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Wang H, Chen J, Qiu M, Shi Z, Zhang S, Dong G, Ma S, Ai T, Ren G, Chen F. Climate change drove the route shift of the ancient Silk Road in two distinct ways. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2024; 69:1153-1160. [PMID: 38433030 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2024.02.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Although climate change has convincingly been linked to the evolution of human civilization on different temporal scales, its role in influencing the spatial patterns of ancient civilizations has rarely been investigated. The northward shift of the ancient Silk Road (SR) route from the Tarim Basin (TB) to the Junggar Basin during ∼420-850 CE provides the opportunity to investigate the relationship between climate change and the spatial evolution of human societies. Here, we use a new high-resolution chironomid-based temperature reconstruction from arid China, combined with hydroclimatic and historical datasets, to assess the possible effects of climate fluctuations on the shift of the ancient SR route. We found that a cooling/drying climate in the TB triggered the SR route shift during ∼420-600 CE. However, a warming/wetting climate during ∼600-850 CE did not inhibit this shift, but instead promoted it, because of the favorable climate-induced geopolitical conflicts between the Tubo Kingdom and the Tang Dynasty in the TB. Our findings reveal two distinct ways in which climate change drove the spatial evolution of human civilization, and they demonstrate the flexibility of societal responses to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haipeng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Jianhui Chen
- MOE Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
| | - Menghan Qiu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Zhilin Shi
- Institute of Dunhuang Studies, School of History & Culture, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Shengda Zhang
- School of Geography and Remote Sensing, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510000, China
| | - Guanghui Dong
- MOE Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Shuai Ma
- MOE Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Tao Ai
- Xinjiang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Ürümqi 830011, China
| | - Guan Ren
- Archaeology of Northern Ethnicity Institute, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China
| | - Fahu Chen
- ALPHA, State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
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2
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Tan L, Cheng H, Li D, Orozbaev R, Li Y, Xu H, Edwards RL, Song Y, Ma L, Lin F, Sinha A, An Z. Hydroclimatic changes on multiple timescales since 7800 y BP in the winter precipitation-dominated Central Asia. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2321645121. [PMID: 38527201 PMCID: PMC10998633 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2321645121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Central Asia (CA) is one of the world's most significant arid regions, which is markedly impacted by global warming. A better understanding of the dynamical processes governing its Holocene climate variability is critical for a better understanding of possible future impacts of climate change in the region. To date, most of the existing CA paleoclimate records are from the summer precipitation-dominated eastern CA (ECA), with few records from the winter precipitation-dominated western CA (WCA). Here, we present a precisely dated (~6‰) and highly resolved (<4-y) record of hydroclimatic variations from the WCA covering the period between 7,774 and 656 y BP. Utilizing multiple proxies (δ18O, δ13C, and Sr/Ca) derived from a stalagmite from the Fergana Valley, Kyrgyzstan, we reveal a long-term drying trend in WCA, which is in contrast with the wetting trend in ECA. We propose that different responses of winter and summer westerly jets to seasonal solar insolation over the past 8,000 y may have resulted in an antiphased precipitation relationship between the WCA and ECA. Our data contain dominant quasiperiodicities of 1,400, 50 to 70, and 20 to 30 y, indicating close connections between the WCA climate and the North Atlantic. We further identified a series of droughts and pluvials on centennial-to-decadal timescales, which may have influenced regional societies and trans-Eurasian culture exchanges during historical and prehistorical times.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liangcheng Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Loess, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an710061, China
- Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an710054, China
| | - Hai Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Loess, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an710061, China
- Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an710054, China
| | - Dong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Loess, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an710061, China
- Library of Chang’an University, Xi’an710064, China
| | - Rustam Orozbaev
- Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia (Bishkek), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bishkek720040, Kyrgyzstan
- Institute of Geology, National Academy of Sciences of Kyrgyz Republic, Bishkek720040, Kyrgyzstan
| | - Yanzhen Li
- State Key Laboratory of Loess, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an710061, China
| | - Hai Xu
- Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin300072, China
| | - R. Lawrence Edwards
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN55455
| | - Yougui Song
- State Key Laboratory of Loess, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an710061, China
| | - Le Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Loess, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an710061, China
| | - Fangyuan Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Loess, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an710061, China
| | - Ashish Sinha
- Department of Earth Science, California State University, Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA90747
| | - Zhisheng An
- State Key Laboratory of Loess, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an710061, China
- Interdisciplinary Research Center of Earth Science Frontier, Beijing Normal University, Beijing100875, China
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3
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Hou Y, Long H, Tsukamoto S, Lu Z, Chen J, Ibarra DE, Tamura T, Zhang Q, Sun W, Zhang J, Gao L, Frechen M, Shen J. Sahara's surface transformation forced an abrupt hydroclimate decline and Neolithic culture transition in northern China. Innovation (N Y) 2024; 5:100550. [PMID: 38204586 PMCID: PMC10777076 DOI: 10.1016/j.xinn.2023.100550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The remote forcing from land surface changes in the Sahara is hypothesized to play a pivotal role in modulating the intensity of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) through ocean-atmospheric teleconnections. This modulation has far-reaching consequences, particularly in facilitating societal shifts documented in northern China. Here, we present a well-dated lake-level record from the Daihai Lake Basin in northern China, providing quantitative assessments of Holocene monsoonal precipitation and the consequent migrations of the northern boundary of the EASM. Our reconstruction, informed by a water-and-energy balance model, indicates that annual precipitation reached ∼700 mm during 8-5 ka, followed by a rapid decline to ∼550 mm between 5 and 4 ka. This shift coherently aligns with a significant ∼300 km northwestward movement of the EASM northern boundary during the Middle Holocene (MH), in contrast to its current position. Our findings underscore that these changes cannot be entirely attributed to orbital forcing, as corroborated by simulation tests. Climate model simulations deployed in our study suggest that the presence of the Green Sahara during the MH significantly strengthened the EASM and led to a northward shift of the monsoon rainfall belt. Conversely, the Sahara's reversion to a desert landscape in the late Holocene was accompanied by a corresponding southward retraction of monsoon influence. These dramatic hydroclimate changes during ∼5-4 ka likely triggered or at least contributed to a shift in Neolithic cultures and societal transformation in northern China. With decreasing agricultural productivity, communities transitioned from millet farming to a mixed rainfed agriculture and animal husbandry system. Thus, our findings elucidate not only the variability of the EASM but also the profound implications of a remote forcing, such as surface transformations of the Sahara, on climatic changes and cultural evolution in northern China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yandong Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGLAS), Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Hao Long
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGLAS), Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Sumiko Tsukamoto
- Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics (LIAG), Department of Geochronology, 30655 Hannover, Germany
| | - Zhengyao Lu
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, 22100 Lund, Sweden
| | - Jie Chen
- Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
- College of Atmospheric Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Daniel E. Ibarra
- Institute at Brown for Environment and Society and Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Toru Tamura
- Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8567, Japan
- Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8561, Japan
| | - Qiong Zhang
- Department of Physical Geography and Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Weiyi Sun
- School of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Jiangsu Centre for Collaborative Innovation in Geographical Information Resource Development and Application, Key Laboratory of Virtual Geographic Environment, Ministry of Education of China, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Jingran Zhang
- School of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Jiangsu Centre for Collaborative Innovation in Geographical Information Resource Development and Application, Key Laboratory of Virtual Geographic Environment, Ministry of Education of China, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Lei Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGLAS), Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Manfred Frechen
- Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics (LIAG), Department of Geochronology, 30655 Hannover, Germany
| | - Ji Shen
- School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
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4
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Frachetti M, Di Cosmo N, Esper J, Khalidi L, Mauelshagen F, Oppenheimer C, Rohland E, Büntgen U. The dahliagram: An interdisciplinary tool for investigation, visualization, and communication of past human-environmental interaction. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadj3142. [PMID: 37992177 PMCID: PMC10664986 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adj3142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
Investigation into the nexus of human-environmental behavior has seen increasing collaboration of archaeologists, historians, and paleo-scientists. However, many studies still lack interdisciplinarity and overlook incompatibilities in spatiotemporal scaling of environmental and societal data and their uncertainties. Here, we argue for a strengthened commitment to collaborative work and introduce the "dahliagram" as a tool to analyze and visualize quantitative and qualitative knowledge from diverse disciplinary sources and epistemological backgrounds. On the basis of regional cases of past human mobility in eastern Africa, Inner Eurasia, and the North Atlantic, we develop three dahliagrams that illustrate pull and push factors underlying key phases of population movement across different geographical scales and over contrasting periods of time since the end of the last Ice Age. Agnostic to analytical units, dahliagrams offer an effective tool for interdisciplinary investigation, visualization, and communication of complex human-environmental interactions at a diversity of spatiotemporal scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Frachetti
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, 1 Brookings Drive, CB 1114, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
- School of Cultural Heritage, Northwest University, Xi’an, China
| | - Nicola Di Cosmo
- Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Jan Esper
- Department of Geography, Johannes Gutenberg University, Becherweg 21, 55099 Mainz, Germany
- Global Change Research Institute (CzechGlobe), Czech Academy of Sciences, 603 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Lamya Khalidi
- Université Côte d’Azur, CNRS, CEPAM, 24 avenue des Diables Bleus, 06300 Nice, France
| | - Franz Mauelshagen
- Department of Social Anthropology, University of Bielefeld, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Clive Oppenheimer
- Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EN, UK
| | - Eleonora Rohland
- Department of History, University of Bielefeld, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Ulf Büntgen
- Global Change Research Institute (CzechGlobe), Czech Academy of Sciences, 603 00 Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EN, UK
- Swiss Federal Research Institute (WSL), 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
- Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
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5
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Kirsten F, Dallmeyer A, Bernbeck R, Böhmer T, Busch R, Hessari M, Pollock S, Schütt B. Were climatic forcings the main driver for mid-holocene changes in settlement dynamics on the Varamin Plain (Central Iranian Plateau)? PLoS One 2023; 18:e0290181. [PMID: 37906582 PMCID: PMC10617709 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Settlement crises in ancient cultures of Western Asia are commonly thought to be caused by climatic events such as severe droughts. However, the insufficient climate proxy situation in this region challenges the inference of clear relationships between climate and settlement dynamics. We investigate the Holocene climatic changes on the Varamin Plain in the context of the climatic history of Western Central Asia by using a transient comprehensive Earth System Model simulation (8 ka BP to pre-industrial), a high-resolution regional snapshot simulation and a synthesis of pollen-based climate reconstructions. In line with the reconstructions, the models reveal only slightly varying mean climatic conditions on the Varamin Plain but indicate substantial changes in seasonality during the Holocene. Increased precipitation during spring, combined with lower temperature and potentially stronger snow accumulation on the upstream Alborz mountains may have led to an increased water supply on the alluvial fan during the vegetation period and thus to more favourable conditions for agricultural production during the Mid-Holocene compared to modern times. According to the model, dry periods on the Central Iranian Plateau are related to particularly weak Westerly winds, fostering the subsidence in the mid-troposphere and hampering precipitation over the region. The model reveals that dry periods have spatially heterogenous manifestations, thus explaining why they do not appear in all proxy records in the wider study region. In fact, the climatic signal may depend on local environmental conditions. The interaction of the topography with the atmospheric circulation leads to additional spatial heterogeneity. Although our results provide several indications for a connection between climate and settlement dynamics, the small overall changes in moisture call into question whether climate is the main driver for settlement discontinuities on the Central Iranian Plateau. To shed further light on this issue, more high-resolution long-term proxy records are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Kirsten
- Freie Universität Berlin, Division of Physical Geography, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Reinhard Bernbeck
- Freie Universität Berlin, Institute of Near Eastern Archaeology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Böhmer
- Alfred-Wegener-Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), Postdam, Germany
| | - Robert Busch
- Freie Universität Berlin, Division of Physical Geography, Berlin, Germany
| | - Morteza Hessari
- Cultural Heritage and Tourism Research Institute, Tehran, Iran
| | - Susan Pollock
- Freie Universität Berlin, Institute of Near Eastern Archaeology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Brigitta Schütt
- Freie Universität Berlin, Division of Physical Geography, Berlin, Germany
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6
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Xiang L, Huang X, Sun M, Panizzo VN, Huang C, Zheng M, Chen X, Chen F. Prehistoric population expansion in Central Asia promoted by the Altai Holocene Climatic Optimum. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3102. [PMID: 37248221 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38828-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
How climate change in the middle to late Holocene has influenced the early human migrations in Central Asian Steppe remains poorly understood. To address this issue, we reconstructed a multiproxy-based Holocene climate history from the sediments of Kanas Lake and neighboring Tiewaike Lake in the southern Altai Mountains. The results show an exceptionally warm climate during ~6.5-3.6 kyr is indicated by the silicon isotope composition of diatom silica (δ30Sidiatom) and the biogenic silica (BSi) content. During 4.7-4.3 kyr, a peak in δ30Sidiatom reflects enhanced lake thermal stratification and periodic nutrient limitation as indicated by concomitant decreasing BSi content. Our geochemical results indicate a significantly warm and wet climate in the Altai Mountain region during 6.5-3.6 kyr, corresponding to the Altai Holocene Climatic Optimum (AHCO), which is critical for promoting prehistoric human population expansion and intensified cultural exchanges across the Central Asian steppe during the Bronze Age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lixiong Xiang
- Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, 730000, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiaozhong Huang
- Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, 730000, Lanzhou, China.
| | - Mingjie Sun
- Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, 730000, Lanzhou, China
- Centre for Environmental Geochemistry, School of Geography, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Virginia N Panizzo
- Centre for Environmental Geochemistry, School of Geography, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.
| | - Chong Huang
- Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, 730000, Lanzhou, China
| | - Min Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, 730000, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xuemei Chen
- Northwest Institute of Eco-Environmental and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 730000, Lanzhou, China
| | - Fahu Chen
- Alpine Paleoecology and Human Adaptation Group (ALPHA), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and Environment (TPESRE), 100101, Beijing, China
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7
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Lyu Y, Luo W, Wang Y, Zeng G, Chen J, Wang S. Response of drip water Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca variations in ventilated caves to hydroclimate. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 874:162626. [PMID: 36878297 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca in speleothems which record valuable information regarding past variations of precipitation and cave air pCO2 are promising proxies because the degrees of water-rock interaction (WRI) and prior calcite precipitation (PCP) are directly and indirectly related to these changes. However, the controls on Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca can be complex, and most studies ignored the combined effects of rainfall and cave air pCO2. Moreover, knowledge of the influence of seasonal rainfall and cave air pCO2 on seasonal fluctuations in drip water Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca are limited for caves with different regions and ventilation types. Drip water Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca were monitored for five years at Shawan Cave. The results indicate that the irregular seasonal oscillation in drip water Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca is controlled by inverse-phase seasonal changes between rainfall and cave air pCO2. The rainfall amount may be the primary controlling factor of the interannual variation in drip water Mg/Ca, whereas the interannual variation in drip water Sr/Ca is most likely controlled by cave air pCO2. Furthermore, we compared drip water Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca of caves in different regions to fully understand how drip water Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca respond to hydroclimate changes. The drip water element/Ca, for seasonal ventilation caves with a fairly narrow range of cave air pCO2 respond well to the local hydroclimate associated with rainfall variation. If the range of cave air pCO2 is considerably large, the element/Ca in seasonal ventilation caves of subtropical humid regions may not reflect hydroclimate and that of Mediterranean and semi-arid regions may be primarily controlled by cave air pCO2. The element/Ca in the low year-round pCO2 caves could reflect the hydroclimate associated with surface temperature. Therefore, observations of drip water monitoring and comparative analysis can provide a reference for the explanation of speleothems element/Ca ratios from seasonally ventilated caves worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yina Lyu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China; Puding Karst Ecosystem Research Station, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Puding 562100, China
| | - Weijun Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China; Puding Karst Ecosystem Research Station, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Puding 562100, China; College of Rural Revitalization Research Center of Guizhou, Anshun 561000, China.
| | - Yanwei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China; Puding Karst Ecosystem Research Station, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Puding 562100, China
| | - Guangneng Zeng
- School of Eco-Environmental Engineering, Guizhou Minzu University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Jia Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China; Puding Karst Ecosystem Research Station, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Puding 562100, China
| | - Shijie Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China; Puding Karst Ecosystem Research Station, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Puding 562100, China
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8
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Wei Y, Gu W, Zhong L, Liu B, Huang F, Chang Y, Li M, Jing Y, Chen G. Investigation of Asian Dyes and Pigments from the Artifact of "Murongzhi" and the Silk Road in China. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:2508-2519. [PMID: 36687087 PMCID: PMC9850485 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c06572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, a series of modern analysis methods, including Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, UV-vis spectrophotometry, and ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled with a thermoelectric LTQ-Orbitrap XL ETD mass spectrometer (UHPLC-MS/MS), were applied to analyze and accurately identify the chemical composition of plant dyes and the mineral pigment from the samples collected from grave goods. As a result, the textiles were dyed by the madder, Kermes, Phellodendron chinense, indigo, Lithospermum L., and so forth. In addition, the mineral pigment, charcoal, hematite, minium, cinnabar, azurite, and malachite were used to paint the exquisite artifacts in the tomb of Murongzhi. This research demonstrates the profound impact on cultural transmission and fusion in the "Tuyuhong" dynasty and explores the Silk Road in Tang dynasty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanfei Wei
- Institute
of Cultural Relics and Archaeology of Gansu, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Wenting Gu
- Institute
of Cultural Relics and Archaeology of Gansu, Lanzhou 730000, China
- College
of Civil Engineering and Mechanics, Lanzhou
University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Lei Zhong
- Institute
of Cultural Relics and Archaeology of Gansu, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Bingbing Liu
- Institute
of Cultural Relics and Archaeology of Gansu, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Feixiang Huang
- Institute
of Cultural Relics and Archaeology of Gansu, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Yuhua Chang
- Institute
of Cultural Relics and Archaeology of Gansu, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Mingke Li
- Institute
of Cultural Relics and Archaeology of Gansu, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Yaya Jing
- Institute
of Cultural Relics and Archaeology of Gansu, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Guoke Chen
- Institute
of Cultural Relics and Archaeology of Gansu, Lanzhou 730000, China
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9
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Zhang D, Huang X, Liu Q, Chen X, Feng Z. Holocene fire records and their drivers in the westerlies-dominated Central Asia. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 833:155153. [PMID: 35413343 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Fire plays an important role in carbon emissions and climate changes in the Earth system and global/regional fires in the past have been detected. However, palaeofire history and their potential drivers are poorly understood in Central Asia. We in this study synthesized existing sedimentary charcoal records to reconstruct Holocene fire history in Central Asia and then assessed the relative importance of two potential controls (climatic and anthropogenic factors) on its trends. The results are: (1) Fire activity had insignificantly increased since ~7.9 cal. yr BP in Central Asia, although there was an obvious difference when fire history at different elevations is considered; (2) Periods of high fire activity occurred in the early-middle Holocene following by a decreasing trend in the late Holocene at high elevation, which might be attributed to a cooling temperature and the cooling-caused low biomass burning in the Holocene interval; (3) Episodes of high fire activity were common in the late Holocene and were primarily driven by the wetting-induced increased biomass burning, reinforced by the intensified human activities in middle-low elevation. Our findings could not only provide new unique insight about the long-time-scale fire-human-climate-vegetation interactions and also provide reasonable guidance for fire management given current climate change in Central Asia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongliang Zhang
- Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 818 Beijing South Road, Urumqi 830011, China; Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 818 Beijing South Road, Urumqi 830011, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Xiaozhong Huang
- Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Qi Liu
- College of Resource and Environment Sciences, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
| | - Xi Chen
- Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 818 Beijing South Road, Urumqi 830011, China; Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 818 Beijing South Road, Urumqi 830011, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhaodong Feng
- College of Geography and Environment, Henan University, Jinming Street, Kaifeng 475004, China
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10
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Jia X, Zhao D, Storozum MJ, Shi H, Bai G, Liu Z, Hu Z, Sun L, Wang Q, Li H. The "2.8 ka BP Cold Event" Indirectly Influenced the Agricultural Exploitation During the Late Zhou Dynasty in the Coastal Areas of the Jianghuai Region. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:902534. [PMID: 35677235 PMCID: PMC9168765 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.902534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
As a global cooling event, many of the climatic and socio-cultural mechanisms that resulted in changes after the 2. 8 ka BP event remain unclear. In China, this period roughly corresponds with the Zhou Dynasty (1046-212 BC), a critical period when ancient Chinese civilization was experiencing significant cultural and technological changes, including the movement of people to modern-day Jiangsu Province, where they intensively used the natural resources found in this the coastal area. Recent archaeobotanical evidence, and two radiocarbon dates on wheat and foxtail millet, indicate that the Datongpu site, which dates around 2,600 cal a BP, was occupied during this period of transition around the 2.8 ka BP climate event. In total, our investigations recovered 3,399 carbonized seeds from seventy-four flotation samples, of which rice, foxtail millet, broomcorn millet, and wheat seeds where predominant along with 2,296 weed seeds. Additionally, we identified several rice spikelets and wheat rachises. The high number of carbonized rice grains indicates that rice farming was the primary crop in an otherwise mixed rice-dry farming system at Datongpu. In addition, we argue that the "2.8 ka BP cold event" probably influenced population growth and caused food shortages throughout Central China, leading people to migrate southeastward along the Huai River to the coastal areas of Jianghuai Region. We argue that this abrupt shift in the climate indirectly facilitated the exploitation and emergence of large-scale agriculture in this area. Our study provides an example for the indirect impact of climate change in areas with relatively favorable climate conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Jia
- Jiangsu Center for Collaborative Innovation in Geographical Information Resource Development and Application, Nanjing, China
- Key Laboratory of Virtual Geographic Environment (Ministry of Education of PRC), Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
- School of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
- Institute of Environmental Archaeology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | | | - Michael J. Storozum
- School of History, Classics, and Archaeology, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Hongwei Shi
- School of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
- Institute of Environmental Archaeology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Guozhu Bai
- School of History, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhen Liu
- School of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
- Institute of Environmental Archaeology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhujun Hu
- School of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
- Institute of Environmental Archaeology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Liqiang Sun
- College of Humanities & Social Development, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- Institution of Chinese Agricultural Civilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- Agricultural Archaeology Research Center, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Qi Wang
- School of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
- Institute of Environmental Archaeology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Haiming Li
- College of Humanities & Social Development, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- Institution of Chinese Agricultural Civilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- Agricultural Archaeology Research Center, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
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11
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Tan B, Wang H, Wang X, Yi S, Zhou J, Ma C, Dai X. The study of early human settlement preference and settlement prediction in Xinjiang, China. Sci Rep 2022; 12:5072. [PMID: 35332226 PMCID: PMC8948180 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09033-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
When studying the human settlement process, it is of great significance to understand the prehistoric environment, economy and society by exploring the human-land relationship and the evolution of civilization reflected by the settlement environment. This paper explores the natural and social environmental preferences of early human settlements in Xinjiang, China, from the Palaeolithic to the Bronze Age (45 ka BP-2250 a BP). Through the characteristics of settlement preferences, the distribution of settlements is accurately predicted, and the relationship between settlement preferences and the evolution of the environment and civilization is verified and discussed. We summarize the needs and conditions of early human settlement from the perspectives of the social environment and natural environment and explain the stages, consistency and differentiation of the spatial and temporal evolution of settlement preferences with the interaction of adaptation and transformation. On this basis, we discuss the logical focuses and content of early human settlement preference research. This research provides a reference for the process, representation, driving mode, and research ideas of early human settlement preferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Tan
- College of Geographical Science, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830017, China
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830017, China
| | - Hongwei Wang
- College of Geographical Science, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830017, China.
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830017, China.
| | - Xiaoqin Wang
- College of Geographical Science, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830017, China
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830017, China
| | - Suyan Yi
- College of Geographical Science, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830017, China
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830017, China
| | - Jing Zhou
- College of Geographical Science, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830017, China
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830017, China
| | - Chen Ma
- College of Geographical Science, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830017, China
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830017, China
| | - Xinyan Dai
- College of Geographical Science, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830017, China
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830017, China
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12
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The History and Driving Force for Prehistoric Human Expansion Upward to the Hinterland of the Tibetan Plateau Post–Last Glacial Maximum. SUSTAINABILITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/su13137065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The timing and motivation of prehistoric human expansion into the hinterland of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is a widely debated scientific issue. Recent archaeological studies have brought forward predictions of the earliest human occupation of the TP to the late–Middle Pleistocene. However, massive human occupation of the TP did not appear until the termination of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The spatio-temporal distribution of prehistoric hunter-gatherers on the TP varies significantly before the permanent occupation after 3600 BP (before present). Here, we report on environmental-archaeological evidence from the Canxionggashuo (CXGS) site in Yushu Prefecture, which provides information that is key to understanding the dynamics of post-LGM human occupation on the TP. Radiocarbon dating has revealed two occupation periods of the CXGS site at 8600–7100 cal (calibrated years) BP and 2400–2100 cal BP. The charcoal concentration in cultural layers correlates well with paleo–human activities. Hunter-gatherers expanded westwards from the northeastern margin of the TP to the hinterland of the TP during the warming period of the early–middle Holocene (~11,500–6000 BP). However, these groups retreated during the middle–late Holocene (~6000–3600 BP) under a cooling-drying climate. Prehistoric humans finally occupied the hinterland of the TP permanently after 3600 BP, with an enhanced cold-adaptive lifestyle, although the climate was still deteriorating.
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13
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Motuzaite Matuzeviciute G, Mir-Makhamad B, Spengler RN. Interpreting Diachronic Size Variation in Prehistoric Central Asian Cereal Grains. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.633634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The morphology of ancient cereal grains in Central Asia has been heavily discussed as an indicator of specific genetic variants, which are often linked to cultural factors or distinct routes of dispersal. In this paper, we present the largest currently existing database of barley (n= 631) and wheat (n= 349) measurements from Central Asia, obtained from two different periods at the Chap site (ca. 3,500 to 1,000 BC), located in the Tien Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan at 2,000 masl. The site is situated at the highest elevation ecocline for successful cereal cultivation and is, therefore, highly susceptible to minor climatic fluctuations that could force gradients up or down in the foothills. We contrast the Chap data with measurements from other second and first millennia BC sites in the region. An evident increase in average size over time is likely due to the evolution of larger grains or the introduction of larger variants from elsewhere. Additionally, site- or region-specific variation is noted, and we discuss potential influences for the formation of genetic varieties, including possible pleiotropic linkages and/or developmental responses to external factors, such as environmental fluctuations, climate, irrigation inputs, soil nutrients, pathologies, and seasonality. External factors acting on developmental or acclamatory responses in plants can be either natural or cultural. We argue that the study of long-term changes in grain morphology on the edges of crop-growing ranges can be informative regarding cultural and environmental constraints in the past.
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Dodson J. Megadrought and cultural exchange along the proto-silk road, in the context of debate over human-environment interactions. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2021; 66:524-526. [PMID: 36654421 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2021.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- John Dodson
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong NSW 2500, Australia; State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China.
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Climate Change along the Silk Road and Its Influence on Scythian Cultural Expansion and Rise of the Mongol Empire. SUSTAINABILITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/su13052530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Climate change and cultural exchange both influenced cultural development along the continental Silk Road during the late Holocene, but climate change and its influence on nomadic civilizations during that time has yet to be systematically assessed. In this study, we analyzed records of climate change along the Silk Road covering key periods in the late Holocene, based on multiproxies from various archives including lake sediments, shorelines/beach ridges, peatlands, ice cores, tree rings, aeolian sediments, moraines, and historical documents. Combined with archaeological data, we assessed the influence of climate on development and expansion of representative pastoral nomadism. Our results show that the most notable climate changes in Central Asia were characterized by decreasing temperature, expanding glaciers, increasing precipitation, and increasing humidity during transitions from the Sub-Boreal to Sub-Atlantic Period (ca. 9–8th century BC) and from the Medieval Warm Period to the Little Ice Age (ca. 13–14th century AD). The two periods coincided with Scythian Cultural expansion across the steppe landscape of Central Asia and rise of the Mongol Empire, respectively. These temporal coincidences are interpreted as causally related, where temperature fall and glacial advance may have forced the pastoral nomadism to southward migration. Coeval wetness and southward migration of steppe landscape in Central Asia were beneficial for these cultural expansions, which spanned the Eurasian arid and semi-arid zone westward. Therefore, during the historical period when productivity was underdeveloped, although expansions of pastoral nomadism were closely related to internal social structures, climate change was possibly the most critical controlling factor for sustainability development and collapse.
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Lü QQ, Henderson J, Wang Y, Wang B. Natron glass beads reveal proto-Silk Road between the Mediterranean and China in the 1st millennium BCE. Sci Rep 2021; 11:3537. [PMID: 33574376 PMCID: PMC7878486 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82245-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Natron-based glass was a vital part of material culture in the Mediterranean and Europe for nearly two millennia, but natron glass found elsewhere on the Eurasian Continent has not received adequate discussion, despite its influence on ancient Asian glass. Here we present a new interpretation of natron glass finds from both the West and the East. After establishing the compositional types and technological sequence of Mediterranean natron glass (eighth-second century BCE) using trace elements, we report the analysis of a mid-1st millennium BCE glass bead from Xinjiang, China, which was likely made with Levantine raw glass, and identify common types of stratified eye beads in Eurasia based on a compositional and typological comparison. Combining these findings, we propose that a considerable number of Mediterranean natron glass products had arrived in East Asia at least by the fifth century BCE, which may have been a contributing factor in the development of native Chinese glass-making. The swift diffusion of natron glass across Eurasia in the 1st millennium BCE was likely facilitated by a three-stage process involving maritime and overland networks and multiple forms of trade and exchange, indicating a highly adaptable and increasingly efficient transcontinental connection along the 'Proto-Silk Road'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qin-Qin Lü
- Department for the History of Science and Scientific Archaeology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China.
| | - Julian Henderson
- Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
- University of Nottingham, Ningbo, 315100, China
| | - Yongqiang Wang
- Xinjiang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Urumqi, 830001, China
| | - Binghua Wang
- Xinjiang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Urumqi, 830001, China
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