On the Exploration of Social Development during a Historical Period in the Eastern Tienshan Mountains via Archaeological and Geopolitical Perspectives
Natural and social environment changes have played important roles in social evolution in different times and spaces. Geopolitical change, in particular, might play a decisive role in social evolution during historical periods. The eastern Tienshan Mountains was a transportation hub for communicatio...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Land |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/9/1416 |
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| author | Huihui Cao Yongqiang Wang Menghan Qiu Zhilin Shi Guanghui Dong |
| author_facet | Huihui Cao Yongqiang Wang Menghan Qiu Zhilin Shi Guanghui Dong |
| author_sort | Huihui Cao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Natural and social environment changes have played important roles in social evolution in different times and spaces. Geopolitical change, in particular, might play a decisive role in social evolution during historical periods. The eastern Tienshan Mountains was a transportation hub for communication between the East and the West, where the natural environment is fragile and the social environment has been complex during the historical period. However, geopolitical change and its impact on local social development remain unclear due to fragmented historical records and limited studies. This study investigates the spatiotemporal variations of military facilities in the Hami region, and compares historical documents and archaeological and paleoclimate records to discuss geopolitical changes and social evolution during the historical period in the eastern Tienshan Mountains. A total of 84 visible organic remains from 38 historic beacon towers and 8 dak sites in the Hami region of the eastern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwestern China, were collected and the radiocarbon (<sup>14</sup>C) dates of these ruins were systematically determined with accelerator mass spectrometry. The dating results show that these sites were mainly built during two major periods: ca. 600–900 cal AD and ca. 1600–1950 cal AD, which roughly correspond to the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD) and the Qing Dynasty (1636–1912 AD) in ancient China. Human settlement intensity was high during the Han, Tang, and Qing dynasties, and relatively low when the area was controlled by nomadic or local regimes. This suggests that agricultural empires and nomadic/local regimes adopted different strategies for regional management. Climate change might have affected geopolitical patterns, which, in turn, profoundly influenced human activities and social evolution in the eastern Tienshan Mountains over the last two millennia. This study systematically reveals the spatiotemporal variations of beacon towers and dak ruins in the region through a large number of reliable direct <sup>14</sup>C dating, it reveals the remarkable differences in human activities in the eastern Tienshan Mountains under different administrations, and it explores the influence of geopolitics and climate change on social evolution in the eastern Tienshan Mountains from a multidisciplinary perspective. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:26:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-765a32f4a6e34d7fa566cb2e62f3e71b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-445X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:26:26Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Land |
| spelling | doaj.art-765a32f4a6e34d7fa566cb2e62f3e71b2023-11-23T17:16:43ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2022-08-01119141610.3390/land11091416On the Exploration of Social Development during a Historical Period in the Eastern Tienshan Mountains via Archaeological and Geopolitical PerspectivesHuihui Cao0Yongqiang Wang1Menghan Qiu2Zhilin Shi3Guanghui Dong4Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental System, Ministry of Education, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaInstitute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology in Xinjiang, Urumqi 830011, ChinaKey Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental System, Ministry of Education, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaInstitute of Dunhuang Studies, School of History and Culture, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaKey Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental System, Ministry of Education, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaNatural and social environment changes have played important roles in social evolution in different times and spaces. Geopolitical change, in particular, might play a decisive role in social evolution during historical periods. The eastern Tienshan Mountains was a transportation hub for communication between the East and the West, where the natural environment is fragile and the social environment has been complex during the historical period. However, geopolitical change and its impact on local social development remain unclear due to fragmented historical records and limited studies. This study investigates the spatiotemporal variations of military facilities in the Hami region, and compares historical documents and archaeological and paleoclimate records to discuss geopolitical changes and social evolution during the historical period in the eastern Tienshan Mountains. A total of 84 visible organic remains from 38 historic beacon towers and 8 dak sites in the Hami region of the eastern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwestern China, were collected and the radiocarbon (<sup>14</sup>C) dates of these ruins were systematically determined with accelerator mass spectrometry. The dating results show that these sites were mainly built during two major periods: ca. 600–900 cal AD and ca. 1600–1950 cal AD, which roughly correspond to the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD) and the Qing Dynasty (1636–1912 AD) in ancient China. Human settlement intensity was high during the Han, Tang, and Qing dynasties, and relatively low when the area was controlled by nomadic or local regimes. This suggests that agricultural empires and nomadic/local regimes adopted different strategies for regional management. Climate change might have affected geopolitical patterns, which, in turn, profoundly influenced human activities and social evolution in the eastern Tienshan Mountains over the last two millennia. This study systematically reveals the spatiotemporal variations of beacon towers and dak ruins in the region through a large number of reliable direct <sup>14</sup>C dating, it reveals the remarkable differences in human activities in the eastern Tienshan Mountains under different administrations, and it explores the influence of geopolitics and climate change on social evolution in the eastern Tienshan Mountains from a multidisciplinary perspective.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/9/1416<sup>14</sup>C datingmilitary relicshuman activitiesgeopoliticseastern Tienshan Mountains |
| spellingShingle | Huihui Cao Yongqiang Wang Menghan Qiu Zhilin Shi Guanghui Dong On the Exploration of Social Development during a Historical Period in the Eastern Tienshan Mountains via Archaeological and Geopolitical Perspectives Land <sup>14</sup>C dating military relics human activities geopolitics eastern Tienshan Mountains |
| title | On the Exploration of Social Development during a Historical Period in the Eastern Tienshan Mountains via Archaeological and Geopolitical Perspectives |
| title_full | On the Exploration of Social Development during a Historical Period in the Eastern Tienshan Mountains via Archaeological and Geopolitical Perspectives |
| title_fullStr | On the Exploration of Social Development during a Historical Period in the Eastern Tienshan Mountains via Archaeological and Geopolitical Perspectives |
| title_full_unstemmed | On the Exploration of Social Development during a Historical Period in the Eastern Tienshan Mountains via Archaeological and Geopolitical Perspectives |
| title_short | On the Exploration of Social Development during a Historical Period in the Eastern Tienshan Mountains via Archaeological and Geopolitical Perspectives |
| title_sort | on the exploration of social development during a historical period in the eastern tienshan mountains via archaeological and geopolitical perspectives |
| topic | <sup>14</sup>C dating military relics human activities geopolitics eastern Tienshan Mountains |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/9/1416 |
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