Radiocarbon Dating the Ancient City of Loulan

Radiocarbon ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 1215-1226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bing Xu ◽  
Zhaoyan Gu ◽  
Xiaoguang Qin ◽  
Yong Wu ◽  
Guijin Mu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Han Dynasty ◽  
Abrupt Decrease ◽  
Inner Asia ◽  
Jin Dynasty ◽  
Ice Accumulation ◽  
Ancient City ◽  
History Of ◽  
Natural Climate ◽  
The City ◽  
Eastern Han

AbstractThe discovery of the ancient city of Loulan in Xinjiang, China, at the beginning of the 20th century was of great significance for understanding the evolution of culture and civilization in Inner Asia. However, due to the lack of systematic chronological studies, the history of this ancient city remains unclear, particularly the date of its construction and abandonment. Here, we present the results of the first systematic radiocarbon (14C) dating carried out on artifacts from ancient Loulan. Our results show that human activity began as early as 350 cal BC, flourished during the interval from the 1st to 4th centuries AD, and completely disappeared around 600 AD. Most of the buildings in the city were constructed during the Eastern Han Dynasty rather than in Wei/Jin Dynasty, as previously indicated by excavated documents and letters (Hedin 1898; Xiao 2006). The development and flourishing of Loulan coincided with the interval of high ice accumulation and meltwater supply from surrounding mountains. The city began to decline and was finally abandoned following an abrupt decrease in ice accumulation and meltwater supply (Yao et al. 1996; Lauterbach et al. 2014), suggesting that natural climate change was the major factor responsible for the abandonment of Loulan.

Topography of Athens

Classics ◽  
2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey M. Hurwit ◽  
Ioannis Mitsios
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Plain ◽  
Aegean Sea ◽  
Ancient Greek ◽  
Greek City ◽  
Urban Core ◽  
Ancient City ◽  
History Of ◽  
City States ◽  
City State ◽  
The City

The ancient city-state (or polis) of Athens was contiguous with the region known as Attica, a large, triangular peninsula extending southeastward from the Greek mainland into the Aegean Sea. In the western angle of Attica, on a coastal plain surrounded by four mountains (Hymettos, Pentelikon, Parnes, and Aigaleos), lay the city itself. Although the modern city has thickly spread up the slopes of the mountains as well as to the sea, the study of Athenian topography concentrates on the monuments, buildings, and spaces of the ancient urban core, an area roughly 3 square kilometers surrounding the Acropolis and defended in the Classical period by a wall some 6.5 kilometers in length. Athens is the ancient Greek city that we know best, and it is unquestionably the Greek city whose art, architecture, literature, philosophy, and political history have had the greatest impact on the Western tradition and imagination. As a result, “Athenian” is sometimes considered synonymous with “Greek.” It is not. In many respects, Athens was exceptional among Greek city-states, not typical: it was a very different place from, say, Thebes or Sparta. Still, the study of Athens, its monuments, and its culture needs no defense, and the charge of “Athenocentrism” is a hollow indictment when one stands before the Parthenon or holds a copy of Sophocles’ Antigone. This article will refer to the following periods in the history of Athens and Greece (the dates are conventional): late Bronze, or Mycenaean, Age (1550–1100 bce); Dark Age (1100–760 bce); Archaic (760–480 bce); Classical (480–323 bce); Hellenistic (323 –31 bce); and Roman (31 BCE–c. 475 ce).

scholarly journals FRAGMENTS OF THE THIRD MILLENNIUM BC FROM NIGIN

Iraq ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Davide Nadali ◽  
Lorenzo Verderame
Keyword(s):  
Small Group ◽  
The State ◽  
The Third ◽  
Early Dynastic ◽  
Ancient City ◽  
Third Millennium ◽  
Third Millennium Bc ◽  
History Of ◽  
First Dynasty ◽  
The City

The ancient city of Nigin in the State of Lagash is largely attested in the epigraphic sources of the rulers of the First Dynasty of Lagash. Conversely, the archaeological evidence of the Early Dynastic Period is so far very scanty and limited. This paper presents a small group of documents to be dated to the Early Dynastic Period IIIb that were found out of context, but that nevertheless point to a phase of occupation of Nigin in the third millennium BC and are coherent with the information we already know about history of the city and the State of Lagash.

Edilizia residenziale nel paesaggio urbanistico di Tolemaide in Cirenaica

2020 ◽  
pp. 123-152
Author(s):  
Jerzy Żelazowski
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Urban Development ◽  
Cultural Influences ◽  
The Third ◽  
Ancient City ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Military Administration ◽  
History Of ◽  
Jewish Revolt ◽  
The City

The article presents the private houses of Ptolemais’ inhabitants in the context of the history and urban development of a city with a thousand-year-long history. Four periods can be distinguished in the history of Ptolemais: the first since the creation of the city’s final spatial development plan in the 2nd century BC until the Jewish Revolt in 115–117 AD; the second in the 2nd–3rd centuries AD under the sign of development and growing aspirations of Ptolemais; the third in the 4th century AD until the first half of the 5th century AD, when the city served as the capital of the province of Libya Superior; and the fourth, from the end of the 5th century AD until the mid-7th century AD, in which Ptolemais, after a short period of crisis related to the nomad invasions, flourished again until the appearance of the Arabs, marking the end of the ancient city, although not the end of settlement in its area. Within this historical framework, changes in the city’s buildings and the transformation of private houses can be identified, and various cultural influences associated with the arrival of new residents at different times with their baggage of experience or with the more or less significant presence of representatives of the civil and military administration of the Roman Empire can be seen.

Tashkent gates

Infolib ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 65-69
Author(s):  
Dilnoza Azimova ◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Market Area ◽  
City Center ◽  
Trade Routes ◽  
Xviii Century ◽  
Eastern Side ◽  
Ancient City ◽  
City Gates ◽  
History Of ◽  
Xix Century ◽  
The City

nformation about the first 12 gates located in the territory of Tashkent, its construction, as well as the names of these gates are stated. In the history of the ancient and ancient city of Tashkent you can find a lot of information about the city gates. Sources say that the castle was built in the IX-X centuries in the market area in the city center. It is surrounded by defensive walls. Gates are installed on the defensive walls. According to some sources, the number of ancient gates of Tashkent varied in different periods. For example, in the XVIII century there were 8 gates, and by the XIX century their number increased to 12. During this period, Tashkent was crossed by 8 main roads, which were the main trade routes. The city of Tashkent, a crossroads between East and West, sought to protect itself from external enemies. The defensive wall of the city had 12 gates (Takhtapul, Labzak, Kashgar, Kokand, Koymas, Beshyogoch, Kamalon, Samarkand, Kokcha, Chigatay, Sagbon, Karasaray) and two gates (i.e., a gate for 1 horseman). Of these, the gates of Labzak, Kashgar, Kokand, and Koymas were built on the eastern side of the part that was later annexed to the city, some of which were replaced. The names have also changed due to the relocation.

THE MAKING OF THE MAP: THE ORIGIN AND LESSONS OF THE TEOTIHUACAN MAPPING PROJECT

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
René Millon ◽  
Jeffrey H. Altschul
Keyword(s):  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Urban Spaces ◽  
History Of Archaeology ◽  
Ancient City ◽  
History Of ◽  
Unique Manner ◽  
Low Altitude ◽  
The Many ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The City

AbstractThe mapping of the ancient city of Teotihuacan was an archaeological project of singular importance in the history of archaeology. In this paper, we discuss the origin and history of the Teotihuacan Mapping Project (TMP) through a series of personal vignettes written by the project's leader, René Millon, which are put into larger context by Jeff Altschul, one of the many students who worked on the project. We examine the characteristics that led to the TMP's successes and its shortcomings and discuss lessons learned that may be of value to planning future big, complex archaeological projects. We argue that above all, a big project needs a big problem to solve. In the case of the TMP, the problem was the origin of the city. Marshaling a team of diverse talents, Millon and his colleagues were able to make many key decisions in ways that successfully overcame problems that had not been heretofore confronted by archaeologists. These decisions include the use of low-altitude aerial photography, the definition of sites to include nonliving urban spaces, the sampling of surface artifacts, strategic test excavations, computerized data management and sophisticated statistical analyses, and a unique manner of publication. Less successful was the project's record in publishing descriptive data. The project's success lay in its ability to take on an important problem and to follow through, even though some tasks required decades to complete and others remain to be completed.

Prologue to Frontier Modernity: Zhangjiakou (Kalgan) as a Gateway City for the Modern Western Expeditions in China

2021 ◽  
pp. 2150009
Author(s):  
Chin-Yin Tseng
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Memory ◽  
Inner Mongolia ◽  
Han Dynasty ◽  
Hebei Province ◽  
Early 20Th Century ◽  
Urban Modernity ◽  
Balance Sheets ◽  
Postal Services ◽  
The City ◽  
Eastern Han

The late 19th and early 20th centuries witnessed an age of expedition frenzy that had spread east as the Western explorers diverted their interest in Central Asia across the continent to Chinese Xinjiang, Gansu, and Inner Mongolia. To facilitate the planning and logistics of their expedition activities, Western explorers selected specific cities situated on the Chinese northern and western frontiers that were geographically suited to their needs and interests, as well as to serve as their temporary basecamps throughout the expedition period. Kalgan, the name by which the city of Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province is most known to Westerners, is a city with close to 2,000 years of history as a frontier trade zone since the Eastern Han Dynasty, emerged from these expedition activities as an embodiment of full-fledged urban modernity in the early 20th century. Railroads, postal services, telegram lines, banking systems, and customs were all established as necessary infrastructures, turning this historical frontier city into a practical “pivot” from which the expedition operations were managed, relayed, and communicated with the explorers’ respective home nations. Through photos, writings, and other types of housekeeping documents (i.e., cheques, telegrams, and balance sheets), this paper aims to examine the cultural memory of Kalgan against the modern Western expedition activities that had directly, or indirectly, stimulated the modernization of a frontier city, one that had historically been a gateway city where the Chinese heartland meets the outside world.

Тhe Metropolitan Archdiocese of Varna in the Historiography

Epohi ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nevyan Mitev ◽  
◽  
Ivan Tyutyunjiev ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Late Antiquity ◽  
14Th Century ◽  
Ancient City ◽  
History Of ◽  
The City

The Ecclesiastical work in Varna started during the Late Antiquity when the Ancient city of Odessos became a bishopric centre and later on a metropolitan archdiocese. There is no explicit data that during the First Bulgarian state the city was a seat of a high clergyman. In the period 13th–14th century, Varna established itself as one of the most important cities in the country and a metropolitan archdiocese. The Ottoman invasion and the fact that the city was captured by the Turks didn’t influence upon the strategic significance of the city, which remained a metropolitan archdiocese during the whole Ottoman period. The eparchy of Varna and Veliki Preslav has been one of the biggest spiritual centres in the Bulgarian lands since the Liberation in 1878 up to nowadays. The institution that has been in existence for more than thousand years and its importance, requires a significant work on its history to be written. Currently, some attempts for fractional studies have been made, but still there is no common research on the history of the institution. The presented historiographical review in this research doesn’t pretend to be comprehensive. The most important researches on the development and the role of the metropolitan archdiocese of Varna during the centuries and some other researches related to the topic are presented in the research. The basic problems which have occurred throughout the years have been dealt upon.

Inscriptions from Nacoleia

1882 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 119-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. M. Ramsay
Keyword(s):  
Roman History ◽  
Careful Examination ◽  
Considerable Part ◽  
Ancient City ◽  
Western Border ◽  
History Of ◽  
The City ◽  
Great Valley

Nacoleia is situated at the western border of the wide treeless plain which extends over the greater part of northern Phrygia and Galatia. In front of it north and east lies the great valley, which is drained by the river Sangarius or Sagaris: behind it are the Phrygian mountains, in which are the most important remains of the old Phrygian kingdom about six hours' journey away. The ancient city was placed on an isolated hill at the mouth of a glen bordered by higher hills: the modern town of Seid-el-Ghazi lies below this hill in the glen. A very fine old mosque, which would well reward careful examination, is placed far up on one of the higher hills: in it are buried Seid-el-Ghazi, the Arab general of Haroun al Raschid, and his wife the Greek princess. Much interesting information about these personages, and about the later history of Nacoleia, may be found in Mordtmann's paper, Münch. Gel. Anz. 1860. It is unnecessary to repeat anything that has been already said by him about the city, which plays a considerable part in later Roman history and was the scene of several important battles.

scholarly journals Some Questions on the Beidi Huns

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 116-135
Author(s):  
Borbala Obrusanszky
Keyword(s):  
Yellow River ◽  
Han Dynasty ◽  
Shanxi Province ◽  
Short History ◽  
Jin Dynasty ◽  
Historical Text ◽  
History Of ◽  
Chinese Empire ◽  
New Situation

Because of a fierce battle among crown princes of the Huns, the great Hunnic Empire was divided into two parts in 53 BC, when two brother, Huhanye [呼韓邪] and Zhizhi [郅支] fought for the throne of the Huns. The southern part led by Huhanye was submitted to the Han-dynasty. The northern part remained independent for a while, while the southern part, under the guidance of Huhanye Shanyu, concluded an agreement with the Han dynasty. The Huns received a wide ranging autonomy inside the Chinese Empire. A new situation emerged when the Han Empire weakened, from the second half of the 2nd century onward, and, instead of the elected emperors, eunuchs, and later on several warlords, who served the Han dynasty, acquired the main power, took control over certain territories of the former Han dynasty, and gradually created independent kingdoms. The Southern Huns were not able to achieve their independence from the Chinese Empire, because the great warlord Cao Cao [曹操] occupied a big part of the Empire, which contained the territory of the Huns. Right that period [3rd century CE], one significant portion of the Huns – the Beidi Huns – lived in the eastern part of Yellow River, today Shanxi province. The Jin shu chronicle [an official Chinese historical text covering the history of the Jin dynasty from 265 to 420] includes a summary account of their life and short history. I present some important details of that account. 

Seleucid Uruk: An analysis of ceramic distribution

Iraq ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 64 ◽  
pp. 85-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. A. Petrie
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Interaction ◽  
Archaeological Material ◽  
Western Asia ◽  
Ancient City ◽  
Beneficial Impact ◽  
History Of ◽  
First Millennium ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The City

The ancient city of Uruk holds a pre-eminent place in the history of early state development in Mesopotamia during the fourth millennium BC. However, extensive evidence survives to indicate that the city underwent a very separate cultural flowering during the late first millennium BC, synchronous with the rule of the Seleucid successors of Alexander III of Macedonia.Traditionally, the Seleucid period has been viewed as one of extensive cultural interaction (e.g. Colledge 1987), when the beneficial impact of Greek “Hellenism” was felt throughout western Asia (e.g. Droysen 1836; Tarn 1951). For this period, Babylonia, and particularly Uruk, are exceptional, both in the quality of preservation and the scope of work that has been conducted there. In addition to Uruk's substantial archaeological remains, we have the added survival of a variety of textual material relating to numerous administrative, economic and ritual activities. If we are to discuss processes of cultural interaction, it is imperative to attempt an integrated study of archaeological material and textual records, and although each type of evidence is limited by constraints of interpretation, a co-ordinated analysis will allow us to address various aspects of the impact of Seleucid domination.The German excavators have published a wealth of material based on their investigations at the site, including an extensive ceramic corpus for the Seleucid period. The most recent publications of this material have coincided with a shift in approaches to the interpretation of Seleucid rule in western Asia, where attempts to avoid the oversimplification of traditional explanations of cultural interaction are now desirable. An interpretation of the Uruk ceramic material aiming to avoid generalised preconceptions is similarly possible.

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