New information on the chronology and relations of Chawuhu culture (Xinjiang, China)

The article describes the materials of the fully excavated Mohuchahan burial ground of 9th-8th (7th) cc. BC located to the southwest from Urumqi in Hejing County in the South Tien Shan region. The features of the burial rite noted at the burial ground typical for the Chawuhu culture. Based on the available radiocarbon dates and the Arzhan-type cheek-pieces, the group of early Mohuchahan burials can be preliminary attributed to the 9th century BC. Accordingly, this is the first early representative complex of the 9th century BC in Xinjiang substantially supplementing the materials of Arzhan-1. The links between the Chawuhu culture and the Sayan-Altai dating to the 7th-6th centuries BC were well traced in the Chawuhugou burial grounds. However, the Mohuchahan materials demonstrate their existence as early as in the 9th century BC. The parallels are noticeable in horse gear and in burial rites. The Arzhan-type cheek-pieces from Mohuchahan have been found only in Tuva (Arzhan-1), in the Gorny Altai (Kurtu-2, Ak-Alakh-2) and in the Upper Ob region. In Gorny Altai (Kurtu-2) there is also a similarity in the burial rite.