A Preliminary Study On The Tombs Of Wusun In The Middle And Lower Reaches Of Yili River

Yili River is an international river flowing through China and Kazakhstan.In the millennium B.C.,after the interaction between the Yili River Basin and its surrounding areas,the cultural features with regional characteristics were gradually formed.The large-scale ethnic migration and economic and cultural exchanges around the ad accelerated this process.Wusun,who originally lived in Northwest China and later migrated to the Yili River Basin,played an important role in this historical process.The study of Wusun is of great significance to understand the political,economic and cultural exchanges between the Central Plains Dynasty and the western regions,and also to the study of the land Silk Road and the process of ethnic integration in Central Asia.In the early stage,the archaeological research of Wusun mainly focused on the relevant archaeological excavation and works of Soviet scholars.In recent years,there are also new archaeological discoveries and studies in Xinjiang.Most of the archaeological materials related to Wusun are tombs,which were excavated in the Soviet Union.Based on the middle and lower reaches of the Yili River,this paper intends to sort out and analyze the types of Wusun’s tombs with the method of archaeological and cultural factor analysis.According to the existing tomb materials,this paper first divides Wusun tombs into large-scale tombs and small and mediumsized tombs according to the scale of sealing tombs.The relatively small number of large-scale tombs will be compared with the tombs of the same grade found in the isek Lake Basin;the relatively typical tombs will be compared and analyzed in different regions for the more numerous and diverse small and medium-sized tombs.According to the similarities and differences in the scale,funerary objects and funeral customs,this paper further discusses the development and evolution of various types of tombs,and summarizes the differences and similarities between them.On this basis,combined with historical,ethnological and anthropological materials and research results,this paper discusses the clan and social structure of Wusun.