Loulan Ancient City The world-famous Loulan Ancient City, an important historical relic in Xinjiang [1], is located in the west of Lop Nur, at the hub of the western regions and occupies an extremely important position on the ancient Silk Road. Silk and tea in Chinese mainland, horses, grapes and jewelry in the western regions were all traded through Loulan at the earliest. When many caravans passed through this oasis, they had to rest there temporarily. Loulan Kingdom Loulan Kingdom was founded 176 years ago and died in 630 AD, with a history of more than 800 years. The kingdom ranges from Guyangguan in the east, Niya Ancient City in the west, Altun Mountain in the south and Hami in the north. However, with the passage of time, this kingdom gradually disappeared in the world. Why it became extinct is still a mystery. Loulan culture Loulan culture is the most humanistic landscape in the world. In human history, Loulan is a mysterious name. Its glory once formed its special position in the cultural history of Lop Nur in the world. People's interest and enthusiasm for Loulan culture fully shows that Loulan belongs not only to China, but also to human beings. 1900 In the spring, the Swedish explorer Sven Hedin was exploring the western part of Lop Nur, and his Uighur guide Ardica got lost in a storm when he returned to the investigation camp to get his lost hoe. But this witty and brave Uighur guide, with the faint moonlight, not only returned to the original camp and found the lost hoe, but also found a tall stupa and dense ruins, where there were beautifully carved wood and ancient copper coins half buried in the sand. The ruins discovered by Ardica in the boundless darkness were later discovered and proved to be the ancient city of Loulan. Our archaeological team overcame many difficulties and reached the ancient city of Loulan. The tallest building in Loulan City is the pagoda tower in the east of the city, with a height of l0.4, which is made of adobe and wood. The tower foundation is square, and each side is about19.5m long. To the south of the tower, there is a large construction site, with a lot of wood piled up, all of which are finely processed. According to archaeologists, human activities in the Tarim River basin have a history of more than 10,000 years. If we connect the abandoned ancient cities in the Taklimakan desert on the Tarim River with red lines, we will be surprised to find that all the ancient cities, including Loulan Kingdom, suddenly disappeared in the 4th and 5th centuries, and the sites are in the desert 50-200km away from today's human life. Today, although many scholars have made great efforts, such as the rise and fall and disappearance of the ancient city of Loulan, it is still a huge mystery, and the site of Loulan has also become the focus of world attention. The ancient city of Luntai, Qiemo site, ancient tombs, ancient beacon towers, mummies and ancient rock paintings are all world-class tourist attractions. The most conspicuous architectural relic in Loulan City is the "three rooms" in the city. The walls of these three rooms are the only adobe bricks in the city, facing south and facing south. The houses at the east and west ends are all wooden structures with red paint on the wood, some of which are 6.4 meters long. From the analysis of the location and structure of this group of buildings, this may be the location of the yamen mansion of the ruler of Loulan City. The expedition team also found the remains of an ancient river that runs from east to west and passes through the city, which may be the direct water source for the residents of Guloulan City. A large number of cultural relics of Loulan site have also been found in the city, such as thick clay pots, fragments of stone mills, broken wooden barrels and fragments of various coins, rings, earrings and China wooden slips. These objects are priceless for studying the history of Loulan ancient city. Loulan Heritage Loulan is an immeasurable historical heritage left by ancestors to Bazhou and also the pride of Bazhou people. At the same time, it also means the excavation, arrangement and research of Loulan culture. Bazhou people should take on greater responsibilities and show Loulan and ancient western culture in various ways. When the 2 1 century is coming, the times provide Bazhou people with an excellent opportunity, that is, to develop the cultural heritage of Loulan and the ancient city in a planned way with the rapid economic development as an opportunity and the overall growth of economic strength as the premise. Make them serve the construction of modern spiritual civilization and material civilization. In fact, this is the rebirth of Loulan culture in the new historical period. The editor found that this website found that the earliest discoverer through Loulan Kingdom was Swedish explorer Sven Hedin. 1900 At the beginning of March, the Heding expedition came to the wasteland of Lop Nur along the left riverbed of the dry Peacock River, only to find that their shovel was accidentally lost in the campsite when crossing a desert in Sven Hedin last night. Harding had to send his assistant back to find it. The assistant quickly took back the shovel and even picked up some wood carvings. Harding was so excited to see the ruins that he decided to dig them. 190 1 year 65438+1from October to March, Sven Hedin excavated and found a stupa and three halls, as well as a large number of cultural relics such as woodcarving building components with Greek art and culture, five baht money and Bolu letters. Later, they found many beacon towers in the southeast of this ruin and continued to March to an ancient city buried by sand on the west bank of Lop Nur, which is the ancient city of Loulan. The shape of the ancient city The plane of the ancient city is nearly square, with a side length of about 330 meters, almost all of which are buried by quicksand. The city wall is made of soil and red willow alternately rammed. There is an ancient canal that runs through the city obliquely from northwest to southeast. There is an octagonal dome adobe stupa in the northeast of the canal. On the earthen terrace in Tarnum, there are a group of tall wooden architectural relics, and Chinese, Palau documents, bamboo slips, five baht money, silk wool products, household appliances and so on have been unearthed. In the middle of the southwest of the canal, there are three large wooden adobe houses. A large number of Chinese documents, wooden slips and early Sogdian and Boluo documents have been unearthed in and around the house, which is estimated to be the remains of the government. A group of courtyards in the west may be official houses, and low houses are distributed in the south. All kinds of documents and bamboo slips unearthed in the city are called Lop Nur documents. During the inspection in the early 20th century, a large number of Loulan cultural relics were taken away by foreign inspection teams. The historical origin of this section is Loulan, which was recorded as one of the thirty-six places in the Western Regions in the Western Han Dynasty. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, it became the seat of the governor's office in the western regions, and was later annexed by Shanshan State. Because it is located in the east of Tarim Basin, it has become the most convenient passage from the ancient Loulan State site in the Central Plains to the western regions. Loulan, as the political, economic and transportation hub of the western regions at that time, was once brilliant and prosperous, but it disappeared from the historical records after the Eastern Han Dynasty. At the end of the 4th century, people went to cities to cultivate fields and became barren. "There are no birds in the sky and no animals under". The most basic reason for being abandoned is the diversion of Peacock River, which leads to the dry water source in the downstream area. Therefore, all kinds of cultural relics unearthed from Loulan site, especially wooden slips, not only make up for the lack of historical records, but also help us to further remind the ancient civilization of Loulan. Edit this ancient Loulan culture. Loulan culture is the most humanistic landscape in the world. According to archaeologists, human activities in the Tarim River basin have a history of more than 10,000 years. If we use the red line to connect the Taloulan culture with the abandoned ancient city in the Taklimakan Desert of Muhe River, we will be surprised to find that all the ancient cities, including the Loulan Kingdom, suddenly disappeared in the 4th15th century, and all the sites are in the invisible desert 50-200 kilometers away from today's human settlements. Today, although many scholars have made great efforts, such as the rise and fall and disappearance of the ancient city of Loulan, it is still a huge mystery, and the site of Loulan has also become the focus of world attention. The ancient city of Luntai, Qiemo site, ancient tombs, ancient beacon towers, mummies and ancient rock paintings are all world-class tourist attractions. In human history, Loulan is a mysterious name. Its glory once formed its special position in the history of world culture. People's interest and enthusiasm for Loulan culture fully shows that Loulan belongs not only to China, but also to human beings. Loulan is an immeasurable historical heritage left by ancestors to Bazhou, and it is also the pride of Bazhou people. At the same time, it also means the excavation, arrangement and research of Loulan culture. Bazhou people should take on greater responsibilities and show Loulan and ancient western culture in various ways. When the 2 1 century is coming, the times provide Bazhou people with an excellent opportunity, that is, to develop the cultural heritage of Loulan and the ancient city in a planned way with the rapid economic development as an opportunity and the overall growth of economic strength as the premise. Make them serve the construction of modern spiritual civilization and material civilization. In fact, this is the rebirth of Loulan culture in the new historical period. Editing the history of the ancient Loulan According to Records of the Historian and Biography of the Western Regions, as early as the 2nd century, Loulan was a famous "walled country" in the western regions. Dunhuang in the east, Yanqi and Yuli in the northwest, Ruoqiang and Qiemo in the southwest. The north-south road of the ancient Silk Road diverged from Loulan. Office of Chief Historian of Western Regions in Wei, Jin and Liang Qian Period of China. Located in the northwest of Lop Nur, Xinjiang. It is named after the Chinese documents unearthed in the site, and is called "Kulolaina" as opposed to "Loulan" and "Lu Luwen". At the beginning of the 20th century, British Stein and others came here many times to steal and dig. After 1950s, China scholars made investigations and excavations. Loulan is one of the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions, bordering Dunhuang and closely related to the Han Dynasty around A.D. The Story of Ancient Loulan is based on Biography of the Western Regions in the Han Dynasty, Faxian and Xuanzang's Zhang Qian's Missions to the Western Regions. "Records of the Western Regions" records: "Shanshan Kingdom, whose real name is Loulan, Wang Zhi Qianni City, goes to Yangguan for 1,600 miles and Chang 'an for 6,100 miles. 1570 households, 4.4 1 10,000 people. Fa Xian said: "This land is rugged and barren. The layman's clothes are the same as those of Han, but the carpet is different in brown. Its king obeys the law. There are more than 4,000 monks who know Hinayana Buddhism. " At the end of the trip, Genjyo Sanzo made a simple explanation: "Since then, he has traveled more than 1,000 miles to the northeast, and came to the old country, that is, the land of Loulan. "Loulan State of Han Dynasty sometimes became the eyes and ears of Xiongnu, and sometimes belonged to Han, playing with the policy of double-dealing, and skillfully maintaining its political life between Han and Xiongnu. Because Loulan is located in the transportation hub between Han and the western countries, Han can't cross this area to fight Xiongnu, and Xiongnu can't threaten the Han Dynasty under the guise of Loulan's strength. Both Han and Xiongnu vigorously pursued the policy of softening Loulan. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Bo Wanghou Zhang Qian to Da Yueshi, but failed to conclude an offensive and defensive alliance. Later, he sent troops to crusade against the distant kingdom of Dawan and sent envoys to western countries many times. When these messengers passed through Loulan, Loulan was overwhelmed and even killed the messengers. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty finally sent troops to crusade against Loulan. As a result, as evidence of surrender, Prince Loulan was sent to the Han Dynasty as a hostage. Loulan also sent a prince to Xiongnu, saying that he was strictly neutral between Xiongnu and Han. Since then, when the Han Expeditionary Force attacked a vassal state of Xiongnu, King Loulan married Xiongnu and stationed an ambush in the country, which angered the Han court. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty once again sent troops to crusade against Loulan, forcing the capital to stand in a mud city. King Loulan was frightened and immediately opened the city gate to apologize. Emperor Wu asked him to monitor the movement of Xiongnu. In 92 BC, King Loulan died, and the prince who was taken hostage in the Han Dynasty returned to the throne. The prince was very sad and didn't want to return to China easily. His younger brother succeeded to the throne. The new king died not long ago, and the Huns took this opportunity to inherit the throne with the former eldest son who was taken hostage in their own country. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was shocked when he heard the news. He quickly sent messengers to persuade the newly established king to come to the Han court to hold him hostage, but he failed. In the next two or three years, there was no major incident between Han and Xiongnu, which was apparently stable. Loulan border is close to Yumen Pass, and China's envoys often travel to western countries through this closed door, passing through the desert named Bailongdui in Loulan. There is often wind in the desert. The wind throws quicksand into the air like a dragon, which makes pedestrians lose their way. The Han Dynasty constantly ordered Loulan Kingdom to provide guides and drinking water. As China's envoy insulted the guide many times, Loulan refused to obey their orders, and their relationship deteriorated. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty finally sent an assassin to assassinate the new king. In order to marry the prince who was kidnapped in the Han Dynasty, a Maggie was sent back to Loulan to inherit the throne. But the king was afraid of being assassinated. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent troops to Tunloulan in the name of protecting the king, thus gaining the initiative to crusade against Xiongnu and other western countries. The above is the relationship between Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and Loulan. Since then, the influence of the Han Dynasty has weakened, and Loulan betrayed again. Editing the rise and fall of the ancient Loulan, when the ancient city of Loulan was built, and when the kingdom of Loulan was formed, there is no record in the existing historical materials. However, stone axes, hoes, shovels, knives, Shi Mao, stone arrowheads, Yufu, jade shovels, jade knives and Yu Pei were found around Lop Nur and Loulan City. This shows that there were human activities in and around Lop Nur depression in prehistoric times, and it is obvious that there are Shicheng sites in Altun Mountain and Kunlun Mountain. Most Neolithic tools were found in Lop Nur and its surrounding areas, about 6000 years ago. In the Western Han Dynasty, Loulan was one of the 36 city-states in the northwest. Historical Records records Loulan's "battlements and salt marshes on all sides", with a population of14,000 and more than 2,900 holy soldiers. At that time, Gulou Lan was the first stop of the ancient Silk Road west of Yangguan. At that time, it was the "street messenger" on this traffic line, with busy traffic and prosperous urban economy. At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, the imperial court was in turmoil, and the Xiongnu took advantage of it to collude with local rulers, which led to the cut-off of traffic in the western regions. The book "Biography of the Western Regions in the Later Han Dynasty" in Hexi area says: "The city gates are closed during the day. "From Wang Mang's usurpation to the Eastern Han Dynasty, the three companies in the western regions finally became stable and developed." "The Biography of the Western Regions in the Later Han Dynasty" said: "There is no end to attacking the post station; Businessman Hu, Japanese money is stuffed. "In Cao Wei, the Silk Road went out of Yumenguan to the Western Regions, and Loulan began to prosper again. Strangely, after five or six hundred years of prosperity, the famous kingdom of Loulan suddenly disappeared from the 4th century, with no historical records and no name. In the 7th century, when Tang Xuanzang returned from his westward tour of Tianzhu, he saw the Loulan Kingdom as "desolate". In Xuanzang's eyes, Loulan became an empty city. Editing the Mystery of the Disappearance of the Ancient Loulan In 400 AD, Fa Xian, a monk, traveled west to learn from the scriptures and passed by here. In the Buddhist Sutra, he said that this place is "there are no birds in the world, no animals under it, and it is everywhere, only with the bones of the dead Loulan as the sign ear". Loulan, an important town on the Silk Road, gradually disappeared after nearly 500 years of glory and disappeared silently on the historical stage. After the 4th century AD, the kingdom of Loulan suddenly disappeared. According to the Water Classic Note, after the Eastern Han Dynasty, Loulan was seriously short of water because of the diversion of water injection along the middle reaches of Tarim River. Soller of Dunhuang led 654.38+10,000 soldiers to Loulan, and also called 3,000 soldiers from Shanshan, Yanqi and Qiuci to inject water into Loulan day and night to alleviate the water shortage of Loulan. However, after that, despite Loulan people's best efforts and attempts to dredge the river, the ancient city of Loulan was eventually abandoned because of lack of water. It is said that Loulan's death was caused by human violating the laws of nature. Loulan people blindly cut down trees, which led to soil erosion, sandstorm attack, river diversion, abnormal climate, plague epidemic, water reduction, salt and alkali accumulation, and finally led to the inevitable demise of the kingdom. Anyway, one thing is certain, the last blow to Loulan people is the plague. This is a terrible acute infectious disease, which is called "hot nest disease" in legend. One village, one disease, one family dies. In the face of the great disaster, Loulan people chose to flee-just like the previous migration, they were forced. Loulan country collapsed, and people blindly went against the Tarim River. Where there are trees and water, they go, and where there is life, they go as much as possible. Loulan people want to cry without tears. When they were on the road, they met an unprecedented sandstorm and they were buried in the sky. It was dark, flying sand and stones, and it sounded like a ghost. The ideal city collapsed and dissipated in the haze ... At this point, the glorious ancient city of Loulan disappeared silently from history forever. Although the fleeing Loulan people have dreamed of reviving Loulan for generations, the dream can only be a dream. Moreover, at the end of the dream, even the dreamer can't wait to disappear. Loulan is also the site of sandstorm and the kingdom of death. Editor's Note: Loulan Pagoda, which has been eroded by wind and sand for thousands of years, is the tallest building in the ancient city of Loulan and the most beautiful "Ya Dan". It is quietly located in the northeast of the ancient city, and Ya Dan overlooks us pilgrims. In its northwest, there are protectors supporting it with boards and thick trunks. About 300 meters to the west, there are three rooms that may have been used as official offices. At that time, Sven Hedin excavated a large number of cultural relics under these walls. There are only four tall adobe walls in front of the three rooms, the middle area is slightly larger, about 15 square meters, and the houses on both sides are smaller, about 10 square meters. On the ground in front of the house, there are many obviously riveted stakes scattered, and the longest square stake is more than 4 meters long. From these three rooms to the west, there are some remains of private houses. The scale of the house is still clearly visible. Poplar boards and red willow branches, which were originally used to build walls, still stand upright in the sand. On the ground, they are reeds or thin red willow branches used to build houses. After 1000 years, it is still intact. All buildings are built on high platforms. In low-lying areas, black or red pottery pieces are scattered everywhere. These pottery are a little rough. So many pieces of pottery seem to tell us the prosperity and glory of the ancient city of Loulan. In the north of the house, there are two mounds about 3 meters high like Ya Dan, which are the ruins of the ancient city wall. 190 1 year, Sven Hedin and 1906 Stan successively excavated and unearthed wooden statues (Buddha statues) and Buddha statues decorated with lotus flowers and other patterns, and unearthed many refined white sheep wool products. The most important thing is to dig up the wooden slips and paper documents in Chinese and Baluwen (a language circulating in North India in the 4th and 5th centuries BC). Editing the cultural relics unearthed from the ancient site of Loulan, a large number of books, bamboo slips and coins from the Han, Jin and Tang Dynasties were unearthed, and many male and female mummies were unearthed, one of which was successfully restored, and the world called it "Loulan Beauty". After testing, this female mummy has been around for more than 3,800 years. She was about 40 years old when she died, and her height was about 1.55 meters. Through the mummy, we can still find the typical beautiful features of the deceased: big eyes and low cheekbones. Experts later determined that she was of European descent. Bi Yading, an accompanying tourism expert, said that this Guloulan woman who is over 40 years old cannot be called a beauty. Among all the mysteries about the ancient city of Loulan, the most controversial one is the disappearance of the ancient city of Loulan. There are many reasons for the disappearance of Loulan, such as war, climate change, glaciers and desert storms. The scientific investigation team of Lop Nur scientific drilling of China Academy of Sciences found that its disappearance was closely related to the change of climate and environment. It is reported that 3000 years ago, the area of Lop Nur Lake reached 12000 square kilometers, and the ancient Peacock River was rich in water. On the one hand, Loulan built a city by water in order to get close to the water source, and on the other hand, she was afraid of flooding, so they chose the highland where the tributary of Peacock River passed. After measurement, scientists found that this highland is nearly 30 meters higher than the bottom of the now dry Lop Nur Lake and more than ten meters higher than the current Peacock River Basin. Expert analysis According to experts, with the change of climate, Lop Nur gradually retreats, the height difference between the river and Lop Nur into the lake increases, the river speed is accelerated, and the river is reduced, making the highland higher and higher. Experts explained that with the rise of the highlands, it became difficult for people to get water, and the tributaries of the ancient Peacock River that passed through the city gradually dried up. Eventually, the ancient Peacock River was diverted, and the lake in Lop Nur shrank a lot, so people had to walk several kilometers to the nearest water source. Scientists say that in this environment, the social system is quite fragile and cannot withstand any man-made and natural fluctuations, such as disasters, wars and economic recession. Therefore, experts believe that the disappearance of Loulan ancient city is closely related to climate change, or it can be said that it is one of the main reasons. Others, such as the war, the diversion of the Silk Road and other changes in political, economic and social structure, are only the secondary reasons for the disappearance of the ancient city of Loulan. Recently, some scholars have analyzed the changes of ancient rivers in Loulan area from the perspective of environmental geology by using space remote sensing technology and interpreting a large number of images. It is believed that the real reason for the decline of Loulan ancient city is that two landslides and collapses occurred in the upper reaches of the ancient Peacock River where the ancient city is located, which blocked the river and formed a dammed lake, thus cutting off the water supply source of Loulan ancient city. The ancient Peacock River was the only river that flowed through Loulan area at that time, and it was also the only fresh water source of Loulan ancient city. Loulan was eventually abandoned or even died because of lack of water. Others believe that the destruction of the ancient city of Loulan was caused by human disrespect for nature. For example, cutting down Populus euphratica leads to ecological deterioration and makes it uninhabitable. One of the evidences of this view is the wooden burial prevailing here at that time. Near the ancient city of Loulan, the mysterious Sun Tomb was discovered. This kind of tomb has a strange appearance. Around the tomb, layers of logs are buried from thin to thick, and rows of logs are radially buried outside the circle, just like the light of the sun. Because this tomb looks like the sun, it is called the tomb of the sun. Among the seven tombs that have been discovered, the most one actually used more than 10,000 logs. Some people think that the flood destroyed this ancient city on the main road and so on. Judging from the current situation, this argument will continue, and the mystery of Loulan may never be solved. The mystery of Lop Nur, Loulan and Sun's Tomb may be the same mystery. In order to find this answer, the famous scientist Peng led a comprehensive investigation team to Lop Nur, Xinjiang in May 1980. On June 17, Peng went to the desert alone to look for water, but unfortunately he was swallowed up by quicksand and his body was never found. The reason for the disappearance of this site is that Lop Nur was once the largest lake in the arid area of northwest China, with a surface area of1.2000 square kilometers, which still reached 500 square kilometers at the beginning of last century. At that time, Loulan people built an ancient city of Loulan with 65,438+10,000 square meters beside Lop Nur, but it finally dried up at 1972. What caused Lop Nur, once rich in water and fish, to become a vast desert? What caused the ancient city of Loulan, the crossroads of the Silk Road, to become a deserted desert Gobi? This has always been a scientific mystery. Recently, the scientific investigation team of environmental drilling in Lop Nur, China Academy of Sciences conducted a comprehensive and systematic environmental scientific investigation in Lop Nur. According to preliminary inference, with the rapid uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau 70,000 to 80,000 years ago, Lop Nur moved from south to north, and the drought gradually intensified, eventually leading to the drying up of the whole lake. This explanation is obviously unsatisfactory. Professor Zhou Kunshu from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, China Academy of Sciences thinks that the reasons for Lop Nur's drying up are very complicated. This is not only a global issue, but also a regional issue. Besides natural reasons, there are also human factors. Climate change Global climate drought is the restoration map of Loulan ancient city. About 10 thousand years ago, the earth's environment changed unprecedentedly, that is, from the dry and cold environment in the last glacial period to the humid environment in the post-glacial period. Taking this as an opportunity, human culture also entered the Neolithic Age from the Paleolithic Age. Ten thousand years later, the geological environment has undergone three major stages of change. The warming period is about 10000 to 8000 years ago, the high temperature period is about 8000 to 3000 years ago, and the cooling period is about 3000 years ago. These three environmental pattern changes have been confirmed by paleoenvironmental studies of geology, biology, chemistry and physics, but the time of dividing the three phases is slightly different due to different methods, places or research objects. This change of environment and climate has planned the scope and mode of human activities. Take Loulan as an example. Humans set foot here in the Neolithic Age, and the population here was prosperous in the Bronze Age. At this time, it is just in the high temperature period, and the lake in Lop Nur is vast and the environment is suitable. However, after entering the cooling zone, the water and soil environment becomes worse, rivers decrease, lakes decrease and deserts expand. About 2000 years ago, the drought intensified, which was manifested by glacier transgression, loess accumulation, lake swamp disappearance and regression in the vast area of northern China. The ancient city of Loulan disappeared from around A.D. to the 4th century (from Han Dynasty to Northern Wei Dynasty in the Central Plains), which was a period of intensified drought. In fact, during this drought, not only the ancient city of Loulan died, but also Niya, Karadun, Milan, Nyrang, Khan and Wantong cities died successively due to the expansion of the desert. The disappearance of the ancient city of Loulan occurred in the north of China, even in the context of the world drought. It is not an isolated space, but because Loulan is located in the arid inland, the changes of humanities and natural environment here are more significant.