On the issues relevant to the Majiayuan Cemetery in Zhangjiachuan County

Abstract

Majiayuan Cemetery showed diversified features from the nomadic tribes in the Northern Frontier Zone, the Central Plains and the aboriginal cultures of Gansu-Qinghai region, and so on. The earthen cave tomb with the cave on the side of the shaft was the burial type of the Qiang and Rong ethnic groups, the chariots luxuriously decorated with gold, silver, tin plaques and glass beads was the feature of the nomadic people in the Eurasian Steppes and the bronze ritual vessels and the iron weapons were from the Central Plains. The types and assemblages of the bronze ritual vessels and the potteries reflected the features of the late Warring-States Period; the coexistence of the various cultural elements showed the interchange and communication of these cultures in this region, and the owners of this cemetery might be the elite people of a West Rong tribe.