National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

pected outside the clay desert. The true implements existing point to a pretty late
prehistoric facies.

As to the distribution of these remains it seems as if they occurred in a somewhat
larger quantity in the region south of the present delta than elsewhere. Nevertheless,
with our present knowledge we can only state that the flint artifacts cover about the
same area as do the finds from the time of Lou-lan. It thus seems likely that there
can be no long interval between the time of the stone age occupation and that of
Lou-lan. Nothing contradicts an assumption that flint implements were still used by
the autochthon population when they first got into contact with the Chinese about
2.000 years ago though they probably had passed the stage of true stone age already
at that time.

There are instances when stone implements of neolithic types have been found in
ruins from the time of Lou-lan (e. g. the axe Pl. 5: 11 in the fortress L. K.). But
the implements may have been deposited there before the construction of the forti-
fications, and no definite chronological criteria can be reached in this way. The four
stone arrow-heads from Cemetery 5 which are depicted on Pl. 12: 3—6, on the other
hand, are apparently contemporaneous with the burial place. Their obviously inferior
workmanship as compared with other arrow-heads from the Lop-nor region makes it
appropriate to characterize them as survivals of a true stone age.

Until we have discovered a site with full inventory and the finds resting in situ
we had better postpone further discussion of the Lop-nor stone age. The hope of
finding such a site is extremely small. Only lucky circumstances would account for
the preservation of such ancient strata in this desert where wind erosion is more
powerful than in almost any other place.


D. CHIQIN-SAI.

When in July 1928 Haslund and I approached Charchan from the upper sources
of Charchan-darya we followed the ordinary road which skirts the western extre-
mity of Astin-tagh at Chuqur-davan. In the valley of Chiqin-sai and not very far
from the northern foot of the mountain a few worked flints and a couple of pot-
sherds were found on a small open space in the valley. The place is situated about 65
km. south-east of Charchan. Cf. the map Fig. 4.

Three of the potsherds recall the plain pottery from the Singer site in Quruq-tagh,
whereas another two show traces of incised lines made with a dentated tool.

There are forty-seven diminutive flint flakes, some of which have retouched edges,
two small cores from which such flakes have been struck off, and eight very small
scrapers.

The objects are of the same types as those common in Inner Mongolia, which are
ascribed to the neolithic age.

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