Unclosed the Mystery of the Ancient City LK

In the early 20th century, British Marc Aurel Stein was supported by British colony government in India. He entered the wasteland of Lop Nur to investigate twice. He started from Milan site of Ruoqiang County, through Qankilik and receptively along Lop Nur from the West Bank to the northern bank and along the Komu River at the south slope of Kuruktag Mountains (that is the lower reaches of Kuruk River or the Konqi River). He explored in Lop wasteland and he used English letter “L” as entry word, compiling the name of the city site, relics, ancient tomb from A to T, up to 20 serial number. Except LM, LO and LP, other relics were all clearly marked in his literature the Innermost Asia. LA was the Loulan site and LK was about 50 kilometers away from Loulan in the southwest. Its longitude and latitude were respectively 89°40’ east and 40°05’ north.

The plane of LK City showed as a rectangular and its rampart leaned slightly, 620 feet long (about 188.9 meters), 330 feet wide (about 106.58 meters) and 6.4 meters high. The rampart was built with the jarrah branches, aspen branches and ramming. The detailed means was: “Aspen was on the basis, 0.6 meters thick and 9.75 meters wide; the clay layer above the base was 1.52 meters thick; then jarrah branches were covered on it, then white aspen wood which was 0.46 meters thick, 6.7 meters wide, a clay layer which was 1.37 meters thick on it again; on the clay layer, white aspen layer which was 0.6 meters thick, 4.57 meters wide; a more clay layer, 1.2 meters thick; the uppermost layer was whiter aspen, 0.6 meters thick, 3 meters wide. The wood bones, the space between which was 4.5 meters, stood in the rampart. The upright wood was connected with crossarms, forming a frame. There was a gate, 3 meters wide and 3 meters high, 30.48 meters in the north of the southern end of east rampart. On the two sides of the gate had two plinths and a doorsill. On each plinth there were 9 poles. There were two gates originally, but one of them dropped on the ground.

There were mainly two sites in the city. One of them, 16~17 meters north of the gate, was a group of architecture relics. Its east part faced the east rampart and its west-end reached the middle of the city. The relict wall was about 0.9~1.2 meters high and 0.27 meters thick. Aspen stood inside the wall, which was waved with jarrah branches and daubed with reed mud. These rows of houses were separated into some small houses. In the main house there were low Kang and mud kitchen range along the wall. The westernmost house was 8.2╳6 meters whose gate still existed. The discovered reliques included the wooden component of shuangyunwenque shape, jute ropes, stone pestles, glass beads, small bronze wares and so on. The No.3 house in the southeast still had relict gate, which was 1.3 meters high and 0.76 meters wide, and its pole for the wall was 2.8 meters high. In the house, there was a rectangular platform whose side length was 1 meters and whose height was 0.3 meters. On the side of the platform willows were enchased and its top had flaming mark. In the house there was a big gallipot and outside, a timber pond grubbed in white aspen was found. Stein thought that the house was a blacksmith and the timber pone was for refrigeration. In the north of the No.3 house was the No.4 house. There was a wooden component of bird shape, which was 1 meters, 0.27 meters high and 0.27 meters wide at the height of 0.91 meters of the pole. Outside of the house ironware with a wood handle was discovered.

In the north of these relics there was a big pile of woods, which was 40╳30.5 meters. Nearby, relict wall stood. Stein considered it a rest place for officer.

Outside the ancient city parts of relics remained. There was a small mesa, 300 meters southwest away from the city. On the small mesa, many woods building units scattered, such as intact plinth, octagonal poles, together with pottery, copper arrowhead, iron wares, smelt residues, remained glassware and so on. There were a great amount of smelt residues about 30 meters away from the gate. Stein excavated five places in all in the city, obtaining more than two hundreds pieces of relics, such as stone wares, pottery, copper wares, iron wares, remained glass, silk and wool, and so on.

It was the situation that in 1914 Stein saw in the ancient city LK. After over 70 years, Chinese archaeologists from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region came to the ancient city LK and measured the longitude, latitude and diameter of the city again. According to the picture of satellite, there was an ancient riverway, which was a branch of the Konqi River, flowing across the area. Stein said: “ there was a clear dry riverway through the castle. On both banks rows of trees had dead.” Chinese archaeologists’ field survey proved that the environment of the city was just like this. Over hundreds meters northwest away from the city, an ancient riverway which was 50~150 meters wide flowed from the northwest. On both sides there were a wide range of sere aspen.

A famous Chinese letter--Libo Writs, had ever led to extended dispute about the name of ancient city LK.

Between March and April in 1909, Ju Ruichao, a member of Japanese Dagu Expedition, first found out the letter of Libo who was the aide of the Western Regions of the Front Liang. According to his comrade Yechun, the letter was dug out in ruin on the bank of the Konqi River, which was a branch of the Tarim River. He was flowing into Lop Nur. When Ju Ruichao met Stein in London, he showed the picture of Libo Writs. They studied and concluded that these letters were from Ancient City LA, that is, Loulan. In Japan and Western Europe two places where Libo Writs was unearthed appeared. In 1914, when Chinese scholar Wang Guowei studied the wood slips of the Western Regions of Han and Jin obtained by Stein and the Libo Writs found out by Ju Ruichao, he found that in a letter of Libo Writs “Today, the envoy of Fentai reached the Western Regions and arrived at this place on the second day of this month.” The word “this place” was lined out and “Haitou” was marked nearby; in another letter the words “arrived at Haitou on the second day of this month” were written directly. Wang Guowei considered that this place could not be Loulan and it was Haitou of the Front Liang. He questioned the place that Libo Writs was dug out.

In 1959, Japanese scholar Shenlusan met Ju Ruichao whom supplied the picture of the place where the letter was excavated. Shenlusan studied it carefully and determined that the picture was taken at the very place that Stein named the ancient city LK in Lop Nur wasteland in Feb. 1914. From this, he drew conclusion that Libo Writs was from the ancient city LK.

Because Libo Writs involved in some important historical affairs in those days (the Front Liang) and a serials of problems about the characters and time of the ancient city LK, the scholars who supported the idea that Libo Writs was from the ancient city LK (Haitou) and the scholars against it stickled on their own views. It became an unsettle case of the study of the Western Regions history. The discommenders thought that “Haitou” was another name of Loulan and Libo Writs was from Loulan. Stein said in his works the Serindia that the place where Libo Writs was excavated became an unsolved puzzle.

Libo was the aide of the Western Regions in the Western Jin Dynasty. In 316 A.D., the Western Jin Dynasty was conquered by the Han State (Front Zhao) founded by Hun. Libo surrendered to Front Liang, a small country founded by Zhang Jun who was rich family of Liang canton. The capital was located in GUZANG (nowadays Wuwei, Gansu province). After Libo surrendered, he asked to assault Zhao Zhen who was a Wuji general of former Western Jin Dynasty. At that time, Zhao Zhen guarded in Gaochang (Turpan) and would not yield to Zhang Jun. Libo attacked Zhao Zhen and was defeated as a result. The underling of Zhang Jun thought that Libo took up the glove hurriedly and his wrong strategy led to lose the war. They wanted to kill him, but Zhang Jun excused his capital crime. At last, Zhang Jun himself dispatched troops to defeat Zhao Zhen.

Libo Writs was completed in the early 4th century. From the documents, we could see that Front Liang dominated Loulan for up to sixty years. Front Liang went on a punitive expedition to Gaochang, Qiuci State and Shanshan again and again to enlarge his domination. He began to set prefectures in Gaochang to make it connected with inland and inforce the control of Loulan. In 345 A.D., he changed the name of the aide of the Western Regions to the Western Regions Du Hu. But till the late of Front Liang, he was beaten heavily by powerful Qin and waned gradually so as to be unable to manage the Western Regions. At last he evacuated Lop Nur so that several city in this area dilapidated gradually and the ancient city LK maybe degenerate to desert at that time.

With the disuse of LK, some valuable materials about its name and character seemed to bury in the boundless sands. It only left us some relics. Maybe the nature intended to leave many mysteries to let us decode.

Where is the answer?

Compiled by www.travel-silkroad.com
Translated by www.xinghui.com
March 10, 2000