Xigoupan (Ch:西沟畔) is an archaeological site in the Ordos region of

Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of China. Its border includes two-thirds of the length of China's China–Mongolia border, border with the country of Mongolia. ...

, known for numerous artifacts reminiscent of the

Scytho-Siberian art Scytho-Siberian art is the art associated with the cultures of the Scytho-Siberian world, primarily consisting of decorative objects such as jewellery, produced by the nomadic tribes of the Eurasian Steppe, with the western edges of the region vag ...

of Central Asia. The tombs are dated to the 4th-3rd century BCE and pertain to the

Ordos culture The Ordos culture () was a material culture occupying a region centered on the Ordos Loop (corresponding to the region of Suiyuan, including Baotou to the north, all located in modern Inner Mongolia, China) during the Bronze Age, Bronze and ea ...

. The site has been of primary importance in understanding how new gold-crafting technology developed in Northwest China during the early Iron Age, following the arrival of new technological skills from the central Asian steppes, even before the establishment of the

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of Nomad, nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese historiography, Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, t ...

(209 BCE-150 CE). These technological and artistic exchanges attest to the magnitude of communication networks between China and the Mediterranean, even before the establishment of the

Silk Road The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over , it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the ...

. File:Silver horse harness ornament, Xigoupan M2, 4th-3rd century BCE.jpg, Silver horse harness ornament, Xigoupan M2 (4th–3rd c. BCE) File:Gold belt buckle inscribed with Chinese characters found in Xigoupan M2 (4th-3rd century BCE).jpg, Gold belt buckle inscribed with Chinese characters found in Xigoupan M2 (4th-3rd century BCE) File:Gold plaque with standing eagle from Xigoupan M2 (4th–3rd c. BCE).jpg, Gold plaque with standing eagle from Xigoupan M2 (4th–3rd c. BCE) File:Gold plaque with horses from Xigoupan M2 (4th–3rd c. BCE).jpg, Gold plaque with horses from Xigoupan M2 (4th–3rd c. BCE).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xigoupan Archaeological sites in China

See also

References