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  • Investigating the orientati...
    Li, Jingjing; Esimbek, Jarken; Ma, Yingxiu

    Journal of archaeological science, reports, April 2024, 2024-04-00, Volume: 54
    Journal Article

    The Gumugou Cemetery is an early Bronze Age necropolis located in the Tarim Basin of Xinjiang, China. Among its notable features is the consistent alignment of corpses with the head or long axis of the graves oriented towards the east. While previous research has suggested a connection between the orientation of burials at Gumugou and the sun, a comprehensive investigation of this perspective is still lacking. This research paper presents a comprehensive analysis and corresponding findings on the burial orientation at Gumugou from an archaeo-astronomical perspective. The results indicate a significant correlation between the burial orientations at the Gumugou Cemetery and the position of sunrise on the horizon. Moreover, further analysis reveals that the interments of Gumugou were probably built around the Spring Equinox and Autumn Equinox.