Study Of The Yanghai Cemetery

The Yanghai Cemetery,located in the Gobi region south of Tuyugou Township,Shanshan County,Turpan City,Xinjiang,is an important site in the Sobehi culture.With the publication of the archaeological report,it has been possible to gain an in-depth understanding and study of its entire cemetery situation.This thesis discusses the burial system and the gender differences between men and women in the Yanghai Cemetery on the basis of the division and staging of the burial groups.Through a systematic review and analysis of the Yanghai cemetery,the following points can be made:This thesis divides the Yanghai Cemetery into Zones A,B and C.These three zones can broadly represent the early,middle and late phases of the Yanghai Cemetery.Through the study of the zone groups,the paper concludes that the changes in the early,middle and late phases,in terms of burial objects and grave orientation,all occurred within a unified clan,with members of the early phase being buried in close proximity to each other,and then going through a transitional phase as the concept of family deepened,with the late phase becoming a society centred on small families.A typological study of five types of typical pottery and five types of typical metal ware from the Yanghai Cemetery.The pottery monauric cups are divided into three types and twenty-one forms,of which type Bb is divided into four forms with no obvious trend of change;this type is mostly found in late burials.The pottery single-eared jars are divided into three types and fourteen forms.The single-eared pots,rimmed plates(beans)and earthenware basins are divided into three types of four.Metal buckles are divided into three types and four styles,of which type C is similar to bone buckles of the same period.Metal knives are divided into three types and four styles.The metal armature is divided into two types and three styles.The metal awl is divided into two types.The metal arrowheads are divided into two types.From the wooden arrowheads in the Yanghai cemetery,type A is indigenous to the Yanghai cemetery,and type B is likely to be an exotic arrowhead,which is less common in the Yanghai cemeteryThe Yanghai cemetery is divided into four phases.In one phase,single-ear jars,single-ear cups and ceramic bowls are common,mostly Type I wares;in the second,single-ear jars,single-ear cups and single-ear jugs are common,mostly Type II wares,with the addition of ceramic double-linked jars and ceramic four-legged plates;in the third phase burials,single-ear jars,single-ear cups and ceramic bowls are common,mostly Type III wares,with the addition of Pottery double system jars,pottery crucible,pottery without ears and with flow jars,no pottery double linked jars and pottery four-footed plate;four common single-ear cup,pottery bowl,pottery bowl,in addition to Bb type single-ear cup are belong to this period,the rest of the objects see Ⅳ or V style,new pottery three-footed basin,no double-ear type objects.The frequency of simple pottery,such as cups,bowls and bowls,has increased,while the frequency of more complex wares,such as jars and pots,has decreased significantly.It can be ascertained that the pottery in the Yanghai Cemetery gradually developed towards simplicity with the change of age.This thesis divides the burials into five types: A,B,C,D and E.Burials in groups A and B are among the wealthier burials in the cemetery,C and D are general burials,and E is mostly seen in the underage burials.The burials in group A and B are significantly larger than the length of the burials in D and E.In turn,all the single burials in the cemetery are divided into five classes based on the size of the burials,and it is also argued that the phenomenon of difference between rich and poor exists in the Yanghai cemetery,but the difference is not obvious and this gap does not cause class differentiation.In terms of the burial system,there are obvious period changes in burial form,burial orientation,burial style and use of burial tools in the Yanghai Cemetery,and the most obvious changes are found in the fourth period.The obvious changes in the burial system of the fourth phase are likely to be the result of the influence of the eastern xiongnu culture on the basis of the native culture.There are special burial forms in the Yanghai Cemetery,one with separate heads and bodies,which may be related to head-hunting activities;the other is a two-layered joint burial,where the upper burial is obviously an annex to the lower burial,and the owner of this burial would have had a special status in the Yanghai Cemetery.The Yanghai cemetery has a more balanced male to female ratio in the first three phases,with an imbalance in the fourth phase.The distribution of age at death is more similar between males and females.There is a clear division of labour between males and females,with more weapons,harnesses and fire-fetching tools being buried in male burials and more textile tools such as spinning wheels being found in female burials.There is a difference in the possession of wealth between male and female burials,this difference is not obvious in the number of burial objects,after excluding the effect of height,the difference is obvious in the length of the burial,the type of burial objects and the burial animals.The subsistence pattern of the Ocean Sea Cemetery is dominated by livestock rearing,supplemented by hunting and gathering.The age and sex of the buried animals may correspond to the age at which modern nomads slaughtered their livestock.The triangular pattern and skull piercing on the artefacts may be related to witchcraft beliefs.In addition,analysis of cultural exchange suggests that the Bronze Age to Early Iron Age Yanghai cemetery would have been influenced by a variety of cultures,with the most obvious manifestations being those from the Hami region and the influence of the later Xiongnu culture.