Royal tombs of Scythian period from the burial ground of Jiaohe (Yar-Hoto) in Xinjiang

Archaeological materials from the «royal» graves M16 and M01 of the cemetery on the plateau to the north of the ancient city of Jiaohe in Turfan county, Xinjiang-Weiguer Autonomous Region of the PRC are analyzed in this article. According to ancient Chinese chronicles, the last centuries B. C. - first centuries A. D. were the time of hard fighting between Han Empire and Xiongnu for Turfan. The graves of Jiaohe most probably belonged to the nobility of Jushi (Chushi) state. They were dated by the Chinese researchers to the Han time. But our analysis of Jiaohe materials showed that the cemetery on the plateau to the north of the ancient city of Jiaohe must be dated not to Hunno-Sarmathian (Han), but to the previous Scythian time (V-IV centuries B. C.). According to archaeological analogies from Altai region, the tomb M16 is dated to the early Pazyryk period (the first half - the middle of the V century B. C.). Tomb M01 is much later and is dated to the second half of the IV century B. C. So, Jushi (Chushi) state had, perhaps, already existed in the Scythian time.