Location
Foye Miaowan Cemetery is located in Dunhuang City, Gansu Province. It dates from the Wei and Jin Dynasties to the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Historically, the Hexi Corridor has always been the intersection of Eastern and Western cultures. It once produced the splendid Dunhuang culture and is a representative of the Silk Road culture of the Han and Tang Dynasties.
For a long time, academic circles have not been very clear about the population structure of this period in the region. To this end, the Fudan University research team analyzed the Y chromosome SNPs and the entire mitochondrial genome of 34 samples from Foye Miaowan Cemetery. Found: Mainly Sino-Tibetan lineage (Oα-M117, 25%; Oβ-F46, 18.75%), some North Asian lineage (N North-F1206, 18.75%) and possible slight influence from southern East Asia (O1b1a2-Page59, 6.25 %; O1b1a1-PK4, 3.13%). The maternal line includes northern East Asia (A, 4.17%; CZ, 16.67%; D, 20.83%; G, 4.17%; M9, 4.17%), southern East Asia (B, 12.51%; F, 20.83%) and western Eurasia (H , 4.17%; J, 4.17%) related lineages.
shows that the diversity of the Foye Temple Bay population is relatively high and has a complex history of population mixing. Although the traditional regime in the Central Plains had given up control of the Hexi Corridor during this period, and the local ruling power was not dominated by Han people. But local residents are still strongly influenced by Han culture.
Daily pottery from Foye Miaowan Cemetery
As early as the Warring States Period, the Hexi Corridor was inhabited by various nomadic peoples, historically known as Yuezhi, Wusun and Xiongnu. By the Han Dynasty, rulers used population transfer as a means to strengthen their control over land, which was an important conquest strategy of the Han Dynasty. As recorded in Sima Qian's "Historical Records: Biography of Qilizi", in 330 BC, the Qin army occupied Quwo (Lingbao City, Henan, China) and the locals were expelled from their hometown. They were replaced by Qin Min. The Han government continued to gradually control the Hexi Corridor based on population. A series of policies were adopted to isolate the Huns in the Mongolian grasslands and the Qiang people in the Hehuang River Valley, and to open up connections with the Western Regions. Along the Hexi Corridor, there are Wuwei County, Zhangye County, Jiuquan County and Dunhuang County. According to historical data and unearthed bamboo slips, a large number of people migrated from the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River (i.e. Hongnong County, Hanoi County, Runan County, Julu County, Yingchuan County, etc.). Another recent study on the people in the middle reaches of the Hexi Corridor of the Heishui Kingdom also supported this change through the analysis of Y chromosomes and mtDNA of individuals in the area, indicating that most of the men in the Heishui Kingdom came from the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, while the women mainly came from the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. Is a local.
At the same time, the local archaeological cultural characteristics also show that the people of the Blackwater Kingdom inherited the traditions of the Central Plains. The large-scale migration of individuals not only affected the genetic structure of the Hexi original population, but also led to changes in local lifestyles.
After the fall of the Han Dynasty in the third century AD, ancient China entered the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties periods. The traditional ruling forces occupying the Central Plains largely abandoned the Hexi Corridor; emerging local forces became dominant. The region has experienced many dynasty changes, from the Qian Liang to the Western Qin, the Later Liang, the Northern Liang, the Southern Liang and the Xiliang dynasties. Various ethnic minorities also established the Western Qin regime, the Xianbei people established Southern Liang, and the Di and Lushuihu established Houliang and Northern Liang. After the fall of the Jin dynasty, regime changes and wars were commonplace, especially as China's dynastic and nomadic regimes often clashed. Therefore, complex population flows occurred throughout the west of the Hexi Corridor.
The unearthed bronze mirror
However, the archaeological and cultural research on the Foye Temple Bay-Xindiantai Tomb Group supports the hypothesis of the origin of the Han people. The Foye Miaowan Tomb Complex in Wudong County, Dunhuang (located on the north side of the Mogao Grottoes, a world heritage site famous for its Buddhist murals). The history of the tomb complex can be traced back to the Cao Wei period (220-280 AD) and was used for about 600 years. This Foye Miaowan almost perfectly covers the Cao Wei to Sui and Tang dynasties. The tomb shapes and funerary objects hint at the cultural core of the Foye Miaowan site, which continues to adhere to the Han tradition. For example, many daily-use pottery) and bronze mirrors are found in Foye Miaowan tombs. The typical Han style is found in it.
Foya Temple Bay cemetery data details
From genetic analysis, the result is a total of 20 different Y chromosome sub-haplogroups in the 32 Buddha Temple Bay individuals.The paternal haplogroup distribution is shown as: Oα-M117 (25%), Oβ-F46 (18.75%), N-F1206 (18.75%), O-M188 (6.25%), O-F444 +, F46- (6.25 % ), O1b1a2-page59 (6.25%), Q-M120 (6.25%), C-F1144 (6.25%), N-F2930 (3.13%) and O1b1a1-PK4 (3.13%). Another point is that haplogroup Oγ-IMS-JST002611, which accounts for about 14% of the Han population, has not been detected in the Foye Miaowan population, which indicates that the paternal gene pool of Foye Miaowan is somewhat different from that of the Han population.
On the maternal side: Haplogroups D (20.83%), F (20.83%), CZ (16.67%) and B (12.5%) have a higher proportion. Haplogroups A (4.17%), G (4.17%) and M9 (4.17%) were underrepresented. It is worth noting that haplogroup D4 has the highest frequency of occurrence in the Foye Bay population (16.67%), and can be further divided into subclades D4*, D4b2b* and D4h1*.
Foye Temple Bay Y-DNA type
Foye Temple Bay mtDNA type
At the same time, a small amount of haplogroups H (4.17%) and J (4.17%) from western Eurasia were detected. Among them, haplogroup H was also found in the Gavaerik Cemetery in Qiemo County, Xinjiang, but is more common in western Eurasia. Haplogroup J is rarely found in ancient Xinjiang tombs and has a moderate frequency in Europe. This reveals that the Foye Miaowan people were influenced by the people from the Western Regions.
Foye Miaowan Cemetery Y haplogroup frequency PCA
Foye Miaowan Cemetery mtDNA haplogroup frequency PCA
The dietary structure of the Foye Miaowan population is significantly different from the agricultural population of the Han Dynasty in Heishui Kingdom. and is closer to the paleo dietary patterns observed among nomadic peoples. Archaeological finds, such as painted murals unearthed in the Hexi Corridor dating to the Cao Wei and Sixteen Kingdoms periods, support our results by showing the prevalence of non-Han customs. Other recorded customs also reflect influence from the Hu people. Hair style, clothing, customs and facial features indicate that this group of people belong to different ethnic origins, such as Di, Qiang, Xianbei and other non-Han ethnic groups.
Historical records further illustrate the multi-ethnic nature of the Hexi Corridor during the Cao and Wei Dynasties. At this time, the area included Han, Di, Qiang, Hexi Xianbei (bald Xianbei, Yifu Xianbei, Yiyun Xianbei, etc.), Lushui Hu, Xiyu Hu and Tuge Hu. During the Han Dynasty, Han, Qiang, and Di had settled in the Hexi Corridor. Tubo Xianbei later became one of the most powerful forces in Hexi Xianbei. They migrated from the Yinshan Mountains to the Hexi Corridor in 219-256 AD and established the Nanliang Tufa Wugu (397 AD) under the rule of Tubo Wugu. At its peak, Tubo and Xianbei controlled most of northwest China. Han, Wei During this period, the Lushui Hu people settled along the Hexi Corridor and established Beiliang in 397 AD. This ethnic group was very complex and may have been related to the Xiongnu, Xiaoyueshi, Yiqu, Zahu, Xirong or Yulu people during the Three Kingdoms period. Also distributed in the Hexi Corridor. The Dunhuang Manuscripts (Dunhuang Documents) record the intermarriage between the Han and Hu peoples. The Sogdian Letters unearthed in Dunhuang indicate that a considerable number of Sogdian merchants migrated from Samarkand during this period. The West Eurasian haplogroup found in the Foye Miaowan maternal gene pool may provide support for these documents. These peoples lived and intermarried in Dunhuang, strongly affecting the population history of the Hexi Corridor.
In summary, although Foye Miaowan was found, There are similarities with the archaeological culture of the Central Plains sites, but the genetic structure and dietary structure of the Foye Miaowan population are significantly different from that of the Han population. This shows that the archaeological culture of Foye Miaowan is not consistent with the ethnic group. However, despite the dynasty and government of this period. Gradually giving up control of the Hexi Corridor, regional political forces established by various non-Han ethnic groups became the dominant factor in Hexi history, but Han cultural factors still exerted a strong influence on the Foye Miaowan people.
Brick tomb portraits in Foye Miaowan. Appreciate
The differences between the Dunhuang Brick Tomb and Jiayuguan and Jiuquan are: firstly, the former uses the tomb wall as the painting area and the inner chamber, while the latter uses the four walls of the tomb as the painting area; secondly, the former uses the shrine spirit The two are mainly about animals and historical stories, while the latter is mainly about life and production scenes. What they have in common is that both are decorated with complex imitation wood painted brick carvings to symbolize the manor gate of Gaowu Shenbao.It can be seen from the content of the brick paintings that the skills of folk painting at that time were quite sophisticated and popular, and it also reflects that the spiritual and cultural life of the Dunhuang people was very active under the influence of various religious cultures. This also created conditions for the development of Buddhist culture and the emergence of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang.
Portrait of Bo Ya playing the piano
Mural tiles of the king of the East of Wei and Jin Dynasties with feathers
Mural tiles of the Queen Mother of Wei and Jinxi
Qilin
Qinglong
The expression of the white tiger is lifelike, the artist’s ingenious strokes
This is a mythical beast in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, and one that has traveled through the ages. Dinosaur? It’s really eye-opening
It should be a realistic Phoenix
