Dating of tombs in Delingha, Qinghai Province, China, on the basis of a 2332-year tree-ring juniper chronology (Sabina przewalskii Kom) (1575 BC–756 AD)

Long tree-ring chronologies provide a unique calendar record that is of value for archaeological dating. This paper reports the results of the dendrochronological study of Przewalsk juniper (Sabina przewalskii Kom) excavated from Xiatatu tombs of the Tubo Kingdom in Guolimu County, Delingha City, Qinghai Province, China. A 2332-year tree-ring chronology was constructed from archaeological wood, and calendar years were assigned to date the tombs. For two of the tombs, the dating results are in accordance with the presumed dates as resulting from the tomb shapes and the excavated objects, especially the coffin panel paintings and historical documents. The date of the Tubo tombs provides a calendar scale for studying the cultural history of the Tuyuhun during the Sui dynasty and the southern and northern dynasties, and the cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries based on the pictures.