Abstract
As a very important plant resource, wood played varied and important roles in the lives of ancient people. In the present study, wood was discovered in the Yanghai cemetery of the Turpan Basin, which belonged to the Subeixi culture (~1300BC–200AD). By using traditional classification techniques of wood anatomy, four taxa of wood, viz. Populus sp., Salix sp., Picea sp., as well as Betula sp., were identified. Woods of Populus, Salix, and Picea were mainly used for tomb construction, with Poplus sp. also used for tub and plate-making. Furthermore, the wood of Betula sp. was selected for dipper-making. Previous studies have shown that the ancient Yanghai people once led an agro-pastoral lifestyle, engaging in both agricultural activities in the local oasis and animal husbandry practices in the Tianshan Mountains. As trees adapted to the cold, wood of Picea sp. and Betula sp. could have been cut in the Tianshan Mountains during transhumance. Conversely, wood of Populus sp. and Salix sp. could have been cut either locally in the oasis of the Turpan Basin or in the river valleys of the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains far from Yanghai settlements.
Highlights
The Turpan Basin (Turpan-Tokesun-Shanshan Basin) is a small oval-shaped basin in the middle of the Tianshan Mountains
Among the 14 specimens examined, 2 samples were identified to be of spruce (Picea sp.), 10 of poplar (Populus sp.), 1 of willow (Salix sp.), as well as 1 identified as birch (Betula sp.) (Table 1)
Before the Industrial Revolution, the local people lived in the oasis and relied only on the glacial water of the Tianshan Mountains
Summary
The Turpan Basin (Turpan-Tokesun-Shanshan Basin) is a small oval-shaped basin in the middle of the Tianshan Mountains. The Flaming Mountains, foothills of the Tianshan Mountains with a west-east orientation, divide the basin into two parts (Figure 1). Being distant from oceans and having high mountain barriers, the climate in the basin is very dry. The temperature in summer usually reaches >40°C, which could very well be the highest in China (Jiang et al, 2009). The entire basin consists mainly of stony desert, with several oasis distributed along the base of the Flaming Mountains. Aidingkol Lake, with an altitude of −154 m, is the lowest topography of China. Due to its topographical features, the Turpan Basin is the lowest, driest, and hottest terrain in summer in China
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
