Identification of Cannabis Fiber from the Astana Cemeteries, Xinjiang, China, with Reference to Its Unique Decorative Utilization: In the Turpan District of Xinjiang, China, large numbers of ancient clay figurines, with representations including equestrians, animals, and actors, have been excavated from the Astana Cemeteries and date from about the 3rd to the 9th centuries C.E. Based on visual inspection, the tails of some of the figurines representing horses are made of plant fibers. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, light microscope examination, and drying–twist tests demonstrated that these fibers were extracted from one or more stalks of hemp (Cannabis) plants. This is a unique report of the utilization of Cannabis bast fibers for figurine decoration in ancient Turpan.
阿斯塔那古墓群出土大麻纤维的鉴定分析及其装饰功能的探讨. 中国新疆吐鲁番地区阿斯塔那古墓群出土了大量年代为公元3–9世纪的泥俑,其中包括骑马俑,动物俑和演员俑等。肉眼观察发现骑马俑的马尾可能由植物纤维制成。通过傅里叶变换红外光谱、光学显微镜观察和纤维旋转方向实验鉴定出这些植物纤维来自于大麻纤维。这一发现为我们提供了吐鲁番先民利用大麻纤维装饰泥俑的新证据。
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Acknowledgments
We thank Dr. Yimin Yang for his many constructive suggestions. The Strategic Priority Research Program–Climate Change: Carbon Budget and Relevant Issues, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDA05130501) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41102114) supported this study.
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Chen, T., Yao, S., Merlin, M. et al. Identification of Cannabis Fiber from the Astana Cemeteries, Xinjiang, China, with Reference to Its Unique Decorative Utilization. Econ Bot 68, 59–66 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-014-9261-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-014-9261-z