title: Wood Usage and Fire Veneration in the Pamir, Xinjiang, 2500 yr BP.
abstract: 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 Sabina 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 Betula and Populus. People also specifically chose inflammable Populus wood to make hearth boards and hand drills (both are used for making fire by drilling), rigid Betula wood to craft wooden plates. Salix was used for fashioning wooden sticks, while sweet-scented Sabina was the preferred choice for making fire altars. Lonicera was selected for arrow shaft manufacture and Fraxinus syriaca, 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.
authors: Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origin of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Earth Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors: Hui
authors: H
authors: Shen
authors: The Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors: Xinhua
authors: X
authors: Wu
authors: Key laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors: Zihua
authors: Z
authors: Tang
authors: Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origin of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors: Xinying
authors: X
authors: Zhou
authors: Department of earth science and resources, Chang'an University, Shaanxi, China.
authors: Nan
authors: N
authors: Sun
authors: Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origin of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors: Xiaoqiang
authors: X
authors: Li
mesh_terms: D001106:Archaeology; D002681:China; D003142:Communication; D005390:Fires; D010944:Plants / Q000145:classification; D014934:Wood