Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T14:55:19.323Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The earliest well-dated archeological site in the hyper-arid Tarim Basin and its implications for prehistoric human migration and climatic change

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

WenXia Han ,
LuPeng Yu ,
ZhongPing Lai ,
David Madsen  and
Shengli Yang
WenXia Han
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Salt Lake Resources and Chemistry, Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining 810008, China State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710075, China
LuPeng Yu*
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources of Northern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, Qinghai Geological Survey Institute, Xining 810012, China State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710075, China
ZhongPing Lai*
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Salt Lake Resources and Chemistry, Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining 810008, China State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710075, China
David Madsen
Affiliation:
Texas Archeological Research Laboratory, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Shengli Yang
Affiliation:
College of Geographical Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China
*
* Correspondence to: L. Yu, Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources of Northern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, Qinghai Geological Survey Institute, Xining 810012, China.
** Correspondence to: Z. Lai, Key Laboratory of Salt Lake Resources and Chemistry, Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining 810008, China.E-mail addresses:[email protected], [email protected] (L. Yu), [email protected] (Z. Lai).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The routes and timing of human occupation of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are crucial for understanding the evolution of Tibetan populations and associated paleoclimatic conditions. Many archeological sites have been found in/around the Tarim Basin, on the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. Unfortunately, most of these sites are surface sites and cannot be directly dated. Their ages can only be estimated based on imprecise artifact comparisons. We recently found and dated an archeological site on a terrace along the Keriya River. Our ages indicate that the site was occupied at ~7.0–7.6 ka, making it the earliest well-dated archeological site yet identified in the Tarim Basin. This suggests that early human foragers migrated into this region prior to ~7.0–7.6 ka during the early to mid-Holocene climatic optimum, which may have provided the impetus for populating the region. We hypothesize that the Keriya River, together with the other rivers originating from the TP, may have served as access routes onto the TP for early human foragers. These rivers may also have served as stepping stones for migration further west into the now hyper-arid regions of the Tarim Basin, leading ultimately to the development of the Silk Road.

Keywords

OSL and 14C datingArcheological siteTarim BasinTibetan PlateauPrehistoric human migrationSilk Road through the Taklimakan Desert
Type
Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 82 , Issue 1 , July 2014 , pp. 66 - 72
Copyright
University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adamiec, G., and Aitken, M. Dose-rate conversation factors: update. Ancient TL 16, 2 (1998). 37–50.Google Scholar
Aldenderfer, M. Moving up in the world. American Scientist 91, (2003). 542–549.Google Scholar
An, Z., Colman, S.M., Zhou, W., Li, X., Brown, E.T., Jull, A.J.T., Cai, Y., Huang, Y., Lu, X., Chang, H., Song, Y., Sun, Y., Xu, H., Liu, W., Jin, Z., Liu, X., Cheng, P., Liu, Y., Ai, L., Li, X., Liu, X., Yan, L., Shi, Z., Wang, X., Wu, F., Qiang, X., Dong, J., Lu, F., and Xu, X. Interplay between the Westerlies and Asian monsoon recorded in Lake Qinghai sediments since 32 ka. Scientific Report 2, 619 (2012). 1–7.Google Scholar
Brantingham, P.J., and Gao, X. People of northern Tibetan Plateau. World Archaeology 38, 3 (2006). 387–388.Google Scholar
Brantingham, P.J., Ma, H.Z., Olsen, J.W., Gao, X., Madsen, D.B., and Rhode, D.E. Speculation on the timing and nature of Late Pleistocene hunter–gatherer colonization of the Tibetan Plateau. Chinese Science Bulletin 48, (2003). 1510–1516.Google Scholar
Brantingham, P.J., Gao, X., Olsen, J.W., Ma, H.Z., Rhode, D.E., Zhang, H.Y., and Madsen, D.B. A short chronology for the peopling of the Tibetan Plateau. Madsen, David B., Fahu, Chen, and Xing, Gao Late Quaternary Climate Change and Human Adaptation in Arid China. Developments in Quaternary Science (2007). Elsevier, Amsterdam. 129–150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brantingham, P.J., Gao, X., Madsen, D.B., Rhode, D., Perreault, C., van der Woerd, J., and Olsen, J.W. Late occupation of the high-elevation Northern Tibetan Plateau. Geoarchaeology 28, 5 (2013). 413–431.Google Scholar
Bronk Ramsey, C. Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon dates. Radiocarbon 51, 1 (2009). 337–360.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, F.H., Yu, Z.C., Yang, M.L., Ito, E., Wang, S.M., Madsen, D.B., Huang, X.Z., Zhao, Y., Sato, T., Birks, H.J.B., Boomer, I., Chen, J.H., An, C.B., and Wünnemann, B. Holocene moisture evolution in arid central Asia and its out-of-phase relationship with Asian monsoon history. Quaternary Science Reviews 27, (2008). 351–364.Google Scholar
Debaine-Francfort, C. Archaologie du Xinjiang des origines aux Han: Première partie. Paléorient 14, 1 (1988). 5–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Du, X.R., and Tang, J.J. Atlas of China. (2011). Sinomap Press, Beijing. 208–209. (in Chinese) Google Scholar
Fang, X.M., Lü, L.Q., Yang, S.L., Li, J.J., An, Z.S., Jiang, P.A., and Chen, X.L. Loess in Kunlun Mountains and its implications on desert development and Tibetan Plateau uplift in west China. Science in China Series D 45, (2002). 289–299. (in Chinese) CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fang, X.M., Shi, Z.T., Yang, S.L., Yan, M.D., Li, J.J., and Jiang, P.A. Loess in the Tian Shan and its implications for the development of the Gurbantunggut Desert and drying of northern Xinjiang. Chinese Science Bulletin 47, (2002). 1381–1387. (in Chinese) Google Scholar
Feng, Q., Su, Z.Z., and Jin, H.J. Desert evolution and climate change of the Tarim River Basin since 12 ka B.P.. Science in China Series D S1, (1999). 87–96. (in Chinese) Google Scholar
Hou, G.L., Lai, Z.P., Sun, Y.J., and Ye, M.L. Luminescence and radiocarbon chronologies for the Xindian Culture site of Lamafeng in the Guanting Basin on the NE edge of the Tibetan Plateau. Quaternary Geochronology 10, (2012). 394–398.Google Scholar
Huang, X.J., and Wu, Z. The Report of Scientific Exploration and Investigation in the Keriya River Valley and the Taklamakan Desert. (1991). China Science and Technology Press, (in Chinese) Google Scholar
Huang, W.W., Olsen, J.W., Reevesx, R.W., Miller-Antonio, S., and Lei, J.Q. New discoveries of stone artifacts on the southern edge of the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang. Acta Anthropologica Sinica 4, (1988). 294–301. (in Chinese) Google Scholar
Jia, H.J., Qin, X.G., and Liu, J.Q. Environmental change of the past 10.84 ka in Loulan, Xinjiang. Quaternary Sciences 30, 1 (2010). 175–184. (in Chinese with English abstract) Google Scholar
Lai, Z.P., and Brückner, H. Effects of feldspar contamination on equivalent dose and the shape of growth curve for OSL of silt-sized quartz extracted from Chinese loess. Geochronometria 30, (2008). 49–53.Google Scholar
Lai, Z.P., Zöller, L., Fuchs, M., and Brückner, H. Alpha efficiency determination for OSL of quartz extracted from Chinese loess. Radiation Measurements 43, (2008). 767–770.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, S.K. Fluctuation of closed lake-level and climate significance on the middle Kunlun Mountains. Journal of Lake Science 41, (1992). 19–30. (in Chinese) Google Scholar
Liu, T.S. Loess and the Environment. (1985). China Ocean, Beijing. (in Chinese) Google Scholar
Lü, H.Y., Xia, X.C., Liu, J.Q., Qin, X.G., Wang, F.B., Abuduresule, Y., Zhou, L.P., Mu, G.J., Jiao, Y.X., and Li, J.Z. A preliminary study of chronology for a newly discovered ancient city and five archaeological sites in Lop Nur, China. Chinese Science Bulletin 55, 1 (2010). 63–71. (in Chinese) Google Scholar
Madsen, D.B., Ma, H., Brantingham, P.J., Gao, X., Rhode, D., Zhang, H., and Olsen, J.W. The late Upper Paleolithic occupation of the northern Tibetan Plateau margin. Journal of Archaeological Science 33, (2006). 1433–1444.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murray, A.S., and Wintle, A.G. Luminescence dating of quartz using an improved single-aliquot regenerative-dose protocol. Radiation Measurements 32, (2000). 57–73.Google Scholar
Murray, A.S., and Wintle, A.G. The single aliquot regenerative dose protocol: potential for improvements in reliability. Radiation Measurements 37, (2003). 377–381.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prescott, J.R., and Hutton, J.T. Cosmic ray contribution to dose rates for luminescence and ESR dating: large depths and long-term time variations. Radiation Measurements 23, (1994). 497–500.Google Scholar
Reimer, P.J., Bard, E., Bayliss, A., Beck, J.W., Blackwell, P.G., Bronk Ramsey, C., Buck, C.E., Cheng, H., Edwards, R.L., Friedrich, M., Grootes, P.M., Guilderson, T.P., Haflidason, H., Hajdas, I., Hatté, C., Heaton, T.J., Hogg, A.G., Hughen, K.A., Kaiser, K.F., Kromer, B., Manning, S.W., Niu, M., Reimer, R.W., Richards, D.A., Scott, E.M., Southon, J.R., Staff, R.A., Turney, C.S.M., and van der Plicht, J. IntCal13 and MARINE13 radiocarbon age calibration curves 0–50,000 years cal BP. Radiocarbon 55, 4 (2013). 1869–1887.Google Scholar
Ren, G. Decline of the mid-to-late Holocene forests in China: climate change or human impact?. Journal of Quaternary Science 15, (2000). 273–281.3.0.CO;2-2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rhode, D., Zhang, H.Y., Madsen, D.B., Gao, X., Brantingham, P.J., Ma, H.Z., and Olsen, J.W. Epipaleolithic/early Neolithic settlements at Qinghai Lake, western China. Journal of Archaeological Science 34, (2007). 600–612.Google Scholar
Roberts, R.M. Assessing the effectiveness of the double-SAR protocol in isolating a luminescence signal dominated by quartz. Radiation Measurements 42, (2007). 1627–1636.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Su, B., Xiao, C., Deka, R., Seielstad, M.T., Kangwangpong, D., Xiao, J., Lu, D., Underhill, P., Cavalli-Sforza, L., Chakraborty, R., and Jin, L. Y-chromosome haplotypes reveal prehistorical migrations to the Himalayas. Human Genetics 107, (2000). 582–590.Google Scholar
Sun, J.M. Source regions and formation of the loess sediments on the high mountain regions of northwestern China. Quaternary Research 58, (2002). 341–351.Google Scholar
Sun, Y.J., Lai, Z.P., Madsen, D., and Hou, G.L. Luminescence dating of a hearth from the archaeological site of Jiangxigou in the Qinghai Lake area of the northeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. Quaternary Geochronology 12, (2012). 107–110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taklimakan Desert archaeology group Microlithic in the Altun Mountains. Xinjiang Cultural Relics 4, (1990). 14–18. (in Chinese) Google Scholar
van Driem, G. Neolithic correlates of ancient Tibeto-Burman migrations. Blench, R., and Spriggs, M. Archaeology and Language II. (1998). Routledge, London. 67–102.Google Scholar
Wang, B., and Zhang, T.N. New discoveries of the Paleolithic archaeology in Xinjiang. Social Science Research of Xinjiang 11, (1988). 35–36. (in Chinese) Google Scholar
Wang, Y.J., Cheng, H., Edwards, R.L., He, Y.Q., Kong, X.G., An, Z.S., Wu, J.Y., Kelly, M.J., Dykoski, C.A., and Li, X.D. The Holocene Asian monsoon: links to solar changes and North Atlantic climate. Science 308, (2005). 854–857.Google Scholar
Wei, Y.L. County Annals of Yutian. (2006). Xinjiang People's Press, (in Chinese) Google Scholar
Wu, Y.S. The sporo-pollen assemblage and its significance of Pit F-4 from LopNur area in Xinjiang. Arid Land Geography 17, 1 (1994). 24–29. (in Chinese) Google Scholar
Yidilis, A. Microlithic sites in Xinjiang. Xinjiang Cultural Relics 4, (1993). 17–18. (in Chinese) Google Scholar
Yu, L.P., and Lai, Z.P. OSL chronology and palaeoclimatic implications of aeolian sediments in the Qaidam Basin of the northeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 337–338, (2012). 120–129.Google Scholar
Yu, L.P., and Lai, Z.P. Holocene climate change inferred from stratigraphy and OSL chronology of aeolian sediments in the Qaidam Basin, northeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. Quaternary Research 81, (2014). 488–499.Google Scholar
Zhang, F., Wang, T., Yimit, H., Shi, Q.D., Quan, Q.R., Sun, Z.Q., and Li, F. Hydrological changes and settlement migrations in the Keriya River delta in central Tarim Basin ca. 2.7–1.6 ka BP: inferred from 14C and OSL chronology. Science China Earth Sciences 41, (2011). 1495–1504. (in Chinese) Google Scholar
Zhao, Y., Yu, Z.C., and Chen, F.H. Spatial and temporal patterns of Holocene vegetation and climate changes in arid and semi-arid China. Quaternary International 194, (2009). 6–18.Google Scholar
Zhao, Y., Yu, Z.C., Chen, F.H., Zhang, J.W., and Yang, B. Vegetation response to Holocene climate change in monsoon-influenced region of China. Earth-Science Reviews 97, (2009). 242–256.Google Scholar
Zhong, W., Tuerxun, K.Y.M., Shu, Q., and Wang, L.G. Paleoclimatic and plaeoenvironmental evolution since about 25 ka BP in the Taitema lake area, South Xinjiang. Arid Land Geography 28, 2 (2005). 183–187. (in Chinese) Google Scholar