Wang Jianxin: Why does Silk Road archaeology need an oriental perspective?

Xi'an, May 5 (ZXS) -- Why does Silk Road archaeology need an oriental perspective?

——Interview with Wang Jianxin, Director of the Silk Road Archaeology Center of Northwest University

China News Agency reporter Alarina

Northwest University has a deep accumulation in the archaeology of the Silk Road, has been deeply involved in Central Asia for more than ten years, and actively carries out joint archaeological and monument restoration work with Central Asian countries. After long-term efforts, the cultural remains of the ancient Yueshi and Kangju were finally confirmed, and an important breakthrough was made by Chinese scientists in the field of archaeological research in Central Asia, providing empirical data and scientific basis for explaining the history of the Silk Road in Chinese discourse, and helping to restore the historical style of the Silk Road.

Why does Silk Road archaeology need both a Western and an Eastern perspective? What is the significance of international cooperation for the preservation of the cultural heritage of the Silk Roads? Recently, Wang Jianxin, director of the Silk Road Archaeology Center of Northwest University, was interviewed by the China News Agency's "East-West Question".

The following is a summary of the interview:

China News Agency: What is the significance of looking for the archaeological remains of the Otsuki clan after 2,000 years? What has been achieved?

Wang Jianxin: The Yue clan is a nomadic people who once lived in China, and in the late Qin and early Han dynasties, the Yue clan was defeated by the Xiongnu, and one of the Yue clans moved west, called the Dayue clan. The Yue were also the first ancient population to migrate from China to Central Asia in recorded history, and had an important impact on the local economy, culture and later development.

During the reign of Emperor Wudi of Han, he hoped to unite with the Yue clan to fight the Xiongnu and ordered Zhang Qian to send an envoy to the Western Regions. The westward migration of the Yue clan and Zhang Qian's envoy to the Western Regions are both major events in the history of Silk Road exchanges.

For a long time, the archaeological cultural remains of the ancient Yue clan, including its distribution and characteristics, have not been confirmed, and no special archaeologists have studied it.

Two thousand years after Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions, the archaeological team of Northwest University traveled from China to Central Asia to find the archaeological and cultural remains of the ancient Yue clan and explore the exchanges on the ancient Silk Road, which is of great significance.

In 2019, the "Sino-Ukrainian Joint Archaeological Achievements Exhibition" was held in Tashkent. Photo courtesy of Wang Jianxin

The concept of the Silk Road was developed by Western scholars more than 100 years ago, and naturally carries a Western perspective. The Silk Road is a major exchange route between East and West, and its study cannot lack an oriental perspective. The Yue people moved in from the east, and the Yue people studied the Silk Road for the object, and the combination of Eastern and Western perspectives made the understanding of the Silk Road comprehensive, and the restored history of the Silk Road was true.

In 2015, the site of Bishkapi was investigated. Photo courtesy of Wang Jianxin

Around 2000, the archaeological team of Xida University launched the archaeological work to find the Da Yue clan, from the Hexi corridor in Gansu to the East Tianshan region in Xinjiang, basically confirming that the remains of ancient nomadic culture from the 5th century BC to the 2nd century BC distributed in the East Tianshan area were left by the Yue people.

In 2009, the Western University archaeological team entered Central Asia for the first time and found the remains of the ancient Yue culture in Central Asia, and proved that they were left by the same group of people as the cultural remains of the East Tianshan region.

In Tajikistan in 2016, archaeologists from both sides discuss at the survey site. Photo courtesy of Wang Jianxin

In addition to specific academic issues, there are also breakthroughs in the theory and method of archaeological research. Historical records believe that ancient nomads lived in water and grass without a fixed place, but archaeological findings confirm that the settlement of nomadism is a common way of life of ancient and modern nomadic people, and the existence of nomadic settlements is also a common phenomenon.

In winter, ordinary herders, nobles, and upper-class rulers are almost all settled, and the ruins of nomadic settlements are often distributed on the southern side of the mountain range, with a large number of small settlements and a small number of large and medium-sized settlements. In summer, ordinary herders live in grass, and some people still settle, most of them are aristocratic rulers, and some people who are not suitable for nomadic life, such as old, weak, sick and disabled, women and children. We first proposed the theoretical methods of archaeological research of nomadic settlements in the international academic community, and the theoretical methods and practices are currently at the international leading level.

Discussions with Uzbek archaeologists in the field in the spring of 2018. Photo courtesy of Wang Jianxin

China News Agency: What is the practical significance of Silk Road archaeology? What did it bring to Central Asia?

Wang Jianxin: The Silk Road is a major exchange route between the East and the West, and from the existing archaeological findings, the exchange between the East and the West began four to five thousand years ago. The silk trade was also earlier than generally realized, with silk introduced into Central Asia both China and India. For example, we found silkworm cocoons 4000,<> years ago in Uzbekistan. Through archaeological work, a deeper understanding of the Silk Roads will be gained.

China's archaeological theory and methods were originally imported from Europe, but in the past hundred years of practice, they have gradually formed the characteristics of Chinese archaeology, forming their own working methods and technical means, which are often not understood by Western academic circles.

For example, since the beginning of this century, China has gradually formed the concept of protecting large sites. We also bring the concept of conservation of large sites to archaeological work in Central Asia. In Central Asia, Western academia generally pays more attention to city sites, often "only digging inside the city but not outside the city", and our archaeological work involves the outside of the city, residential areas and burial areas, economic, political, cultural, military, religious and so on to be studied, which also fills the gap in existing research.

Excavation area of the Shel Harakat cemetery in 2019. Photo courtesy of Wang Jianxin

In 2019, the Shel Harakat cemetery M01 was tested. Photo courtesy of Wang Jianxin

At the same time, the archaeological work paradigm of "combining large-scale systematic regional investigation and small-scale scientific and precise excavation" formed in many years of archaeology is of great significance for finding and confirming the archaeological culture of different groups of people, and understanding their relationships and characteristics.

Whether nomadic archaeology or agricultural archaeology, the archaeological work of Chinese scholars in Central Asia has made new discoveries and breakthroughs almost every year, and has also attracted the attention of archaeologists from various countries working in Central Asia.

An urn coffin found in the Beshkent cemetery in 2018. Photo courtesy of Wang Jianxin

Under the concept of large site protection, conservation awareness and work in the archaeological process will run throughout, such as the first site backfilling in Central Asia. In addition, in Central Asian archaeology, we also attach great importance to multidisciplinary and multi-unit cooperation, including archaeological institutions, scientific research institutions, colleges and universities at home and abroad, etc., in this process of exchange and cooperation and common growth.

Discussed during an expedition to the Zapalitpe site in 2011. Photo courtesy of Wang Jianxin

China News Agency: What is the focus of archaeology in Central Asia in the future? How can deeper international cooperation be achieved in Central Asia?

Wang Jianxin: At present, Northwest University has archaeological cooperation with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan among the five Central Asian countries. In the future, in addition to continuing to expand bilateral cooperation, it plans to promote multilateral cooperation, such as multinational archaeological cooperation in the Fergana Basin with Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. In addition, archaeological cooperation with Turkmenistan is planned for this year, and preliminary agreements have been reached.

Northwest University has signed an agreement with 8 universities and scientific research institutions in 17 countries and regions to jointly build the Silk Road Archaeological Cooperation Research Center, and has invited 9 experts and scholars in the field of archaeology from 26 countries to serve as members of the academic committee of the center. In the future, we will focus on the archaeology of Central Asia, expand archaeological cooperation in West Asia, South Asia and North Asia, and focus on exploring the influence of different groups and cultures in ancient times in migration, integration and exchange.

In 2014, a joint archaeological team from China and Ukraine investigated the Rabat cemetery. Photo courtesy of Wang Jianxin

Charms unearthed from the Rabat cemetery. Photo courtesy of Wang Jianxin

On specific academic issues, in addition to the Yue people and Kushan people, the Scythians, Cypriots, Tocharians and so on will also be studied. In addition, the relationship between ancient nomadic and agricultural peoples and the origins of ancient nomadic economies will be studied, which require extensive international cooperation.

Carrying out the protection of archaeology and cultural heritage of the ancient Silk Road and in-depth understanding of the history and culture of countries and regions along the Silk Road is conducive to promoting mutual understanding and understanding between China and relevant countries and promoting the realization of people-to-people bonds. (End)

Respondent Profile:

Wang Jianxin, Professor of the School of Cultural Heritage of Northwest University, is currently the director of the Silk Road Archaeology Center of Northwest University, the chief scientist of the Silk Road Archaeology Cooperation Research Center, and the leader of the Central Asian Archaeology Team of Northwest University. He has long been engaged in teaching and scientific research in Northeast Asian archaeology, Central Asian archaeology, Buddhist archaeology, nomadic settlement archaeology and cultural heritage protection and management. He has presided over more than 10 projects at or above the provincial and ministerial level, such as the National Great Site Protection Special Project and the National Social Science Fund Major Bidding Project, presided over the compilation of a number of large site protection plans such as the "Han Chang'an City Site Protection Master Plan", published 2 monographs, and published more than 60 academic papers. The archaeological work of Dongheigou-Shirenzigou presided over won the top ten archaeological discoveries in China in 2007.