国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

of the T'ien-shan range the relatively easily traversed Dzungarian region lies open,
and here large-scale nomadic migrations have passed in later ages. In fact this is
the only way possible for a migrating tribe of any size moving from east to west or
vice versa.
Now everything goes to prove that the carriers of the painted pottery cultures
were agriculturists, and it is very hard to imagine a migration of a sedentary people
across the whole width of Central Asia from e. g. Anau in the west to Kansu in the
east, a distance of at least 4 200 km. For a nomad tribe such a distance is not exag-
geratedly long. But nomads carry no pottery. The discovery of intermediary centres
east of Anau and west or north-west of Kansu would certainly make the migration
theory more plausible. Now our finds denote the presence of painted wares in Sin-
kiang during a prolonged period.
We may be quite confident that one day, when archaeologists are allowed to
work systematically in Russian Turkistan and Chinese Turkistan, so many sites with
painted pottery will be discovered that the spaces between them will become insigni-
ficant. It is our lack of knowledge which makes the migration theory appear more
difficult of comprehension than necessary.
A first step towards filling the present gap in our knowledge of Russian Turki-
stan is the report of such sites in Ferghana.
The Russians have apparently discovered painted pottery on the Qizil-yar steppe
near Khakil-abad (the Shahr-i-Khaiber site). This pottery is said to be reminis-
cent of Anau I. It is published by Latynin (reviewed in "American Anthropolog-
ist" 38, 1936, p. 285, and 1938 p. 674, with the original plates). It seems as if the pat-
terns on the potsherds were both incised and painted.
We hardly need to consider the possibilities of a transcontinental trade as the car-
rier of the vase painting art, and it is impossible to assume the importation into N.
China of only a few vase painters. The Yang-shao painted ware is rather homogen-
eous over the whole area of its distribution, and a pretty rapid spread of this
cultural element must be presumed.
The very important question of the chronology of the Chinese facies of this
large cultural complex has been founded on comparisons with Near Eastern and
SE European localities, and one has arrived at somewhat diverging results accord-
ing to the locality which has been regarded as furnishing the closest similarities.
As a matter of fact the similarities are in many cases not too convincing. If a reli-
able absolute chronology for the Chinese facies is to be obtained it must be based
on the Chinese material itself, and though this may be difficult at present it will
certainly one day be possible. The general trend among students of these questions
has been to lower the age given to the Chinese painted wares, and there seems to be
much in favour of this. But we are still awaiting Professor Andersson's definite
treatment of the chronological question.

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