Majiayuan site

Majiayuan (Ch:马家垸遗址) is an 3rd-2nd century BCE archaeological site in Gansu, China. The site is considered as belonging to rulers of the culture of the Xirong ("Western Barbarians"), recently subjugated by the state of Qin, who included them within the defensive wall of King Zhao of Qin, built in 271 BCE.^[3][4] It is rather similar to another Xirong site about 50 km away, the Wangjiawa cemetery (王家洼墓地).^[5] Majiayuan was a zone of interraction between the Chinese and their nomadic neighbours to the west and north during the Warring States period (476–221 BCE).^[4]

Majiayuan

-210 GRECO BACTRIANS PAR- THIA Pazyryk culture SAKAS Tagar culture Sagly culture Shule Khotan DONGHU SABEANS Ordos culture Dian culture JIN YUEZHI Subeshi Wusun SELEUCID EMPIRE MAURYA EMPIRE QIN DYNASTY XIONGNU PTOLE- MIES MEROË Scythians Sarmatians Location of Majiayuan (), with contemporary cultures in the 3rd century BCE
Geographical range	Gansu
Dates	3rd century BCE
Major sites	36.2615°N 105.079°E / 36.2615; 105.079
Preceded by	Shajing culture (800–200 BCE)[1]
Followed by	Han dynasty

Geographical distribution of early gold and silver artefacts found in Northwest China and Central Asia, including Majiayuan (8th-3rd century BCE).^[2]

Characteristics

The pits are oriented west-east, with stepped passageways and a catacomb, but Majiayuan also has wooden coffins at the bottom of a vertical pit.^[5] Ornately decorated chariots have been found, as well as sacrificial animals, and the corpses were highly decorated with gold belt ornaments with bird patterns.^[5] In the tombs, tools and weapons were installed.^[5] There were li vessels with snake patterns and spade-shaped feet, and semi-circular necklaces.^[5]

About 30 horse chariots with diversified decoration were excavated at Majiayuan.^[6]

A special type of Barrel-shaped jug in bronze was excavated from the tomb of a Rong chief.^[3]

Saka culture

The culture of Majiayuan, and the preceding Yanglang culture (杨郎青铜文化, 6th-3rd century BCE), are thought to have been directly or indirectly connected to the Saka (Scythian) culture, with suggestions of direct prenetration of Saka groups into North China. The animal style of the funeral artifacts in particular connects it to the world of the steppes.^[7][8][9] In particular, the decorated chariots and many artifacts have strong resemblance with Saka objects from the Issyk-kul kurgan.^[10]

• 
  Gold belt plaques in animal style found in Majiayuan M4, Gansu.^[11]
• 
  Gold plate in the form of walking feline found in Majiayuan M3, Gansu.^[2]
• 
  Necklace decorated with granulation, unearthed in Majiayuan, Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.^[12]
• 
  Earrings, Majiayuan cemetery in Gansu, the Warring states Period, Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.^[12]
• 
  Majiayuan tomb figurines.^[13]
• 
  The Majiayuan culture was part of the "Arc of the eastern Steppe", next to the Central Plain of China.^[14]

Works

• Collaborative Archaeological Team, of the Early Qin Culture and Zhangjiachuan County Museum (2011). "2007–2008 excavation on Majiayuan Cemetery of the WarringStates Period in Zhangjiachuan, Gansu" (PDF). Chinese Archaeology. 11.
• "北大考古与"百年百大考古发现"——甘肃张家川马家塬遗址-北京大学考古文博学院". archaeology.pku.edu.cn.

External links

Tomb M16 Tomb M18

References

1. Li, Xin; Wei, Wenyu; Ma, Minmin; Lu, Minxia; Du, Linyao; Yang, Yishi; Chen, Guoke; Ren, Lele (2023). "Transformation of animal utilization strategies from the late Neolithic to the Han Dynasty in the Hexi Corridor, northwest China: Zooarchaeological and stable isotopic evidence". Frontiers in Earth Science. 10. doi:10.3389/feart.2022.1064803. ISSN 2296-6463.
2. Liu, Yan; Li, Rui; Yang, Junchang; Liu, Ruiliang; Zhao, Guoxing; Tan, Panpan (26 April 2021). "China and the steppe: technological study of precious metalwork from Xigoupan Tomb 2 (4th–3rd c.BCE) in the Ordos region, Inner Mongolia". Heritage Science. 9 (1): 46. doi:10.1186/s40494-021-00520-5. ISSN 2050-7445.
3. Qingbo, Duan (2022). "Sino-Western Cultural Exchange as Seen through the Archaeology of the First Emperor's Necropolis". Journal of Chinese History 中國歷史學刊. 7: 56. doi:10.1017/jch.2022.25. ISSN 2059-1632. S2CID 251690411. Only rarely do we see examples fashioned in bronze, such as the vessel excavated from the tomb of a chief of the Rong at the Majiayuan 馬家塬 site.
4. Wu, Xiaolong (2013). "Cultural hybridity and social status: elite tombs on China's Northern Frontier during the third century BC". Antiquity. 87 (335): 121. ISSN 0003-598X. Recent archaeological discoveries from this area, including the Majiayuan cemetery, have revealed more nuanced pictures of cultural exchange between the Chinese states and the pastoral groups to their north and west during the Warring States Period (476–221 BC). (...) The Majiayuan cemetery, however, is fundamentally different from other Qin cemeteries in terms of burial practice and grave goods, and probably represents the remains of the rulers of a Rong pastoralist group newly subjugated by the state of Qin.
5. "Aristocratic Cemetery of the Western Rong People at Wangjiawa (Qin'an, Gansu)". The Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (IA CASS).
6. Zhao, Wucheng (1 November 2019). "The restoration of the chariots of the Warring-States Period in Majiayuan, Gansu (continued) – the designing and making skills of chariots and modifying and designing ideas of oxcarts". Chinese Archaeology. 19: 169–181. doi:10.1515/char-2019-0013.
7. Liu, Yang (1 January 2021). "The Eurasian Nomadic Origins of Animal Imagery in the Gold, Silver and Bronze Ornaments Excavated from the Majiayuan Cemetery". 《秦与戎——秦文化与西戎文化十年考古成果展》，文物出版社.
8. Shulga, P.I.; Shulga, D.P. (2020). "THE CULTURES OF THE EARLY IRON AGE IN CHINA AS A PART OF THE SCYTHIAN WORLD" (PDF). МАИАСП. 12. doi:10.24411/2713-2021-2020-00004. Until recently, the Yanglang culture was practically unknown to archaeologists in the postSoviet area. It did not attract "Western" researcher's attention although the materials were published there (Bunker 1997: 41—46). The situation changed after elite burials at the Majiayuan burial ground of the 3rd — 2nd centuries BCE excavation. A peculiar Animal style from Majiayuan gave rise to ideas about its indirect links with Saka culture. There were even suggestions about groups of Saka masters penetration into North China. There, these masters allegedly created wonderful decorations in Majiayuan and Xinchuangtou (M30) (Kang 2018: 410). The position of Wu Xiaolong seems to be more balanced; he pointed to the Yanglang culture funeral rite and animal style characteristic features which are clearly visible in Majiayuan (Gansu sheng wenwu kaogu yanjiusuo 2014; Yang, Linduff 2013; Xiaolong 2013). To date, the Yanglang culture is the most representative Scythian culture of the 6th — 3rd centuries in North China. Only there elite burials (Majiayuan) have been identified, and all the "triad" components are present: Animal style, weapons and horse harness. Most of the known Yanglang culture burial grounds are located in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region southern part,as well as in adjacent Qingyang County of Gansu eastern part.
9. Burman, Edward (8 February 2018). Terracotta Warriors: History, Mystery and the Latest Discoveries. Orion. p. 155. ISBN 978-1-4746-0611-0.
10. Linduff, Katheryn (2013). "A Contextual Explanation for "Foreign" or "Steppic" Factors Exhibited in Burials at the Majiayuan Cemetery and the Opening of the Tianshan Mountain Corridor". Asian Archaeology.
11. Liu, Yan; Li, Rui; Yang, Junchang; Liu, Ruiliang; Zhao, Guoxing; Tan, Panpan (26 April 2021). "China and the steppe: technological study of precious metalwork from Xigoupan Tomb 2 (4th–3rd c.BCE) in the Ordos region, Inner Mongolia". Heritage Science. 9 (1): 46. doi:10.1186/s40494-021-00520-5. ISSN 2050-7445.
12. Shi, Yong; Wen, Yadi; Li, Xiaojun; Liu, Zhaojian; Huang, Yumin; He, Bei (4 August 2022). "Transmission and innovation on gold granulation: the application of tin for soldering techniques in ancient China". Heritage Science. 10 (1): 122. doi:10.1186/s40494-022-00753-y. ISSN 2050-7445.
13. See Linduff, Katheryn (2013). "A Contextual Explanation for "Foreign" or "Steppic" Factors Exhibited in Burials at the Majiayuan Cemetery and the Opening of the Tianshan Mountain Corridor". Asian Archaeology: 81, Figure 6 (Majiayuan Tomb 3).
14. Rawson, Jessica (2020). "Chariotry and Prone Burials: Reassessing Late Shang China's Relationship with Its Northern Neighbours". Journal of World Prehistory. 33: 138–168.