Ancestors, Conflict, and Criminality in Ancient China and Mongolia

Abstract

Five archaeological sites were sampled across China and Mongolia to document non-traditional burials in the region. The earliest levels of the Jinlianshan site of the Dian culture (206 BC–220 AD) in Yunnan Province, China consisted of secondary burials with up to 22 individuals; these interments may have been evidence of cemetery relocations during the process of colonization and state expansion. In the Henan Province, China, the Yangshao period burials at Mianchi Duzhong (3500–3000 BC) show evidence of conflict, with several individuals killed and thrown down wells, while the Longhu Xingtian is a mass grave that includes decapitated Han soldiers who tried to retreat during the battle between Qin and Han state (230–221 BC). The burials at Hulin Am, Mongolia are from the Uighur Khanate (744–840 AD), which is a unique site in that over 80 percent of the burials are infants. One burial from a Koguryo culture (37 BCE–221 AD) fortress was beheaded, which was a form of execution reserved for defeated military, while some of the earliest evidence for possible corporal punishment comes from the Qijia culture (1900–1600 BC) in Gansu Province, China, where several individuals had their hands and feet tied, and were left within family crypts.