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According to published archaeological sources, zooarchaeological data collection on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and its marginal and transitional areas is inadequate, and relevant datasets have not been published. For this reason, we collected and collated relevant information. Our database provides the geographical location, elevation, cultural type and faunal assemblage of each site on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and its periphery for which zooarchaeological data have been published from the Paleolithic to the Early Iron Age. The patterns of human faunal resource use, habitat patterns, and animal abundance and spatial distribution on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and its surrounding areas during the Prehistoric-Early Iron Age are represented in this dataset. The data provide a reference for further understanding prehistoric-early Iron Age human behavior, subsistence patterns and material and cultural exchanges between East and West on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and its environs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The study of hezangmu, 'collective burials', is an integral part of long-standing debates within Chinese archaeology. Traditional interpretations, shaped by social evolutionary models from the 1950s onwards, link collective burials to descent and inherited identity and status. Our study revisits Yanghai cemetery in Xinjiang, one of the largest Bronze Age cemeteries excavated in China's northwest, using GIS and statistical analyses. Our findings indicate that collective burial was a central aspect of Bronze Age funerary custom at Yanghai, with declining investment by the Iron Age. As a special form of collective burial, multi-layer collective burials emerged as a practical adaptation, not as a marker of special status. Their prevalence increased as ritual spending decreased. Based on our results, we suggest Bronze Age social stratification at Yanghai was shaped by local shamanistic practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crucial role that Xinjiang played in cultural communication across the Eurasian steppe in prehistory is evidenced by the large number of copper‐based objects that represent the early metallurgical technologies found across this region. Our research adds new chemical and isotopic analyses of 44 copper‐based objects dated to the early Iron Age of Ili in Xinjiang, western China. As noted in a number of publications, tin bronze and arsenic copper/bronze were the dominant alloying types across Xinjiang during the second and first millennium BC, whereas some specific types of objects such as cauldrons are often made from pure copper. The western Tianshan Mountain, including the well‐known mining site Nulasai, is the most likely copper source for the Ili metalworking. Meanwhile, a combination of lead isotopes, lead concentrations and trace elemental data reveals new evidence for the mixing and recycling of different sources of copper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The archaeological visibility of the production and consumption of gold and silver ornaments increased substantially during the Iron Age. A large number of precious metalworks rendered with distinctive 'animal style' motifs have been recovered from elite tombs in north‐west China, and have attracted great interest when investigating the dynamics of exchange, mobility and transcultural encounters in Eurasian antiquity. However, little scientific research has been undertaken to examine the manufacturing techniques and metal composition of such 'animal style' artefacts found in north‐west China and its neighbouring areas in a broader Eurasian context. Using multiple non‐invasive analytical methods, we conducted a detailed scientific analysis of two groups of precious metals excavated from Dongheigou Tomb 12 (fourth–second centuries bce) and Xigou Tomb 1 (third–second centuries bce) in present‐day Balikun county, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The results suggest that mould‐pressing technology was employed for the production of the 'animal style' appliqués found in these two tombs. The current analysis provides a definitive explanation for the traces of superficial crafting through their specific microstructure and the tool marks of manufacturing, and will thus be of significant interest for further research concerning the metallurgic knowledge and technological practice of precious metalworking industry in north‐west China and Central Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abnormality of the knee joint due to diseases or injury would disable the patient's affected leg, lead to difficulty in locomotion and daily life, and in turn makes the patient demand special care from his/her family and community. In this study, we report a case of knee fusion from Jiaerkenjiaga Cemetery, northwestern China, from a male individual who died at the age between 35 and 45 years. Carbon dating of his bone sample shows that he died during 542–391 BCE. The phenomenon was examined through macroscopic observation, digital radiography, and CT scanning. Results demonstrate that the right femur and tibia were fused at the right knee, whilst the patella was fused to the lateral condyle of the right femur. Otherwise, there were no signs of fracture, neoplasm, or other pathological conditions. It was diagnosed as knee ankylosis. It was proposed that this abnormality was likely due to the rupture of the medial patellofemoral ligament and subsequent complication of patella dislocation and septic arthritis. Given the nomadic lifestyle of the Jiaerkenjiaga people, it is speculated that the right patellofemoral ligament of this individual was torn in an accident likely related to horse riding. The well‐remodelled nature of the new bone formation indicates that the injury might have happened years before his death. The impairment would have limited his ability to walk and ride unaided, so someone in his community must have provided him with long‐term care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skeletal dysplasia is mainly caused by genetic mutations or endocrine abnormality. In this study, a case of disproportionate dwarfism from the Iron Age Beishenjiaqiao cemetery in Xi'an, China is analyzed from the perspective of bioarchaeology. The individual shows disproportionately short stature, with reduced long‐bone diaphyseal length especially of both humeri, unfused proximal humerus epiphyses, abnormal development of the shoulder and hip joints, left femoral head necrosis, and unusually gracile left femur and tibia shaft, demonstrating limited mobility and labor capacity. Hypothyroidism, pseudoachondroplasia, and multiple epiphyseal dysplasia are the most likely possible diagnoses although there are other possibilities. By combining the archaeological evidences and historical records, it is speculated that this individual lived a normal life and was well treated during her lifetime. Overall, this rare case concerning dwarfism not only enriches our knowledge of skeletal dysplasia among ancient Chinese in northern China but also demonstrates the humanitarian attitude of ancient society toward the disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long before the East–West "Silk Road" appeared, cultural communication as well as exchanges of materials and technologies had existed between different populations across the Eurasian Steppe. Xinjiang, located at a crossroads of the East and the West, is particularly important for exploring human interactions. The present paper contributes to this end from a stable isotopic perspective. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis were applied to 51 human and four animal bone remains collected from three types of tombs—namely, the earthen vertical tomb‐pit, earthen vertical tomb‐pit with second‐tier ledge, and earthen vertical tomb‐pit with side chamber—excavated from the Dalujiao cemetery, dated to the Early Iron Age (542 BCE–59 CE), in Xinjiang of northwest China. The δ13C (mean: −18.6 ‰) and δ15N (mean: 7.5‰) results of the faunal remains suggest that the two herbivore species (horse and sheep) were fed mainly by C3 terrestrial plants. By contrast, the human bone specimens differ in δ13C values (from −16.0‰ to −11.6‰, with a mean of −14.1‰ ± 1.1‰, n = 51). People buried in vertical tomb‐pits show a narrow range of δ13C values, an indication that they consumed quite stable sources of food. In contrast, those buried in vertical tomb‐pits with a second‐tier ledge or with a side chamber consumed more diverse foods and probably adopted different subsistence strategies. Taking into consideration both isotopic results and types of tombs, we propose that at least three groups of populations with diverse dietary and subsistence strategies are identifiable at the Dalujiao cemetery. Our study reveals not only human diets and subsistence patterns in the study area but also interactions among different populations prior to the rise of "Silk Road." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Liujiawa site is located in the Agricultural–Nomadic Transitional Zone in Northern China (ANTZNC), inhabited during the early Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 bc). Little is known about the diets of its inhabitants or agricultural management practices due to scant historical descriptions. In this study, lipid analysis was conducted on pottery sherds collected from two residential areas within the Liujiawa site. The results offer direct evidence for the processing of millet and ruminant and non‐ruminant carcass products by the commoners of the Liujiawa community. The individual δ13C values of fatty acids with positive fluctuation indicate that some ruminant animals and pigs were fed C4 plants as fodder. The routine consumption of ruminant meat by the common inhabitants also reflects a more diverse food source than that proposed in historical descriptions that have suggested dietary heterogeneity between the upper and lower classes: cattle or ovicaprid meat was not a singular privilege enjoyed by the noble classes. On the contrary, commoners also consumed the meat as a food source. Moreover, direct evidence of dairy processing has been found for the first time in pottery residues from an archaeological site within ANTZNC, strongly indicating that milk had been incorporated into the diet as an additional source of food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Situated at a geographic crossroads, the eastern Tianshan Mountain region in northwest China is crucial to understanding various economic, social, and cultural developments on the Eurasian Steppes. One promising way to gain a better knowledge of ancient subsistence economy, craft production, and social change in the eastern Tianshan Mountain region is to study the artifact assemblages from archaeological contexts. Here, we present an analysis of 488 worked animal bones from the large site of Shirenzigou (ca. 1300–1 BCE), to date the largest assemblage of this kind uncovered in the eastern Tianshan Mountain region. We classified these worked bones into six categories, including "ritual objects", "ornaments", "tools", "worked astragali", "warfare and mobility", and "indeterminate". The identification of animal species and skeletal elements indicates that worked bones from Shirenzigou are characterized by a predominance of caprine products, particularly worked astragali, which is consistent with the large proportion of caprine fragments found in animal remains associated with food consumption. This demonstrates the contribution of caprine pastoralism to bone working activities at Shirenzigou. The making of most worked bones does not appear to have required advanced or specialized skills. Considering the absence of dedicated bone working space, alongside the variability in raw material selection and in dimensions of certain types of artifacts, we infer that worked bone production at Shirenzigou was not standardized. In terms of raw material selection and mode of production, Shirenzigou differed from their settled, farming counterparts in the Yellow River valley of northern China. In addition, along with the evidence for violence and horseback riding, the increasing use of bone artifacts associated with warfare and mobility during the late occupation phase of Shirenzigou reflects growing social instability and implies the likely emergence of single mounted horsemen, equipped with light armors, in the region during the late first millennium BCE. Our results provide new insights into animal resource exploitation and changing lifeways of early pastoral societies in the eastern Tianshan Mountain region, expanding our knowledge of the economic, social, and political milieu of late Bronze Age and early Iron Age eastern Eurasia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent discoveries in north-west China and the Central Asian steppes have shed new light on the study of power display and material connections amongst nomadic groups during the development of gold-making technology in Iron Age Eurasia. Bringing together material science and archaeological approaches, this paper presents an interdisciplinary study of serially produced gold artefacts recovered from the elite burials of north-west China, to gain a better understanding of the inventive nature of early gold-making industry. In particular, we find that the technology used to craft the gold appliqués found in the Xigou cemetery (3rd-2nd centuries BCE) in north-west China attested to the use of moulds or matrices for serial production, closely linked to technological practice of the central Asians steppes. We consider the spread of the peculiar technique and iconography as a tangible way to examine technology transfer and cultural interactions. The contextual analysis reveals that the mould-pressing technique, the animal-style gold artefacts, and the burial practice of using prestigious gold as body adornment constitute a shared set of material expressions of the status and power of nomadic elites in north-west China, Kazakhstan and southern Siberia. Technological practice, in turn, opens up new research avenues in the field, recalibrating our recognition and understanding the active involvement of material objects in human life and culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The typological and scientific analysis of bronze artefacts has been widely applied to the issue of local production versus important, which can be further linked to the long‐distance trade exchange and movement of raw materials, technology and people. Bronze artefacts bearing stylistic features of different regional origins have been discovered at the site of Moutuo in Sichuan, south‐west China. This study investigates the metal provenance of these artefacts by using the impurity patterns of the Oxford system. By combining the Pb isotopic data, it is feasible to distinguish the locally produced objects from those importations. This study contributes a detailed case study to the wider question of the movement of metal in south‐west China between the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Violence affected daily life in prehistoric societies, especially at conflict zones where different peoples fought over resources and for other reasons. In this study, cranial trauma was analyzed to discuss the pattern of violence experienced by three Bronze to early Iron Age populations (1,000–100 BCE) that belonged to the Subeixi culture. These populations lived in the Turpan Basin, a conflict zone in the middle of the Eurasian Steppe. Methods: The injuries on 129 complete crania unearthed from the Subeixi cemeteries were examined for crude prevalence rate (CPR), trauma type, time of occurrence, possible weapon, and direction of the blow. Thirty‐three injuries identified from poorly preserved crania were also included in the analyses except for the CPR. Data was also compared between the samples and with four other populations that had violence‐related backgrounds. Results: Overall, 16.3% (21/129) of the individuals showed violence‐induced traumatic lesions. Results also indicated that most of the injuries were perimortem (81.6%), and that women and children were more involved in conflict than the other comparative populations. Wounds from weapons accounted for 42.1% of the identified cranial injuries. Distribution analysis suggested no dominant handedness of the attackers, and that blows came from all directions including the top (17.1%). Wounds caused by arrowheads and a special type of battle‐ax popular in middle and eastern Eurasian Steppe were also recognized. Discussion: A comprehensive analysis of the skeletal evidence, historical records, and archeological background would suggest that the raiding to be the most possible conflict pattern reflected by the samples. The attackers were likely to have been nomadic invaders from the steppe (such as the Xiongnu from historical records), who attacked the residents in the basin more likely for their resources rather than territory or labor force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In bioarchaeology, cranial trauma studies generally have focused on the frequency in the population to explore violence within or between society. They focus less on further discussion of the consequences and interactions of the injured individual with the surrounding. In this study, macroscopic observation and computed tomography scans (endocast reconstruction) were used to explore a special cranium in the Sampula site of northwest China. The model of bioarchaeology of care (BoC) was used to further analyse the individual's disability experience, related health care and the broader social meaning of caring behaviour. The results showed that the individual numbered Sampula I M2:103 was an adult male who suffered severe antemortem cranial trauma that led to brain injury. Short‐term health care involving wound treatment and nutritional support, as well as long‐term assistance in social and rehabilitation, was available in the Sampula Iron Age society. Although there were limitations to the analysis, the individual's ability to survive in the Iron Age was a testament to those who cared for him, as well as the level of care and medicinal knowledge in this society. The BoC allowed for a more human‐centred approach to understanding the lives of those in the past, and its application can provide more insight into past societies, cultures, groups and individual identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ji'erzankale Necropolis (吉尔赞喀勒墓地) is located on the Pamir Plateau in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. Composed of numerous stone circle graves and directly radiocarbon dated to the Iron Age (ca. 2400–2600 years cal BP), this site is unique in that numerous lines of archaeological evidence suggest that those interred here were followers of the Zoroastrian religion. Here, we present carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope ratio measurements of seeds (Nitraria pamirica, n = 7), animals (n = 14), and humans (n = 24) to reconstruct ancient diet and lifeways at the Ji'erzankale Necropolis. The results of the N. pamirica reflect the natural C3 vegetation and arid environment of this region. The δ13C (mean ± SD = –18.6 ± 0.8‰) and δ15N (mean ± SD = +8.1 ± 1.6‰) results of the animals (13 sheep and 1 hare) display a mostly C3 terrestrial diet with variable levels of protein consumption. Adult humans (n = 19) have δ13C (mean ± SD = –17.9 ± 0.2‰) and δ15N (mean ± SD = +13.1 ± 0.3‰) results that tightly cluster above the sheep by approximately +5‰. This is evidence that the diet of this population was relatively homogenous and mainly based on sheep and/or their secondary products and did not have a large input of C4 crops such as foxtail (Setaria italica) or common millet (Panicum miliaceum). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large amounts of perfect crystals were excavated from ancient coffins dating 2510 (±50) bp, in Jing'an County, Jiangxi Province, China. The coffins were wrapped by multiple bamboo mats and sealed highly by waterproof soil layers. In this study, crystals, wooden coffins, surrounding water and clay materials of several buried wooden coffins were subject to various analyses, and the crystals were identified to be vivianite by single crystal X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy. Spatial distribution of the vivianite crystals, which was consistent with first Fick's diffusion principle, indicated that the phosphate (PO43−) of the vivianite was originated from human bone that was demineralized under an acidic clay condition. Spatial distributions of iron(III) oxide (Fe2O3) and iron(II) oxide (FeO) indicated that iron(II) cations (Fe2+) of the vivianite originated from clay outside the coffins. Perfect vivianite crystals were formed at an extremely slow rate within the highly sealed coffins, in which Fe2+ and PO43− concentrations were of such a low level that the rapid precipitation of imperfect vivianite crystals was prevented, as the clay colloid could infiltrate only along the limited passageways of jointed seams between two halved timbers of the coffins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the exception of benign button osteomas, neoplasms in the skull are uncommon, and their consequences to the health of the general population are difficult to assess. In this study, we report a case of bone neoplasm arising in the temporal bone from a young male individual excavated from an Iron Age Qiongkeke Cemetery located in Nilka County, Yili, Xinjiang, China. The lesion presented as a cluster of ossified spicules in the infratemporal fossa. The possible diagnosis is a low‐grade malignant neoplasm, probably parosteal osteosarcoma, whereas some other kinds of neoplasms are possible though less likely. There were no signs of cortical bone destruction or periosteal reaction, indicating the differential diagnosis with conventional osteosarcoma and other exophytic cranial bone neoplasms. This focal space occupying lesion may have started from early childhood and slowly grew laterally, inducing musculoskeletal deformation at the left side and long‐term left tilting of the head. This rare case of skull bone neoplasm enriches our knowledge base of paleopathology in the ancient people of Northern China while also demonstrating long‐term skeletal adaptation to a slow‐growing neoplasm in the skull. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report an archaeobotanical analysis of flotation samples taken from Shirenzigou, an Early Iron Age agro-pastoralist site dated between the fourth and first century BC, located on the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, China. The charred macro-botanical assemblage is dominated by naked barley grains with a few broomcorn and foxtail millet grains. In the context of Trans-Eurasian exchange of cereal crops, southwest Asian crops (wheat and barley) and two Asian millets (broomcorn and foxtail) were introduced to Xinjiang a few centuries to a millennium before Shirenzigou was occupied. The choice of barley cultivation in preference to wheat and millet may have been possibly driven by the relatively extreme local environment and the scheduling requirements of mobile pastoralism. Barley is well suited to this environment, and the choice of naked barley in preference to hulled barley may have been driven by the whole grain tradition prevailing in East Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xiongnu was a confederation of nomadic pastoral tribes (~200 BC-100 AD) that founded the first nomadic empire in Central Asia. According to archeological and historical data, the tribes played a key role in ethnic and cultural processes in Central Asia and adjacent regions of Eurasia. Genetic studies of the Xiongnu published to date have focused on remains from burial grounds in present-day Mongolia, in the southern part of the ancient Xiongnu area. However, paleoanthropological materials from numerous Xiongnu cemeteries and settlements in Transbaikalia (the southern region of Eastern Siberia, Russia) in the northern part of the Xiongnu Empire have not been examined genetically. Here, we analyzed mitochondrial DNA variation in a Transbaikalian Xiongnu population based on ancient DNA obtained from skeletal remains (n = 18) at four burial grounds to complement available Xiongnu genetic diversity data. We detected 16 mitochondrial DNA haplotypes belonging to seven East Eurasian haplogroups (A, B5, C, D4, G2a, N9a, and Y) in the Transbaikalian Xiongnu series. We observed substantial similarity between Transbaikalian and Mongolian Xiongnu series with respect to main haplogroup composition and frequencies. We observed several mitochondrial DNA clusters (N9a, Y, B5, and A16) and 11 of 16 haplotypes that were previously undetected in the Xiongnu gene pool. We also observed high similarity between the Xiongnu and contemporary indigenous populations of eastern Central Asia, particularly Mongolian-speaking groups. These findings extend our knowledge of Xiongnu genetic diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faience is a kind of ancient ceramic product which was widely found in many areas. Chinese faience appeared in the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771BCE), about three thousand years later than western Asia. The sudden and late emergence of Chinese faience implies that its production technology may be influenced by the West. However, little information is known about how the faience productions spread from the West to central China. The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, located in the northwestern part of China, is one of the most important areas of cultural exchanges between the East and the West since ancient times. The study of faience unearthed in Xinjiang is of great significance to explore the early trade and cultural exchanges between central China and the West. In this paper, Synchrotron Radiation Micro-CT (SR-μCT) and Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (EDXRF) have been applied to obtain the information of microstructure and chemical composition of faience beads excavated from Ya’er cemetery (1050-300BCE) in Hami Basin, The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. These faience beads are the earliest faience artifacts in China up to our knowledge and this is the first time to analyze the excavated faience in Xinjiang scientifically. Based on the microstructure of faience beads in CT slices, it is found that two glazing methods, direct application and efflorescence, were used in faience production. Additionally, a cylindrical core made of organic material sustained the faience bead during shaping and firing. According to EDXRF analysis, various glaze recipes have been used to produce these faience beads, possibly indicating different provenance. The characteristics of higher Na 2 O/K 2 O ratio of faience glaze showed that these faience beads might come from the West. Thus, it is suggested that there was a faience road from Western Asia through Xinjiang to central China about three thousand years ago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provenance of metals is a major theme in Bronze Age archaeology since it can help to reveal complex cultural and economic entanglements in ancient times. However, where complex societies with diversified trading relationships are concerned, identifying metal provenance has often proved to be challenging due to the frequent mixing of metals from different sources in antiquity. This research addresses this question by developing an innovative method for interpreting lead isotope data of bronze artefacts. Manifold learning and a Bayesian mixing model are combined to reconstruct quantitatively the contribution of metal sources to ancient bronzes. The methodology is employed to resolve the complex metal circulation system in the Zhou period (11th-3rd century BC) of China, and reveals a significant diachronic change of metal resources from North, Central, and South China. The North China metal sources were mainly employed in the Early Western Zhou period (1046–950 BC). In the following ages, the Yangtze River Valley and Qinling Mountains became the major metal sources for Zhou people. The Middle Spring and Autumn period (660 BC-560 BC) witnessed a major shift of dependence between these two sources, demonstrating a fundamental transformation in the metal circulation system. The South China metal sources were exploited throughout the entire Zhou period and probably associated with polymetallic deposits in the Nanling area. This research reveals the long-term patterns of metal exploration and mixing in the Zhou period of China, and also demonstrates the great potential this new methodology promises in addressing the complex metal mixing history in other cultural contexts. • Resolving the isotopic mixing issue in the provenance research of archaeological bronzes. • A new methodology combining Manifold Learning and Bayesian Mixing Model to reconstruct the contribution of ore sources to bronze assemblages. • Revealing the long-term pattern of metal exploration and mixing in the Zhou period of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2020, a salvage excavation was conducted on a cemetery with nine burials in Bayanbulak, northwestern China, which was dated to no later than Han (202 BCE-220 CE) according to the burial types and artifacts. Except for the cranium and left fibula, most bones were complete and well preserved, belonging to a 30-40-year-old male. Macroscopic analysis revealed several pathological changes including an ununited fracture of the right distal tibia shaft. The broken ends fit together tightly, showing a large amount of fracture repair callus. The tibia had been shortened, while the distal broken end had displaced posteriorly with some reversion to form a pseudarthrosis. The contact surfaces of the two ends were remodelled, with a porous structure and scattered sclerosis, indicating an inflammatory response. Based on this appearance a diagnosis of hypertrophic non-union is warranted. The right distal fibula also shows contour deformity, likely indicating a healed oblique fracture. It was hypothesized that insufficient fixation of the fracture led to the formation of a pseudarthrosis on the tibia. This individual also had healed fractures on his left mandibular ramus and sternal right 5th and 6th ribs. Osteoarthritis of his distal right radius and capitate could be indicative of unilateral cane use, while entheseal changes on his right tibia and fibula indicate that he was still mobile after the injury. The archaeological research of the site is currently in progress; radiography and CT scanning will be conducted in the future to provide further insights into the life of this individual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To better understand variation of Holocene Chinese mandiblular morphology, a study was conducted on 23 metric traits of Neolithic ( n=54), Bronze-Iron Ages ( n=184) and modern ( n=92) adult male mandibles from northern China. Results indicate that the linear characters of these Chinese mandibles evolved in the past 7000 years. From the Neolithic to Bronze-Iron Ages to present day, the overall size of mandibles decreased. The linear characters of the mandiblular features varied between different time periods. The decrease of thickness and height of the mandibular corpus primarily occurred during the Neolithic to Bronze-Iron Ages. The decrease in main size was during the Bronze-Iron Ages to present day. It is possible that mandibles became thinner before the overall size decreased. Comparisons also indicate that the bottom part of the face may have decreased more greatly in breadth than the upper portion. The decrease in mandible size may be associated with changes in climate and diet, and with changes in the craniums size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ancient mtDNA data of human remains were analyzed from four early Iron Age Tarim Basin sites (Yuansha, Zaghunluq, Sampula and Niya) in the southern Silk Road region. Haplogroup distributions show that ancient Tarim Basin population was comprised of well-differentiated Western and Eastern matrilineal lineages. Some West lineage of Tarim Basin population originated from Near East and Iran region. Of the East lineages, North and Northeast Asia originated lineages were the main components, and a few Southeast Asian lineages also existed, which indicated a more extensive origin and a more complex admixture. The genetic structure of ancient Tarim Basin population is relatively close to the modern populations of Xinjiang, which implied that the early Iron Age is an important period during the formation of the modern Xinjiang population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Origins of royal libation ritual and performance of kingship. • Contextual analysis of libation assemblage. • Emergence of bronze ritual assemblages. • Libation ritual as techniques for engaging with the sacred and ancestral. Building on a diverse array of previous discoveries, this paper investigates the intersection of alcohol consumption, ritual performance, and political representations in early China. It traces the emergence and elaboration of a libation assemblage in coastal Neolithic mound centers to its incorporation into Bronze Age high culture, whereas it became an important medium for religious communication in Zhou bronze inscriptions and ritual texts. As the ritual process bound the living with the ancestral and supernatural realms, the deep continuities in these ritual practices and associated assemblage reveal an emerging notion of kingship in the political evolution of early China that took alcohol and alcohol-related rituals as its primary representation of political and ritual authority. This close connection between libation and power becomes the defining attribute of Bronze Age material culture in early China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indo-European languages comprise the largest language family in the world and by the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age occupied a broad expanse of Eurasia from Ireland to western China and India. The inherited vocabulary of the Indo-European languages provides us with an image of the prehistoric language(s) that was spoken at least from the late Neolithic onwards and sheds light on the actual names of weapons, types of defensive architecture, terms for aggressive behaviour, trauma, institutions and poetic diction associated with warfare. In addition, there is also a body of ethnographic and mythological data that purports to provide a picture of the social organization and attitudes toward warriors shared by the earliest Indo-Europeans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the ideological campaigns in the people's Republic of China. In their activities against the Communist Party and Marxist- Leninist ideology, Lo Lung-'chi, sociologist and others tried to seize key positions in science and culture. The most active participants in attempts at the restoration of bourgeois historical sciences and sociology were, Lei Hai-tsung instructor, Tientsin University, Hsiang Ta, deputy director, Second Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Lei Hai-tsung proposed that the history of human society be divided into four ages, the stone age, the bronze age, the iron age, and the machine age. Clearly, Lei Hai-tsung's idea nullified the significance of the class struggle and of social revolutions in the history of mankind. From the moment of inception of the capitalist mode of production, a contradiction has existed between the social nature of production and the private ownership of the means of production. This contradiction gradually developed and thoroughly permeated the history of the existence of the capitalist society. As long as certain capitalist relations of production essentially correspond to the level of the development of the productive forces, there are quantitative changes in society. When relations of production cease to correspond to the nature of the productive forces and hinder the development of the latter, under certain conditions there may arise qualitative changes, and social revolutions may occur.

In their paper "The beginning of faience in China: A review and new evidence", Lin et al. (2019) conclude that the Kayue people in Qinghai began making faience with a high potash content during the second half of the second millennium BC, prior to the Zhou people (1046-771BC). Based on a thorough assessment of the archaeological evidence, especially concerning the dates of the Kayue tombs, I conclude there is a lack of solid evidence that these faience beads predate the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771BC) so it cannot be inferred that the Zhou people learned production technologies for high potash faience from the Kayue people. A possible faience road for the transfer of production technologies from Xinjiang to Central China is further proposed. In this transfer process, some typology and production technologies for faience beads were adopted by the Western Zhou people, but the glaze recipe of most faience changed greatly in Central China due to adaptation to local resources. • The spread of faience is the earliest case of globalization in ceramic history. • A faience road is proposed between East Xinjiang and Central China during the late Bronze Age/early Iron Age. • Copper has been used as a glaze colorant in China since the introduction of faience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies of early Bronze Age human genomes revealed a massive population expansion by individuals-related to the Yamnaya culture, from the Pontic Caspian steppe into Western and Eastern Eurasia, likely accompanied by the spread of Indo-European languages [ 1–5 ]. The south eastern extent of this migration is currently not known. Modern-day human populations from the Xinjiang region in northwestern China show a complex population history, with genetic links to both Eastern and Western Eurasia [ 6–10 ]. However, due to the lack of ancient genomic data, it remains unclear which source populations contributed to the Xinjiang population and what was the timing and the number of admixture events. Here, we report the first genome-wide data of 10 ancient individuals from northeastern Xinjiang. They are dated to around 2,200 years ago and were found at the Iron Age Shirenzigou site. We find them to be already genetically admixed between Eastern and Western Eurasians. We also find that the majority of the East Eurasian ancestry in the Shirenzigou individuals is-related to northeastern Asian populations, while the West Eurasian ancestry is best presented by ∼20% to 80% Yamnaya-like ancestry. Our data thus suggest a Western Eurasian steppe origin for at least part of the ancient Xinjiang population. Our findings furthermore support a Yamnaya-related origin for the now extinct Tocharian languages in the Tarim Basin, in southern Xinjiang. • Iron Age Shirenzigou individuals are genetically admixed of east and west Eurasians • The west Eurasian ancestry is most like Yamnaya related • The east Eurasian ancestry is more like northeast Asian related • Strong evidence for the introduction of Indo-European languages into Xinjiang Ning et al. show that the Iron Age genomes from Xinjiang are highly structured with genetic ancestry related to both east and west Eurasians. The finding of Yamnaya/Afanasievo-related ancestry in this region further provides strong evidence for the dispersal of Indo-European language into Xinjiang. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, population continuity and discontinuity in northern China are explored using craniometric analyses from two archaeological sites, Longxian (Warring States) and Qi Li Cun (Han Dynasty). Neither population has been previously studied. Artefactual evidence shows the individuals from Qi Li Cun were Xianbei, descendants from Mongolia. Longxian is from further south in the central plains at an earlier time, thus, we expect to observe variability between these groups. In total, 24 cranial measurements were obtained on 66 crania from these sites. Howells's cranial measurements on Anyang (42 crania) and Hainan (83 crania) Chinese samples were included for comparative purposes. Less variability is expected between Longxian and Howells's Chinese data due to geographic and temporal similarity. With closer geographic and temporal affinity with Anyang, the expectation is for Longxian and Anyang to be similar. Few statistical differences exist between Longxian and Qi Li Cun; this was supported by the similarity found through principal components analysis (PCA). Regardless of sex, canonical discriminant analysis shows clustering of Longxian and Qi Li Cun separate from those of Anyang and Hainan. Their similarity indicates the people from Longxian and Qi Li Cun likely share Mongolian ancestry. Our results, supported by other studies, suggest that despite temporal differences, Mongolians living in China during the Warring States and Han dynasty retained their cultural and genetic Mongolian identity. These data add valuable bioarchaeological information regarding the peopling of northern China during a crucial period of cultural and political change in the Early Bronze Age and Iron Age., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence, distribution, and intensity of dental caries in the Iron Age population of northern China in order to increase knowledge about the type of food, dietary habit, and social stratification in this Iron Age people., Materials and Methods: The samples analyzed were dental remains of 1548 permanent teeth from 69 male individuals unearthed from the Qin archaeological site of Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum in Lintong (northern China). The sex and the age-at-death of the samples were estimated., Results: Overall frequency of antemortem tooth loss in the samples was 0.8%. The proportion of individuals with at least one carious tooth was 65.2%, and the frequency of carious lesions was 9.4%, both showing a trend to rise as age increased. Data obtained on dental caries and antemortem tooth loss provided a corrected rate of 9.5% of teeth with caries. The most frequent carious lesions were occlusal lesions (2.6%), followed by interproximal (2.5%) and buccal/lingual lesions (1.0%). Tooth type analysis showed that molars had the highest percentage of caries (18.6%), followed by premolars (4.5%), canines (3.0%), and incisors (3.0%). The total SRCI was 1.6, increasing with age., Conclusions: These findings indicate that dental caries may be related, at least in part, to the subsistence and diet of this Iron Age population., (Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)