Recent Archaeological Discoveries in Tibet and the 'Plateau Silk Road'

Summary

In the past, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region has been vacant in Silk Road route studies. The northern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau can be directly connected to the western region, with the Tarim Basin, Hexi Corridor, and the Loess Plateau together forming a very smooth ring. There are a number of oases connecting the desert and the Gobi, which has been considered by some as a direct connection of a Silk Road branch to the northern region of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The southern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is a portion of the Himalayas. It has many mountain passages, which cross-cut the northeastern region and the mountains of the Six Rivers Basin as a whole. These north-south alpine valleys have since the prehistoric period become important channels for human beings. Geographically speaking, although the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is cold, dry and exhibits a number of conditions not suitable for human survival, it is not a restricted area. The history of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is very late, basically from the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, so the archaeology of the area is a good entry point toward understanding the regional civilization and cultural exchange dynamics.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21320