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›› 2020, Vol. 37 ›› Issue (3): 405-415.DOI: 10.7523/j.issn.2095-6134.2020.03.014

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Cultivation of peach in ancient Turpan during the Xizhou Period in the Tang Dynasty studied on the basis of unearthed documents and plant remains

ZHAO Meiying1,2, WANG Long3, DANG Zhihao4, JIANG Hongen2   

  1. 1. Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of CAS, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China;
    2. Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, School of Humanities, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China;
    3. Academia Turfanica, Turpan 838000, Xinjiang, China;
    4. Xinjiang Institute of Archaeology and Cultural Relics Cultural Relics and Archaeology Institute, Urumqi 830011, China
  • Received:2018-06-06 Revised:2018-08-22 Online:2020-05-15

Abstract: Peach (Amygdalus persica) is one of the oldest and most important fruits in China, and it was transmitted to ancient Persia through the Silk Road. The cultivation of peach in ancient Turpan, which was the important crossroads in the Silk Road, was still controversial. The "桃" appearing in the Turpan Documents aroused controversies which are divided into two views, "no peach" and "with peach". Based on unearthed documents and plant remains discovered in the Murtukesayi garrison in Turpan, it was suggested that peach cultivation had already existed in Turpan no later than the Xizhou Period in the Tang Dynasty.

Key words: peach, grape, Gaochang, unearthed documents, Murtukesayi garrison

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