In the past century, it has long been debated in the archeological, historical, geographical, and many other related communities where the capital of the Luolan and Shanshan states was in the Lop Nor region. This pape...In the past century, it has long been debated in the archeological, historical, geographical, and many other related communities where the capital of the Luolan and Shanshan states was in the Lop Nor region. This paper presents three AMS radiocarbon ages from a newly-discovered ancient city at about 6.3 km to the northwest of the Xiaohe Graveyard, and fifteen new radiocarbon ages from the Loulan (LA), LE, Qieerqiduke, Milan, and Tuyin sites in Lop Nor. The new investigation shows that the age of newly-discovered ancient city is at ca. 440–500 AD, belonging to the Northern Wei Dynasty (386–534 AD). This is about 100–300 years younger than Loulan (ca. 100–230 AD), LE (ca. 230–300 AD), Qieerqiduke (ca. 200 AD), and Tuyin (ca. 100 AD). A wooden beam from Milan fortress is dated to ca. 370 AD, while the age on north wall at west gate of the fortress is younger, around 770 AD, suggesting that its construction time might be at the Tang Dynasty. According to 14C ages, cultural relic style, and the geographical location, the newly-discovered ancient city is probably attributed to "Zhubin City", as documented in the historical literature. Temporally, we name the city "ancient Zhubin River City". However, the characteristics and functions of this ancient city are largely unknown and need more detailed archaeological excavation and investigation in the future. Given its location near the ancient postal relay of Alagan on the crossroad, there is no doubt that the newly-discovered city was at an important geographical position on the Silk Road, no matter whether it was called "Zhubin City", or "Lielo City", or the capital of Loulan state–"Yuni City". Our findings provide new evidence for the temporal and spatial distribution of ancient relic sites and the development of civilization in western China, thus contributing to our understanding of the relationship between human activities and environmental change in the Lop Nor region.展开更多
The causes of the disappearance of the ancient town of Loulan in Xinjiang, China have been generally agreed to derive from two factors: human activities and natural factors (environmental variations). In this paper, t...The causes of the disappearance of the ancient town of Loulan in Xinjiang, China have been generally agreed to derive from two factors: human activities and natural factors (environmental variations). In this paper, the Muzart Glacier was selected as an example, and found that the length of the glacier has been gradually decreasing and the snow line has been retreating to a higher altitude, both results contributing to a decrease in river flow below the Muzart Glacier. From the distribution of moraines in the Tianshan Mountains and adjacent areas in different periods, the paper speculates that there have been four minor glacial periods since the Quaternary. Although the durations and scales of the four minor glacial periods were different, they all indirectly influenced the formation and disappearance of the Lop Nur Lake. The events of the fourth minor glacial period are the important impact factors in the existence and disappearance of Loulan. Whether the disappearance of Loulan can be related to the events of the three previous minor glacial periods needs further investigation.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Founda-tion of China (Grant No 40771216)Hundred Talent Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Project of Water Resources in Northwest of China,Chinese Academy of Engineering
文摘In the past century, it has long been debated in the archeological, historical, geographical, and many other related communities where the capital of the Luolan and Shanshan states was in the Lop Nor region. This paper presents three AMS radiocarbon ages from a newly-discovered ancient city at about 6.3 km to the northwest of the Xiaohe Graveyard, and fifteen new radiocarbon ages from the Loulan (LA), LE, Qieerqiduke, Milan, and Tuyin sites in Lop Nor. The new investigation shows that the age of newly-discovered ancient city is at ca. 440–500 AD, belonging to the Northern Wei Dynasty (386–534 AD). This is about 100–300 years younger than Loulan (ca. 100–230 AD), LE (ca. 230–300 AD), Qieerqiduke (ca. 200 AD), and Tuyin (ca. 100 AD). A wooden beam from Milan fortress is dated to ca. 370 AD, while the age on north wall at west gate of the fortress is younger, around 770 AD, suggesting that its construction time might be at the Tang Dynasty. According to 14C ages, cultural relic style, and the geographical location, the newly-discovered ancient city is probably attributed to "Zhubin City", as documented in the historical literature. Temporally, we name the city "ancient Zhubin River City". However, the characteristics and functions of this ancient city are largely unknown and need more detailed archaeological excavation and investigation in the future. Given its location near the ancient postal relay of Alagan on the crossroad, there is no doubt that the newly-discovered city was at an important geographical position on the Silk Road, no matter whether it was called "Zhubin City", or "Lielo City", or the capital of Loulan state–"Yuni City". Our findings provide new evidence for the temporal and spatial distribution of ancient relic sites and the development of civilization in western China, thus contributing to our understanding of the relationship between human activities and environmental change in the Lop Nor region.
基金funded by National Basic Research Program of China (2010CB951003)Opening Fund of Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology and Desert Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences
文摘The causes of the disappearance of the ancient town of Loulan in Xinjiang, China have been generally agreed to derive from two factors: human activities and natural factors (environmental variations). In this paper, the Muzart Glacier was selected as an example, and found that the length of the glacier has been gradually decreasing and the snow line has been retreating to a higher altitude, both results contributing to a decrease in river flow below the Muzart Glacier. From the distribution of moraines in the Tianshan Mountains and adjacent areas in different periods, the paper speculates that there have been four minor glacial periods since the Quaternary. Although the durations and scales of the four minor glacial periods were different, they all indirectly influenced the formation and disappearance of the Lop Nur Lake. The events of the fourth minor glacial period are the important impact factors in the existence and disappearance of Loulan. Whether the disappearance of Loulan can be related to the events of the three previous minor glacial periods needs further investigation.
