Foodways of the Medieval Tibetans on the Silk Road: New evidence from the Miran Site in Xinjiang
Pengfei Sheng, Meiying Zhao, Zhihao Dang, Edward Allen, Luo’sang Tajie, Tian Ma, Hongen Jiang
Abstract
Located in the Tarim Basin in southern Xinjiang, the Miran site is well known for its so-called “winged angel” frescos and diverse cultural artifacts dating from the Han Dynasty through Tubo Kingdom (~200 BC–900 AD) periods. This essay presents the first integrated archeobotanical and isotopic investigation on the archeobotanical remains at Miran. Our findings suggest that, despite implementing mixed-crop cultivation, Tibetans at Miran became increasingly invested in drought-resistant millet-based agriculture. New seed δ 13 C data recovered from naked barley and wheat at Miran provide additional suggestions that medieval Tubo people likely employed improved irrigation techniques at this Silk Road settlement.