Illuminating interaction networks along the Silk Roads: a multi-isotopic analysis of the Zaghunluq Cemetery, southern Xinjiang, China
Oasis communities across Central Asia were key to the emergence and maintenance of the ancient Silk Roads that spanned Eurasia from the late second century BC, yet our understanding of early interaction networks in this region is limited. Multi-isotopic analysis of human teeth from the Zaghunluq Cemetery, southern Xinjiang (sixth century BC to first century AD) now suggests that oasis communities established intricate exchange networks, forming strong ties with other nearby oases and mountain pastoralists and weak ties, facilitated through in migration, with more distant regions. These diverse connections, the authors argue, made possible cultural exchange across the challenging geography of eastern Central Asia.
Authors
- Zihua Tang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1772-7145)
- Lipeng Lu
- Guiying Zhang
- Patrick Roberts
- Wenjun Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9886-694X)
- Bó Wáng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8001-9937)
- Hongliang Lü
- Xueye Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5729-6517)
- Yuqi Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4629-4027)
Institutions
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Nankai University (CN)
- Sichuan University (CN)
- Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (CN)
- People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (CN)
- Institute of Geology and Geophysics (CN)
- Yunnan Archaeology (CN)
- Institute of Archaeology (CN)
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (DE)
- Department of Archaeology (LK)
- Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology
Publication Details
- Journal
- Antiquity
- Published
- 2025-05-20
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2025.45
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 4.33