Niya ruins
Cadota 尼雅 | |
Location | Xinjiang, China |
---|---|
Coordinates | 38°01′17″N 82°44′15″E / 38.021400°N 82.737600°E |
Type | Settlement |
History | |
Abandoned | 4th to 5th century[1] |
Site notes | |
Condition | In ruins |
The Niya ruins (
Niya was once a major commercial center on an oasis on the southern branch of the Silk Road in the southern Taklamakan Desert. During ancient times camel caravans would cut through, carrying goods from China to Central Asia.[2][3]
History
In
The seat of the king's government is the town of Jingjue, and it is distant by 8,820 li [probably 3,667 km/2,279 miles] from Ch'ang-an. There are 480 households, 3,350 individuals with 500 persons able to bear arm. [There are the following officials] the commandant of Jingjue, the leaders of the left and the right and an interpreter-in-chief.
— Hanshu, chapter 96a, translation from Hulsewé 1979.[4]
Niya became part of Loulan Kingdom by the third century. Towards the end of the fourth century it was under Chinese suzerainty. Later it was conquered by Tibet.[5]
Excavations
In 1900,
Official approval for joint Sino-Japanese
In 2007, when the Xinjiang Institute of Archaeology’s research group on Niya was editing the third volume of the Report on the Sino-Japanese Joint Expedition in Niya,2 they carefully examined a “parchment text” founf in Nya. After the string was untied, it was found that the paper had been used to wrap up a powder of vegetable origin, perhaps spices or medicine. When the powder was removed, a text written in black ink in a clear script was visible. Noting that the writing appeared to be the same as that of the Sogdian “Ancient Letters” found near Dunhuang, which were written in the early fourth century,3 and other Sogdian fragments of similar date found at Loulan, the local archaeologists were able to determine that this new fragment wasalso written in early Sogdian script.[11]
Some archeological findings from the ruins of Niya are housed in the
Ancient texts included the mention and names of various regional rulers.[12]
See also
Notes
- PMID 24475109.
- ^ ISBN 962-217-721-2.
- ^ "The Most Important Findings of Niya in Taklamakan". The Silk Road. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
- ISBN 90-04-05884-2.
- ISBN 1-932476-12-1.
- ^ a b "An Archeologist Follows His Dreams to Asia". Archived from the original on 2009-02-13. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
- ^ a b "Sir Aurel Stein & the Silk Road finds - Akterek, Balawaste, Chalma-Kazan, Darabzandong, Farhad-Beg-yailaki, Kara-Yantak, Karadong, Khadalik, Khotan, Mazartagh, Mazartoghrak, Niya, Siyelik and Yotkan". Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
- ^ Christopoulos, Lucas (August 2021). "Hellenes and Romans in Ancient China" (PDF). Sino-Platonic Papers. 230.
- ^ "New Delhi : Aurel Stein Collection :: Niya".
- ^ "Niya yields buried secrets". China Daily. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
- ^ Sims-Williams, N., & Bi, B. (2018). "A Sogdian Fragment from Niya". In Great Journeys across the Pamir Mountains. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004362253_007
- ^ 论尼雅遗址的时代
External links