Prehistoric wooden bows and arrows in the Turpan Basin,Northwest China: Wood selection and utilization in a mosaic landscape |
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| Authors: | Kuangyuan Nong Guilin Zhang Long Wang Yeming Cheng Hongen Jiang |
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| Institution: | 1. Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China;2. History and Social Work College, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, China;3. Academia Turfanica of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Turpan, China;4. Geological Museum of China, Beijing, China;5. Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China |
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| Abstract: | In the present study, we analyzed seven wooden bows and 13 arrows excavated from the cemeteries of Subeixi Culture (13th century BCE–AD second century) in the Turpan Basin, northwest China. A total of six taxa, viz. Morus sp., Salix sp., Picea sp., Lonicera sp., Betula sp., and Tamarix sp. were identified. Some of these taxa have been generally accepted to be suitable for bow-and-arrow production. All these taxa were local in origin but distributed in different ecotonal zones, including oases, saline-alkali lands, and mountain areas. Previous archaeological studies have confirmed that the Subeixi populations lived an agro-pastoral life. By analyzing the possible provenance of these wood samples, it can be hypothesized that these ancient agro-pastoralists moved between the Turpan Basin and the Tianshan Mountains on a seasonal basis. |
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| Keywords: | bow-and-arrow technology Subeixi Culture transhumance wood identification Xinjiang |
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