Bayesian chronological modeling. The results indicate a two-millennium continuous flourishing of the local society since the beginning of the first millennium BCE, as well as a peak of human activity during the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE). The distinct trajectory of human activity in the southern Tarim Basin revealed by this study provides a solid foundation for further assessments of human–environment interaction in the Tarim Basin and along the Silk Road.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radiocarbon-Refined Archaeological Chronology and the History of Human Activity in the Southern Tarim Basin

Ma,

Hu,

Qiu

2024

Land

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Spatial distribution data of cultural sites from the Paleolithic to Bronze Age in Xinjiang, China

Tan

Wang

et al. 2022

Sci Data

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The published map recording cultural sites in Xinjiang shows that there is a lack of data collection on the distribution of sites in the area, and no relevant data sets have been released. Existing written materials indicate that there are more cultural sites in this area. For this reason, we have collected and sorted out information. Our cultural site database provides the geographic location and corresponding geographic environment of each site in Xinjiang from the Paleolithic to the Bronze Age. The data record the human development and settlement process, settlement environment landscape characteristics, scale, type, quantity, and spatial distribution in Xinjiang in prehistoric China. These data not only are the basis for further understanding the spatial distribution of prehistoric humans in Xinjiang, but also provide references for understanding prehistoric human behavior and prehistoric man-land relationship, and the exchange of eastern and western civilizations. It is of great significance to modern social planning, site protection, and resource utilization.

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The rise of urbanism and exchange network: reconstruction of a 4000-year local history of Xinjiang, northwestern China

Wang,

Chen,

Cao

et al. 2024

Herit Sci

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Urbanization is one of the milestones in the development of human society. Many regions in the southern parts of ‘the old world’ demonstrating an early emergence of agriculture also witnessed the flourishing of some of the earliest cities. Recent, yet still sparse, archaeological evidence appears to indicate a relatively later time for early urbanism in central Eurasia. However, given its vital geographic location and cultural nexus between East and West, more attention should be paid to the sedentary communities and their cities in oases amid the vast droughty desert, particularly in light of the rapidly increasing number of publications on early pastoralism and related communication routes along mountain chains and rivers. This study reveals the trajectory of urbanization and its role in the establishment of an exchange network in Xinjiang’s oasis region via reconstruction of the chronological sequence of the local societal history of the Baiyang River Basin along the southern piedmont of the Eastern Tianshan Mountains. A thorough archaeological investigation and refined radiocarbon dating programme was carried out and coupled with information from historical documentation within a Bayesian statistical framework. The results indicate three pulses of local urbanization during: the Early Iron Age, Tang–Yuan period, and Qing Dynasty, respectively. Combining this with evidence from other parts of Xinjiang, we re-evaluate the role of oasis urbanism in the promotion of trans-regional exchange.

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Spatial distribution data of cultural sites from the Paleolithic to Bronze Age in Xinjiang, China

Cited by 3 publications

References 7 publications

Radiocarbon-Refined Archaeological Chronology and the History of Human Activity in the Southern Tarim Basin

Radiocarbon-Refined Archaeological Chronology and the History of Human Activity in the Southern Tarim Basin

Spatial distribution data of cultural sites from the Paleolithic to Bronze Age in Xinjiang, China

The rise of urbanism and exchange network: reconstruction of a 4000-year local history of Xinjiang, northwestern China

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