Population Scale And Its Influencing Factors Of Archaeological Sites In Tianshan Mountains,xinjiang From The Bronze Age To The Han Dynasty

The study of the relationship between humans and their environment has always been a core issue in geographical research.As an active party in the relationship between man and land,the study of humans is the premise of in-depth understanding of the relationship between people and land.Such investigations include population size,distribution,and dynamic changes.The study of population is primarily about the size of that population.When studying the relationship between man and earth in prehistoric times,the changes in population during the study period can be extracted from suitable archaeological materials,and then the social changes and the evolution of human civilization can be discussed in terms of the size of the prehistoric population.Population size is a relatively complex concept,and it can be influenced by such factors such as climate,farming patterns,and wars.Although some studies have estimated the sizes of prehistoric populations,no systematic and mature estimation method has been formed.Since the Bronze Age,the overall environment in Xinjiang’s Tianshan region has improved and agricultural technology has become more widesprad.There are numerous sites of human habitation around the oasis at the foot of the Tianshan,indicating that this region was an important place for ancient populations to live and produce food.The Tianshan region differs greatly in altitude,and there are differences in water-heat combination,so there are also differences in crops.This paper attempts to estimate the size of the prehistoric populations of six representative sites in the Tianshan Mountains of Xinjiang using an analysis of burial data,and then discusses its influencing factors.The findings were as follows:1.The average annual population of the six sites in the southern slope of Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang was estimated based on the analysis of burial data.The results showed that the average annual population at Yanghai during these three periods was 15,21,and 14,respectively.The average annual population in Yanbulake was 8 during the middle and late Bronze Age and 3 during the early Iron Age.For Duogang,these figures were 12 and 9.The average annual population in the early Iron Age and the Han Dynasty was 14 and 2 in Mohuchahan and 57 and 3 in Chawuhugoukou.The average annual population of Jiayi in the early Iron Age was 7.2.The average annual population of the Tianshan Mountain area in Xinjiang was found to differ significantly under different elevation gradients.During the Bronze Age,the average annual population of the sites at the low elevation was 15 and 10 at the middle and low elevations;During the early Iron Age,the average annual population of the sites at low elevation was 14,23 at the middle and low elevations and 14 at the middle and high elevations;During the Han Dynasty,the average annual population of the sites at low elevation was 14,3 at the middle and low elevations and 2 at the middle and high elevations.As a whole,the population size is inversely proportional to the elevation gradient.At the same time,we studied the living patterns of ancient populations at different altitudes,and we found that the high altitude restricted the growth of maize crops due to the difference in the combination of water and heat at different altitudes,resulting in different living patterns,and this in turn affected population size.3.There was an obvious dichroic evolution law of the average annual population from the middle and late Bronze Age to the Han Dynasty in Tianshan Mountains,Xinjiang: the average annual population increased from the middle and late Bronze Age to the early Iron Age,which may be due to the gradual improvement of the environment in Xinjiang during the Bronze Age and the continuous spread of agricultural technology.This may also be due to the war between the Central Plains Dynasty and the Xiongnu that took place during the Han Dynasty,when the population was killed or migrated,which affected the overall population.In addition,given the results of natural population growth rate,it is believed that cultural exchange and population migration also have an impact on the population size.