Wood utilization and cultural integration indicated by woodware excavated from ancient Turpan, Xinjiang

Gaochang, ancient Turpan, had a unique geographical environment and historical characteristics of multi-ethnic integration of humanities. Since the Han Dynasty, a large number of central plains people settled here, integrating multi-culture into Gaochang. In the present study, 6 tree species were identified from 11 wood samples of cemeteries of the ancient city of Gaochang (Astana, Badam, and Badam Eastern Cemeteries), including Salix sp. (36.36%), Populus sp. (27.27%), Ulmus sp. (9.09%), Symplocos sp. (9.09%), Photinia sp. (9.09%), and Picea sp. (9.09%). Local wood of Salix, Populus, and Picea was frequently used in daily life. However, wooden artefacts of Symplocos, Photinia, and Ulmus were brought to Gaochang through the Silk Road. Moreover, the custom of burying wooden figurines and hand-held wood originated from the Central Plains and mixed with the local characteristics of Gaochang. Therefore, the ancestors of Gaochang developed wood utilization suiting local conditions and promoted the multicultural integration in Xinjiang.