ARCHCROP: Crossing Paths: Millet, Wheat and Cultural Exchanges in the Inner Asian Mountain Corridor, China

青铜时代(公元前3千年至公元前2千年)见证了小米消费从中国向西传播，而西南亚农作物(小麦和大麦)向东传播。这些谷物的跨洲运动首先在内亚山脉走廊(IAMC)彼此重合，这一地平线被认为对理解早期的东西方相互作用具有重要意义。本文以新疆维吾尔自治区中国地区农牧交错带东部为研究对象，开展了一项多学科的研究，旨在探索这些具有生态和同位素差异的作物传播的年表、路线、生态条件和社会影响。多种研究技术(如考古植物学、稳定同位素分析、放射性碳测年)将应用于新疆青铜时代遗址(即通天洞、化石洞、小河、天山北路和五堡)的各种样本材料(即植物遗骸、人和动物骨/牙生物磷灰石、人类序列牙本质)。这个项目的目的是阐明1)谷子、小麦和大麦第一次相遇时的种植方式；2)这些作物，特别是谷子的消费规模，以及这是否涉及任何历时或空间变化；3)谷子、小麦和大麦在新疆各地流动的原因，这是否与任何特定的社会因素或生态条件有关；4)从个人生活史可以看出，是否采用了受性别关系影响的新作物。这项研究的结果将在东西方早期互动的背景下进行检验，以提供关于新疆在跨欧亚作物交换中所发挥的关键作用的新的关键知识。在当今世界的健康、性别和粮食安全的背景下，旧世界作物全球化的话题尤为重要。研究地区新疆目前的专题性质也增加了这一项目的相关性和及时性。

The Bronze Age (3rd to 2nd millennia BC) witnessed the spread of millet consumption westwards from China, while southwest Asian crops (wheat and barley) spread eastward. These cross-continental movements of cereals first coincided with each other in the Inner Asian Mountain Corridor (IAMC), and this horizon is believed to have important implications for understanding early East-West interactions. Focusing on the eastern portion of the IAMC in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, a multi-disciplinary study is proposed here to explore the chronology, routes, ecological conditions and social influences involved in the spread of these ecologically and isotopically distinct crops. Multiple research techniques (i.e. archaeobotany, stable isotope analysis, radiocarbon dating) will be applied to various sample materials (i.e. plant remains, human and animal bone/tooth bioapatite, human serialdentine) from Bronze Age sites in Xinjiang (i.e. Tongtian Cave, Chemurchek, Xiaohe, Tianshanbeilu & Wubao). The aims of this project are to clarify 1) the ways in which millet, wheat and barley were cultivated when they first met; 2) the scale at which these crops, especially millets, were consumed and if this involved any diachronic or spatial change; 3) the reasons why millet, wheat and barley moved across Xinjiang and whether this was associated with any specific social factors or ecological conditions; 4) was adoption of new crops influenced by gendered relationships visible through individual life histories. The findings of this research will be examined in the context of early East-West interactions to provide new key knowledge about the pivotal role that Xinjiang played in the Trans-Eurasian Exchange of crops. The topic of Old-World crop globalization is particularly important in the context of health, gender and food security in today`s world. The current topical nature of the studied region, Xinjiang, also adds to the relevance and timeliness of this project.