22-05-2025
Graves Discovered on Silk Road Route Reveal Ancient Burial Customs
Archaeologists working deep within China's Xinjiang province have discovered over 200 ancient tombs which date back to the Warring States period as well as the Qin and Han dynasties, according to a study published in NPJ Heritage Toksun County, located near the oasis city of Turpan, researchers have unearthed a communal graveyard spanning approximately 10,000 square meters, the largest ever found in the Turpan Basin. The sites are adorned with large mounted piles of dirt and stones, leading scientists to conclude that these were communal burial cultures, a sharp contrast to the solitary graves that China's elite were given.
Located near a river, the burial site is thought to have been especially important to nomadic groups. In Central Asia, early nomadic or semi-settled societies would place their plots near river valleys or springs. This allowed different groups to converge on the site, feed their animals, and bury dead members of their community according to their after the burial site was established, Turpan would become one of the key destinations on the Silk Road trade route. Ekbar Kelim, a local cultural official, told The Greek Reporter that he and his fellow researchers have already unearthed evidence of trade within the tombs.
Kelim and his team plan to conduct further excavations of the tombs and surrounding areas. They will examine burial offerings and other artifacts such as ceramics, fabrics, and skeletal remains to hopefully find other evidence of intercultural interaction. They believe that the tombs of Turpan could reveal how ancient China interacted with the rest of the world.
