FEATURES OF THE ETHNOCULTURAL SITUATION ON THE HAN AND XIONGNU BORDER

Abstract

At the beginning of the Western Han Dynasty, the Empire was at a disadvantage in the wars with the Xiongnu. The Chinese had not yet gained absolute control over the northern region, most of which was inhabited by the Xiongnu. Therefore, burials performed according to the Han rite in the first half of the second century BC are few in number. From the middle of the second century BC, thanks to the civil and military achievements of Emperor Wu, the armies of the empire won victory after victory in the war with the Xiongnu. In order to strengthen the border defense and manageability of the recently occupied territories, a number of large-scale immigration campaigns were conducted in the northern direction, thus these territories received a serious impetus for development. The influx of inhabitants from the Central Plain of China during this period was the main reason for sharp increase in the area of burials with obvious Chinese features. Since the end of the first century, the rulers of the Eastern Han, experiencing serious internal and external difficulties, lost control over some borderlands, especially in the northwest. A massive outflow of the agricultural population began. Thus, the activities of the Han Dynasty and the related ethnopolitical changes left a very noticeable archaeological trace