National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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Archaeological Researches in Sinkiang : vol.1 |
Parts of planks and posts from the eastern part of Cemetery 5. Hatching = red, black = black. From drawings by Mr. G. Söderbom. |
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Fig. ii. Parts of planks and posts from the eastern part of Cemetery 5. Hatching — red, black = black. From drawings by Mr. G. Söderbom.
A lot of ox-skulls were also scattered around this part of the hill. A pair of ram's horns were bound together with some coarse vegetable fibre.
All over the northern, eastern and southern slopes of the hill were scattered planks and boards from disjointed coffins of various sizes together with fallen posts and poles and oar-shaped monuments, Pl. IX b. The curiously shaped, heavy boards, curved and with a groove at each end (seen on Pl. VIII b) at first puzzled me very much. It was not until the discovery and excavation of the intact coffin 5 A that I realized the significance of these boards : that they were the sides of coffins. The largest found were 47 cm. broad. There had been altogether 120 coffins in this burial place, but, as will be seen from the plan in Fig. 9, only eight could be located in situ. It is a remarkable fact that all the coffins are of the same construction (described in connection with Grave 5 A from which description it will also be realized how easily these coffins fall to pieces).
More than one hundred standing posts are marked on the plan. I counted seventy-five fallen posts. Of the oar-like monuments fourteen were standing and fifteen lay prostrate. The sand forming the crest of the hill may hide some more "oars" or other lower monuments.
Though treasure hunters had ravaged wantonly on this site they could not be the only cause of the destruction. The wood of the coffins was as dried-up, sun-bleached
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