The Present-day Value of Maps Illustrating the Archaeological Surveys of Sir Aurel Stein in Xinjiang and Gansu

The maps illustrating the archaeological surveys of Sir Aurel Stein's Central Asian expeditions remain to this day the most authoritative map series concerning the location of archaeological monuments in the Tarim Basin and Gansu Corridor of western China. The aim of this article is to evaluate the present-day value of Stein's maps for both relocating known ancient sites and attempting to locate additional sites on more recent maps. Figure i of this article shows the general area surveyed by Stein's expeditions. This study will be divided into three main parts: (i) a general description of Stein's cartographic surveys in terms of the regions of Xinjiang and Gansu surveyed and features depicted; (2) map series covering this region produced since Stein's surveys, and an outline of the history of the treatment of place names on both Stein's and subsequent maps; (3) an in-depth study of the Niya site area to illustrate both the extent to which Stein's original findings can be relocated on recent maps and the value of such maps for locating additional ancient sites

Archaeology · Cartography · China · Geography · Structural basin · Tarim basin · Value (mathematics · China's Ethnic Minorities and Relations · Chinese history and philosophy · History · Vietnamese History and Culture Studies · Geology · Paleontology

• Note on Maps Illustrating Dr. Stein's Explorations in Chinese Turkestan and Kansu

  M Aurel Stein•Geographical Journal•1911

  Add to list