The oasis
1.[2p] Where does the water of a Tarim Basin oasis come from?
Where does the water of a Tarim Basin oasis come from?
The answer is: Snow and glacier melt off the Kunlun and Tian Shan, spreading over alluvial fans
The answer is: Snow and glacier melt off the Kunlun and Tian Shan, spreading over alluvial fans
The answer is: Snow and glacier melt off the Kunlun and Tian Shan, spreading over alluvial fans
2.[2p] What is the Turfan name for a gently sloping underground irrigation tunnel with vertical shafts? One word.
What is the Turfan name for a gently sloping underground irrigation tunnel with vertical shafts? One word.
3.[3p] An open canal 20 km long and 3 m wide crosses the Turfan basin, where potential evaporation is 3 m a year. How many cubic metres does it lose to evaporation annually?
An open canal 20 km long and 3 m wide crosses the Turfan basin, where potential evaporation is 3 m a year. How many cubic metres does it lose to evaporation annually?
4.[2p] The Hanshu gives Shanshan 14,100 persons and 2,912 men able to bear arms. What percentage is able to bear arms?
The Hanshu gives Shanshan 14,100 persons and 2,912 men able to bear arms. What percentage is able to bear arms?
5.[2p] The Hanshu's figures for household size and fighting strength are consistent from one Tarim kingdom to the next.
The Hanshu's figures for household size and fighting strength are consistent from one Tarim kingdom to the next.
The answer is: False
6.[2p] Why did an oasis of a few thousand people have power out of proportion to its size?
Why did an oasis of a few thousand people have power out of proportion to its size?
The answer is: All traffic had to buy fodder and water there, and there was no alternative for hundreds of kilometres
The answer is: All traffic had to buy fodder and water there, and there was no alternative for hundreds of kilometres
The answer is: All traffic had to buy fodder and water there, and there was no alternative for hundreds of kilometres
7.[3p] Why is an abandoned irrigated oasis expensive to reoccupy?
Why is an abandoned irrigated oasis expensive to reoccupy?
Select all that apply
The answer is: Karez tunnels silt up and collapse without constant maintenance, Newcomers inherit blocked tunnels rather than working channels, Restoring the system requires organised labour that a small group cannot supply
8.[2p] What fixed the spacing of caravanserais at roughly 30 km?
What fixed the spacing of caravanserais at roughly 30 km?
The answer is: The distance a loaded caravan covers in a day
The answer is: The distance a loaded caravan covers in a day
The answer is: The distance a loaded caravan covers in a day
9.[3p] Match each place to what it is known for in this lesson.
Match each place to what it is known for in this lesson.
Turfan
Niya
Loulan
Merv
abandoned around 400 CE with houses left standing
the shifting Lop Nur and Hedin's wandering lake
a great city engineered from the Murghab river
a network of karez tunnels below sea level
Show the answer
Turfan: a network of karez tunnels below sea level Niya: abandoned around 400 CE with houses left standing Loulan: the shifting Lop Nur and Hedin's wandering lake Merv: a great city engineered from the Murghab river