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SCRAPING AWAY: Archeologists work on the Adunqiaolu site in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on August 29, 2012 (SHEN QIAO) |
The Adunqiaolu site and cemetery, located 41 km west of Wenquan County, dates back to the Bronze Age (about 1800 B.C. in China).
While archeologists had previously found similar sites in areas of Kazakhstan and Russia, Adunqiaolu is a first for China. Based on its scale and remains, the site might have functioned as a ritual center within the Bortala Valley or even further. Large-scale stone architecture and tombs are significant in the exploration of early Bronze Age culture in the western Tianshan Mountain area. From June to September 2012, archeologists excavated three linked houses and nine stone burial chambers, traced back to the 19th and 17th centuries B.C.
Li Shuicheng, an archeologist of Peking University, said Adunqiaolu provides important material for research into the cultural link between northwest China and Central Asia during the Bronze Age.
The site also begs the question as to how ancient residents were able to cut, shape and transport such large pieces of stone using primitive technology and limited manpower.
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