Andronovites in the Eastern Pamirs: on the issue of dating and origins of the Xiabandi AII cemetery in Xinjiang (China)

This study examines the Bronze Age period in the Eastern Pamirs using materials from the cemetery of Xiabandi AII, through the analysis of its burial practices and grave goods, and planigraphy of the site. We argue that the site represents a local variant of the Andronovo Cultural-Historical Community within the Eastern Pamir region. By integrating new radiocarbon data from the Eurasian steppe contexts with traditional typological analysis, we propose a chronological framework for Xiabandi AII within the 17th–16th/15th centuries BC. Genetic, genealogical and anthropological evidence reveals the western Eurasian steppe origin of the population, potentially linked to Indo-Iranian (Aryan) migrations. The burial rite and the composition of the material goods demonstrate close affinities with southern Kazakhstan, particularly the Kulsai cultural type, while also suggesting possible interactions with the Bronze Age groups of northern China.