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Ancient Great Wall building materials reveal environmental changes associated with oases in northwestern China

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Mike Storozum

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Abstract

© 2022, The Author(s). Plant materials used in the construction of segments and beacon towers of the ancient Great Wall in northwestern China contain untapped potential for revealing local paleoclimatic and environmental conditions. For the first time, we characterize the molecular preservation and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions of AMS-dated common reeds (Phragmites) collected from ancient Great Wall fascines in today’s Gansu and Xinjiang using a combination of chromatographic techniques and isotope analyses. Our molecular data, along with Scanning Electron Microscopy, demonstrate excellent preservation of these ancient reeds, which were harvested from nearby habitats during periods of significant expansion of Imperial China when climate conditions sustained sizeable oases in the region. Stable isotope data capture differential rates of environmental change along the eastern margin of the Tarim Basin since the Han Dynasty (170 BC), implying that significant surface-water hydrological changes occurred only after the Song Dynasty (1160 AD) due to regional climate change. This study reveals the wealth of environmental and climate information obtainable from these site-specific organic building materials and establishes the foundation for further applications of advanced molecular, biochemical, and isotopic technologies to study these common and widely-distributed organic archaeological materials.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Patalano R, Hu J, Leng Q, Liu W, Wang H, Roberts P, Storozum M, Yang L, Yang H

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Scientific Reports

Year: 2022

Volume: 12

Issue: 1

Online publication date: 29/12/2022

Acceptance date: 23/12/2022

Date deposited: 10/01/2023

ISSN (electronic): 2045-2322

Publisher: Nature Publishing Group

URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-27071-4

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-27071-4

PubMed id: 36581698

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