The ancient city of Loulan is a ruins of the ancient kingdom of the Western Regions located in Ruoqiang County, Xinjiang, which was once an important post station on the Silk Roadyears of history. The discovery and archaeology of the ancient city of Loulan have provided valuable information for the study of cultural exchanges between China and the West and the history of the ancient frontier.
The history of the ancient city of Loulan can be divided into three stages: the Kingdom of Loulan, the County of Loulan and the County of Loulan. The Kingdom of Loulan is the earliest political form of the ancient city of Loulan, established in 176 BC and destroyed by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty in 77 BC. The Loulan Kingdom once competed with the Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu, the Dayue Clan and other forces for control of the Western Regions, and also established friendly diplomatic relations with the Han Dynasty, accepting the canonization and surname of the Han Dynasty.
Loulan County is the second stage of the ancient city of Loulan, in 60 BC, the Han Dynasty established Loulan County on the original site of the Loulan Kingdom, as one of the jurisdictions of the Western Regions Protectorate. The status of Loulan County was more important than that of the Kingdom of Loulan, as it was an important stronghold of the Han Dynasty to control the Western Regions and a transportation hub on the Silk Road. The culture of Loulan County inherited the diversity of the Loulan Kingdom, and at the same time was deeply influenced by the Han Dynasty, with many Chinese documents, Han architecture, and Han immigrants. The prosperity of Loulan County lasted for nearly four hundred years, until 384 AD, when Li Bai, the governor of the Western Regions of the Former Liang Dynasty, led an army to attack Loulan, leading to the decline of Loulan County.
Loulan County is the last stage of the ancient city of Loulan, in 399 AD, the Northern Wei Dynasty established Loulan County on the original site of Loulan County, as one of the jurisdictions of the Western Regions Protectorate. The status of Loulan County was even more weakened than that of Loulan County, as it had lost the advantages of the Silk Road and was unable to defend itself against foreign invasions from the surrounding areas. The date of the demise of Loulan County is unknown, but according to archaeological finds, it was no later than 630 AD.
About the reason for the disappearance of the ancient city of LoulanThere are also different opinions, and there is no conclusive conclusion so far, and there are several possible reasons:
War
One theory is that after the fifth century AD, the Loulan Kingdom began to weaken, the northern powers invaded, the city of Loulan was broken, and it was abandoned.
Plague
Another theory is related to the plague pandemic. Places with arid climates are prone to rats, and the place where Loulan is located is extremely arid, and it is normal for there to be many rats. Among the ruins of the ancient kingdom of Loulan, archaeologists have found a large number of rat traps. Rats may have been rampant at that time, and the chance of infecting the plague would have been much higher.
Ecological deterioration
It is generally accepted that the effects of the climate and environment led to genocide or migration. According to historical records, from 3,000 years ago to 2,000 years ago, the climate of Loulan was still relatively humid, at that time, the northwest rivers flowed large, the end of the rivers in the Tarim Basin went deep into the desert, and there were many lakes in the northwest.
Loulan is located at the place where the Tarim River enters the lake, the water source is abundant, the soil is fertile, and the natural environment around Lop Nur at that time should be very good.
But from the Eastern Han Dynasty onwards, China began to enter a dry and cold period that lasted for 600 years.
During this period, there was a phenomenon of "successive years of drought, thousands of miles of red land, and most of the people and animals died", so a large number of nomads chose to move south, and poured into the Central Plains one after another, and the phenomenon of Wuhu entering China appeared.
The rivers in the Western Regions are also decreasing in water and lakes are shrinking.
As a result, many ancient cities in the Western Regions came to an end, and the inhabitants of the ancient cities migrated to the upper reaches of the river, and the original cities were abandoned and eventually submerged in the desert, and Loulan was one of them.
The mysterious ancient city of Loulan has disappeared, and the research about him has not stopped, and it has become a place that countless adventure lovers yearn for!