Wood Usage and Fire Veneration in the Pamir, Xinjiang, 2500 yr BP

<div><p>Located on the Pamir Plateau in Xinjiang Province, China, the Ji’erzankale Necropolis dates back to 2500 yr BP. Many materials that have been unearthed in this cemetery, including shoo konghou (musical instrument), bronze mirrors and glass beads, suggest cultural transference between East and West. Furthermore, small-sized and rounded fire altars made from sweet-scented <i>Sabina</i> were found for the first time and regarded as implements for fire veneration. We identified 70 wooden objects from 25 tombs within the Necropolis, and found that each object had been made from one of seven tree species. Analysis revealed that the inhabitants of the region mainly used the most widely available types of wood, namely <i>Betula</i> and <i>Populus</i>. People also specifically chose inflammable <i>Populus</i> wood to make hearth boards and hand drills (both are used for making fire by drilling), rigid <i>Betula</i> wood to craft wooden plates. <i>Salix </i>was used for fashioning wooden sticks, while sweet-scented <i>Sabina</i> was the preferred choice for making fire altars. <i>Lonicera</i> was selected for arrow shaft manufacture and <i>Fraxinus syriaca</i>, which has a beautiful grain, was chosen for making musical instruments. Conscious selection of different types of wood indicates that people of the Pamir Plateau were aware of the properties of various types of timbers, and were able to exploit these properties to the full. In turn, this demonstrates their wisdom and their ability to survive in, and adapt to, their local environment.</p></div

Location of Ji’erzankale Necropolis.

<p>The red triangle represents the Ji’erzankale Necropolis site.</p

Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates from the Ji’erzankale Necropolis.

<p>Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates from the Ji’erzankale Necropolis.</p

The use and species of wood found in Ji’erzankale Necropolis.

<p>The use and species of wood found in Ji’erzankale Necropolis.</p

Photographs of wooden objects from Ji’erzankale Necropolis.

<p>(a)Top view of fire altar; (b) Front view of fire altar; (c) Arrow shaft; (d) Hearth board and hand drill; (e) Hand drill; (f) Hearth board; (g) Top view of wooden plate; (h) Top view of shoo konghou.</p

Percentage of different wood species from Ji’erzankale Necropolis.

<p><i>Betula</i> sp. is the most species with percentage of 40%, while <i>Populus</i> sp. (21%), <i>Salix</i> sp. (11%), <i>Lonicera</i> sp. (11%), unidentified (7%), <i>Sabine</i> sp. (6%), <i>Fraxinus syriaca</i> (3%), <i>Elaeagnus angustifol</i> (1%).</p

Photograph of Ji’erzankale Necropolis.

<p>Tombs were surrounded by stone circles and a large area of black and white stones was laid on the surface.</p

Microphotographs of archaeological wood from Ji’erzankale Necropolis.

<p>(a) <i>Sabina</i>, transverse section; (b) <i>Sabina</i>, radial section; (c) <i>Populus</i>, transverse section; (d) <i>Populus</i>, radial section; (e) <i>Betula</i>, transverse section; (f) <i>Betula</i>, radial section; (g) <i>Salix</i>, transverse section; (h) <i>Salix</i>, radial section; (i) <i>Lonicera</i>, transverse section; (j) <i>Lonicera</i>, radial section; (k) <i>Elaeagnus angustifolia</i>, transverse section; (l) <i>Fraxinus syriaca</i>, transverse section.</p

Counts of crop seeds, weed seeds, kernels and nut shells in the studied samples.

<p>Counts of crop seeds, weed seeds, kernels and nut shells in the studied samples.</p

Stereoscan photographs of nut shells (suspected).

<p>These suspected fruit shells have radians and ornamentation on the surface. The shell remains were too fragile to be identified accurately; however, we could identify three relatively intact specimens: a. <i>Corylus</i>, Huoshiliang; b. <i>Pinus</i>, Huoshiliang; c. <i>Castanea</i>, Zhaimao.</p