Space Archaeology on Tuntian Landscape of Han Dynasty in Western Regions: A Case Study of the Miran Site

Formally established in the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–9 A.D.), the Tuntian system was a state-promoted military agriculture system carried out in the frontier areas in ancient China. In Chinese history, all the imperial regimes achieving great unification of the country took Tuntian as an important state policy to develop border areas and consolidate border defense. This research describes the use of space archaeology to uncover an ancient canal-based Tuntian system located in an oasis agricultural landscape adjacent to the ancient Kingdom of Loulan at the southern margin of the Tarim Basin. The remote sensing data examined include Chinese Gaofen-1 (GF-1) VHR imagery, Landsat satellite data (LS-1 and LS-7) and ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model (ASTER GDEM) products. Based on the comprehensive interpretation of the multi-source satellite remote sensing data, the fan-shaped Tuntian irrigation area in Miran Site is mapped and spatial layout analysis and thematic mapping of seven primary canals are made. The maximum irrigated Tuntian area is estimated to exceed 8,000 hm2 during the most prosperous period. The overall spatial structure of the Miran Tuntian landscape is explored with the patch–corridor–matrix model. The MODES concept is employed to discuss the functions and features of three subsystems to the Miran Tuntian landscape. The space archaeology on the Miran Tuntian landscape provides a new insight of understanding the Tuntian landscape of the Han Dynasty in the Western Regions.