New finds in Xinjiang shed light on early defence strategy

Some intriguing historical finds now. A group of stone tombs found under rubble in the north west of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region are remembered as one of the top ten archaeological discoveries of 2012. More mystery is unfolding however as archaeologists continue to explore and research in and around the area.

A group of stone tombs found under rubble in the north west of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous
Region are remembered as one of the top ten archaeological discoveries of 2012
[Credit: CNTV]

This scattered rubble within the Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture had the eyes of the archaeological world on it last year. Dozens of stone tombs and sites believed to be for sacrificial rituals were found in the area. The ancient remains date from around four thousand years ago and are believed to be the first batch of archaeological finds from the Bronze Age in Xinjiang.

Archaeologists have recently also found three connected houses in the upper terrain of the area and have concluded they probably served as watch houses in the early Bronze Age.

Cong Demin, research, said, "Where I’m standing is 1800 meters above sea level. You can see this is a great vantage point, so it holds a strategic significance. It would lend itself to being a watch tower location."

While the new discovery in Xinjiang sheds lights on the earliest military defences in China, digs are now being held at a Tang dynasty tomb site, located in a village in Fangshan district, Beijing.

The site was discovered by chance during construction work and inscriptions on the tombstones confirm that it is the final resting place of Liu Ji, a high ranking official from the Tang dynasty, who was once a reigning military power in Beijing.

The writer of the epitaph was Quan Deyu, a teacher of the famous poet Liu Zongyuan. He was asked by the emperor to writer the epitaph for Liu Ji, signifying the prominent position that Liu Ji and his family held in the region some 1200 years ago.