Cinese imports from the sites of Central Aian Turks (VI-XI centuries ad): dynamics of distribution, historical and cultural context

Imported products found in the sites of the Central Asian region are an important source for studying various aspects of the nomad’s history. The purpose of this article is the analyses of Chinese objects from Turkic funeral complexes of Central Asia for the study of distribution of such things in the second half of the 1st millennium AD. The source of the work are the materials of excavations of about 450 graves, most of which were investigated in the Altai-Sayan region and Mongolia. The chronology of the sites under consideration is determined within the framework of the VI-XI centuries AD. During the study of the Turkic graves 17 Chinese coins and 19 mirrors were found. In addition to this 50 graves included fragments of silk and two complexes - the remains of lacquer caps. The study was based on an integrated approach, involving the use of various methods of analysis of available materials. The cartography method was applied, which allowed to determine the peculiarities of the distribution of Chinese products in various parts of the Central Asian region. As part of the characteristics of objects, the method of morphological analysis was used, as well as the method of analogies, which made it possible to specify the dating of things. The results of studying Chinese subjects with the help of natural science methods are taken into account. The study of findings made it possible to characterize the peculiarities of contacts of nomads with China at various stages of history. It is established that the earliest imports are in Turkic sites of the First Khaganate (second half of the 6th - first half of the 7th century AD). Until this time, the nomadic relations with China were fragmentary, which was explained by the subordinate position of the Turks in the political system of the Central Asian region, dependence on the Rouran and the lack of direct access to trade routes. One of the results of the creation of the empire and the active military expansion was the appearance of rare items of Chinese imports (silk products and one coin) in the Turkic burials. The main part of products from Chinese craft centers was found in the funeral complexes of Central Asian Turks dated by the second half of the 7 - the first half of the 8 century AD. It could be explained by the fact that after the founding of the Second East Turkic Kaganate the nomads again had the opportunity to receive imported things. Probably, a significant part of the imported products came to the cattle-breeders of the Central Asian region as a result of favorable trade agreements with China, concluded on the basis of the successful war in 721-723 AD. The number of imports in the Turkic sites of the second half of the 8-9 centuries AD is much smaller. This was due to the collapse of the Kaganate and the entrance of nomads to the Uygur and Kyrgyz empires. Thus, the revealed trends in the distribution of Chinese imports in the archaeological complexes of the Central Asian Turks are fully correlated with the main political events in the region. The degree of access of nomads to the “prestigious” imported products was determined by the ability to control trade routes, as well as the overall activity of contacts with the southern neighbor. The logic of historical events corresponds to the trend of territorial distribution of findings. The main part of Chinese products found in the Altai, where the Turkic society developed over a long period of time and with the least influence of other groups of nomads. A small number of imports in the sites of Mongolia could be explained by the lack of targeted research of Turkic burials in this territory. Prospects for further studies of Chinese products from the archaeological sites are associated with the application of methods of natural sciences, as well as the subsequent comparison of the obtained results with the data of Chinese specialists.

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