A study of Xianbei tombs
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Zheng Wei
Abstract
The present paper divides the generally recognized Xianbei tombs into five groups. The first group is in the Hailar River valley; the second group, in the West Liaohe River valley; the third group, in the Chaoyang area; the fourth group, along the boundary between Inner Mongolia and Shanxi; and the fifth group, in northern Shanxi, middle Inner Mongolia and the zone a little west of them. In cultural aspect, the tombs of the second group present Xianbei features in pottery but distinct difference from the already affirmed Xianbei graves in burial manner. Referring to literature records, it may be reasonable to attribute them to the Wuhuan rather than to the Eastern Xianbei. The tombs of the third group centering on Chaoyang belong to the Murong Xianbei and present distinct features related to the second group tombs, which suggests that the Murong Xianbei culture may have partly inherited the Wuhuan culture. The fifth group tombs are the closest to the Northern Wei burials so far excavated, so they may represent the source of the Tuoba Xianbei culture. The first group of remains can hardly be taken as the direct forerunner of the fifth group graves and Northern Wei tombs, so they may have belonged to the Eastern Xianbei rather than to the Tuoba Xianbei. As the fifth group tombs show certain similarity in grave goods to the fourth group that may have belonged to Tan Shihuai’s reign, to speak in temporal terms, it was hardly possible that the Tuoba Xianbei entered the Datong area through the route on the western side of the Greater Khingan Mountains. Moreover, as the fifth group tombs are related to a certain extent to the Xiongnu tombs near Lake Baikal, it can be inferred that the Tuoba Xianbei originated in the northern Greater Khingan Mountains, then went into the zone near Hulun Buir, from there migrated southwestwards, and later, turning eastwards, entered the middle area of present-day Inner Mongolia.
© 2012 by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co.
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- The Mudu Archaic City Site of the Spring-and-Autumn Period in Suzhou City, Jiangsu
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- The Laosicheng Site in Yongshun County, Hunan
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- Peng She’s tomb of the Chu State of the Spring-and-Autumn Period in Nanyang, Henan
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- Architectural Complex VI of Changle Palace, Han Chang’an City in Xi’an
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- The “Black Dragon Gate” site and Architectural Foundation No. 4 of Zuling Mausoleum precinct of the Liao Dynasty
- The excavation of a stone crypt of the Liao Dynasty in Chaoyang City, Liaoning
- A preliminary study on the fu and yue institution in ancient China
- Reexamination of the pre-Qin muji (grave sacrifice) institution
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- Differentiation of two types of cultural remains of the Eastern Zhou Period in North China: on the relationships among the Rong, Di and the Hu
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- A Study of ancient Tibetan gold and silver ware
- Concerning string cutting, tuo (emery wheel) cutting and tuo carving – and discussion of the date the tuo began to be used
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Articles in the same Issue
- Masthead
- The Western Zhou cemetery at Dahekou in Yicheng County, Shanxi
- The Mudu Archaic City Site of the Spring-and-Autumn Period in Suzhou City, Jiangsu
- The Tuyoq Buddhist Grottoes in Shanshan County, Xinjiang
- The Laosicheng Site in Yongshun County, Hunan
- The sunken ship “Nan’ao I” of the Ming Dynasty in Shantou City, Guangdong
- Tomb No. 139 of the Shang Dynasty at Daxinzhuang, Jinan City
- Peng She’s tomb of the Chu State of the Spring-and-Autumn Period in Nanyang, Henan
- Late Paleolithic site at Locality S9 of Shizitan Complex in Jixian County, Shanxi
- Architectural Complex VI of Changle Palace, Han Chang’an City in Xi’an
- Excavation of the Yuyang Tomb of the Western Han Dynasty at Wangchengpo, Changsha, Hunan
- A mural tomb of the Northern Qi Dynasty at Shuiquanliang in Shuozhou, Shanxi
- The “Black Dragon Gate” site and Architectural Foundation No. 4 of Zuling Mausoleum precinct of the Liao Dynasty
- The excavation of a stone crypt of the Liao Dynasty in Chaoyang City, Liaoning
- A preliminary study on the fu and yue institution in ancient China
- Reexamination of the pre-Qin muji (grave sacrifice) institution
- Also on the typology of bow-shaped objects and relevant issues
- Differentiation of two types of cultural remains of the Eastern Zhou Period in North China: on the relationships among the Rong, Di and the Hu
- A study of Xiongnu tombs
- A study of Xianbei tombs
- A Study of ancient Tibetan gold and silver ware
- Concerning string cutting, tuo (emery wheel) cutting and tuo carving – and discussion of the date the tuo began to be used
- Prehistoric settlements and environment of West Liaohe River Valley
- On the subsistence practices of the Shi’erqiao Culture: focused on zooarchaeology
- The consumption, utilization and supply of sheep and goats at the late Shang Dynasty capital: a zooarchaeological study on the sheep and goat remains unearthed in the Yinxu area
