沙漠研究 21-2, 45 - 49 (2011)“ICAL 1/DT X”

Journal of Arid Land Studies-Refereed Article-

An Idea for Ruins Research through Cooperation with Interpretation of theHigh-resolution Satellite Images, Archeology, Historical Documents andGeography
Hidehiro SOHMA＊1), Ran TIAN1), Jien WEI2), Kazuki MORIYA3), Shinobu IGURO4), Toshio ITO5), Noboru
OGATA6) and Zhiyong YU7)
Abstract: High-resolution satellite images can easily compare the details of the ruins nearly the same periods based on thearcheological information. Moreover, the cooperation through joint field surveys with field scientists of geography, archeology andgeo-archeology, in addition to historian and specialist on interpretation of satellite images is preferable. Discussions at fields withvarious realms of specialists are very fruitful not only for understanding in details of the ruins but for natural environments andterrestrial conditions both of the present and past. Research style on the ruins through cooperation with high-resolution satellite
images, archeology, historical documents and geography was named SAHiG, being effective in the arid and semi-arid environments.
Results of SAHiG for ruins of the Han Dynasty and the Xixia- Yuan periods at Ejina area, in the lower reaches of the Heihe River,
Inner Mongolia, China, are reported.
Key Words: Archeology, China, Geography, High-resolution satellite images, Historical documents

1. Introduction
Introduction of high-resolution satellite images, such asIKONOS, QuickBird and ALOS has opened new roads on theresearch for the historical geography and archeology,
especially for ruins in the arid and semi-arid environments.
Today, we can easily get satellite images from the small scaleof about 102 kms to larger one of about 102 ms with seamlessthrough the web site of “Google Earth”. Satellite Images arevery effective for observation of earth surfaces and ruins, suchas casts of irrigation canals, agricultural fields andwall-surrounded cities. Moreover, they are useful for
research on environments and terrestrial conditions aroundruins from the sky not only in the larger scale but also insmaller one.
High-resolution satellite images can easily compare thedetails of the ruins nearly the same periods based on thearcheological information. Moreover, cooperation throughthe joint field survey with fields scientist of geography,archeology and geo-archeology, in addition to historians andspecialists on interpretation of satellite images. Discussions at
the field with various realms of specialists are very fruitful not
only understanding in details of the ruins but naturalenvironments and terrestrial conditions both of the present andpast. Research style on the ruins through cooperation

Fig. 1. Image of SAHiG.

with high-resolution satellite images, archeology, historical
documents and geography was named SAHiG (Fig. 1), being
effective in arid and semi-arid environments.
The purpose of this paper is to introduce results of SAHiG
for ruins of Han Dynasty and Xixia/Yuan periods in the arid
region of China. The study area is mainly lower reaches ofthe Heihe River, western part of Inner Mongolia, China (Fig.
2), and the annual precipitation is about 40mm and the mean
air-temperature is 8.2˚C (Editorial board of regional book on
Ejina Qi, 1998).

* Corresponding author: hsohma@cc.nara-wu.ac.jp(Received July 18th, 2011; Accepted October 4th 2011)

Kitauoya-nishimachi, Nara, Nara, 630-8506, Japan, Tel&Fax: +81-742-20-3324
1) Nara Women’s University

3) Osaka Shoin Women’s University

5) Osaka Kyoiku University

2) Renmin University of China

4) Waseda Institute for Advanced Styudy6) Xinjiang Institute of cultural relics and Archaeology

7) Kyoto University

Fig. 2. Study area. a: Ejina b. Miran X. Heihe River Y. Tian Shan
Mt Z. Qeilin Mt. 1. Jungal Basin 2. Tarim Basin 3. Zaidum
Basin (modified from Research Center for silkroad, 1995)

Fig. 4. Locations of main wall-surrounded ruins and three Platoons.
(Each numbers show distance in km. Touched in the GoogleEarthImage)the line connecting platoons of the P9 and the A1, b) distance
between the Bj2008 and P9 is nearly same between the K688
and A1, c) the connected line between A8 and P9 roughly
separates areas for cultivation and for pasturage, and the A8
platoon is the pivot of cultivation area.
These facts suggest the systematical construction ideas forcontrol systems of the Juyan colonial soldier- settlement area inthe Former Han Dynasty.

Fig. 3. QuickBird image of Bj2008 ruins

In the Han Dynasty, Juyan colonial soldier-settlement wasbuilt in this area (Sommarström, 1956, 1958; Institute ofarchaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, 1980;
Cultural relic research team of Gansu, 1984).

2. Bj2008 ruins
Based on interpretation of the QuickBird Image,
un-reported wall-surrounded ruins, named Bj2008, wereobserved (Fig. 3, Sohma et al., 2009), with nearly the squareshape in the plane with length from 120m to 140m. Thesefeatures are nearly same both in the size and the plane shape ofthe largest ones of the Han Dynasty in the study area (Sohma etal., 2010). A channel cast covered by aeolian sand deposits
with dark colored (Fig. 3) reminds at the southern part of theBj2008 ruins, in the slightly meandering pattern.
Locations of main wall-surrounded ruins and threeplatoons of the Han Dynasty (Cultural relic research team ofGansu, 1984) are illustrated in the Figure 4. Figure 4 shows
following special relationships of ruins and terrestrial
conditions of the area, a) the Bj2008 ruins are situated just on

3. Paleo-agricutural fields in the lower reaches of theHeihe River
Though Jimg (2006) has discussed the paleo- agriculturalfields in the lower reaches of the Heihe River, details are notyet clear. Sohma et al. (2009) reported the relative heights ofTamarix cones developed on the irrigation canals of the Han
Dynasty and the Xixia/Yuen periods are clearly different.
Figure 5 shows the surface conditions around the Bj2008
ruins. The scaly patterns at the eastern marginal part of theFigure 5 show areas of active sand dunes. And there aremany parts showing the parallel lines pattern in the NW - SEdirection, especially they are clear at the eastern and southernparts of the Bj2008 ruins. These parallel lines pattern are
correspond to the yardang topography formed by the severewind erosion from NW to SE direction. White or bright partsin mosaic pattern are the mud deserts which roughly
correspond to the paleo- agricultural fields. Very dark parts
are mainly sand deposited parts except the meandering patternparts which show the paleo-channel casts (Fig. 5).
Figure 6 shows irrigation canal casts of the different
periods. Upper one is situated just at the northwestern partof the Bj2008 ruins and belongs to the area of parallel lines
pattern. The higher part is an irrigation canal cast and heightFig. 5. QuickBird image around Bj2008 ruins. □: Bj2008 ○:agricultural fields of the Xixia and Yuen dynasties, elliptic broken
line: area of parallel lines pattern

Green City ruins situated about 8 km to the southwest (Sohmaet al., 2010). Therefore, the irrigation canal cast of the lower
one in the Figure 6 is considered to the cast of the Xixia/Yuenperiods.
Based on the above mentioned, upper one in the Figure 6 isconsidered to the cast of the Former Han Dynasty. Inaddition, the land surface pattern of long parallel lines aroundthe Bj2008 ruins suggests the possibility that this corresponds
to the cast of agricultural fields carried out the “Dai tiancultivate method (Ohshima, 1956)” described in the Former
Han Dynasty documents. The method, standing for severe
dry and strong wind blown conditions, is composed with longand narrow of alternative ridges and gutters surface pattern,and positions of rows and ridges being changed every year.
This method was widely practiced in the arid and semi-arid
regions at the Former Han Dynasty. Under the severe windcondition, it is natural to consider that cultivated fields havebeen easily eroded, and only the main irrigation canals changed
to the yardang partly remained after abandonment of thecultivation.
Based on the above mentioned, it is clear the “Dai tiancultivate method” was performed near the Bj2008 ruins at leastin the Former Han Dynasty.

4. Estimation of the paleo-irrigation methods

Fig. 6. Irrigation canal cast near the Nj2008 ruins. Upper: irrigation
canal cast of the Former Han dynasty, area of the parallel linespattern in Figure 5. Lower: irrigation canal cast of the Xixia andYuen dynasty, “○ in Figure 5

differences from the mud desert of the both side are about threemeters to four meters (Fig. 6). And the latter parts are
considered to the paleo-cultivated fields severely eroded by thestrong winds.
Lower one (Fig. 6) is an irrigation canal cast remained atabout 700 meters from the Bj2008 ruins to the southwest.
There are many fragments of earthen material of theXixia/Yuen periods near the irrigation canal cast. Height
differences between the canal cast and the mud desert of theboth side are less than one meter and these values are nearlysame those of the irrigation canal casts at eastern part of the4.1. In case of the lower reaches of the Heihe River
Patches of the cultivated fields of the rectangular in plane
shape are clearly distinguished near the habitation site of theXixia /Yuan periods (Fig. 7). This site is about 3.5 km fromthe Green City ruins to the southeast and belongs to the delta
area of the ancient Heihe River. The dark slightly curved line
crossing from northwest to southeast (Fig. 7), is the irrigation
canal cast of the Xixia /Yuan periods. Each patch, surroundedby the ridges partly remained with tiny trees, is very flat
surface and bordered on the irrigation canal cast. Patches of
the cultivated fields of the rectangular in plane shape, borderedby the casts of irrigation canals or channels, are widelyremained surrounding area of the Figure 7.
Based on the above mentioned, it is considered the irrigation of
the bowl method was applied surrounding area of the Figure 7.
4.2. In case of the Miran ruins
The Miran ruins remains at the lower part of alluvial fan
formed by the Miran River running from the Aljin Mt, and at
least used in 3th to 4th centuries and 8th to 9th centuries (Stein,1921). Figure 8 is the QuickBird image of the Miran ruins
area. On the Figure 8, the radial pattern of the casts of main
irrigation channels and many branched irrigation canal are veryclear. In detail, each patch surrounded by ridges is open at theFig. 8 Distributaries pattern of irrigation canal casts in the Miranruins area. Dotted line roughly corresponds with the upper
limit of the tamarix cone area

Fig. 7 Habitation site of the Xixia Dynasty/Yuan Dynasty (○) andcultivated (food production) field casts of rectangular in plane
shape. Upper: QuickBird Image, lower: field picture. White
curved line: irrigation canal casts.

lower part and suggests application of the border and/or splash
irrigation methods during the past cultivation periods. At thefields, signs of salinization were slightly observed. It isconsidered that the terrestrial condition of the alluvial fan
where surface water is easy to seepage to the ground was theimportant factor for choosing the irrigation methods.
Namely, it is clear the difference between the irrigation
methods at the lower reaches the delta area of the Heihe Riverand the alluvial fan area of the Miran ruins conducted throughthe interpretation of the QickBird image and field works.
And it is considered the difference in the terrestrial conditionsof the both area was one of the decisive factors for selecting theirrigation method.

5. Concluding remark
1. Existence of the Bj2008 ruins and distribution of the main
installations suggest that control systems of the Juyan
colonial soldier-settlement has been practiced based on theideas for systematical construction.
2. The casts of agricultural fields considered to be carried out
the Dai tian cultivate method of the Former Han dynasty,

were introduced.
3. Based on the height difference between the irrigation canal
casts and abandoned cultivated fields around the Bj2008
ruins, it will be possible to separate the used agricultural
fields between the Former Han dynasty and the Xixia/Yuan
Dynasty.
4. Estimated paleo-irrigation methods between the delta areaof the lower reaches of the Heihe River and the lower partof the alluvial fan area of the Miran ruins is different,
mainly reflecting the differences in the terrestrial condition.
5. Based on the above mentioned, it is confirmed SAHiG isvery effective for research of ruins in the arid environment.
Acknowledgement
This work was supported by the Grant-in-Aid for
Scientific Research (A) of JSPS, No. 19251009.
Appendix
Followings are corresponding index of Chinese characters
and English letters.
Juyan colonial soldier-settlemen: 居延屯田
platoons: 候官
platoons of the P9: 卅井候官
platoons of the A1: 殄北候官
Dai tian cultivate method: 代田法References
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