Ancient glass on the silk road's Qinghai route: scientific analysis of glass beads unearthed from Xuewei tomb No. 1 at the Reshui cemetery in 2018

This paper focuses on the glass beads unearthed from Xuewei Tomb No. 1 in 2018, located in Reshui Township, Dulan County, Qinghai Province, dating to the eighth century CE. Using experimental techniques such as LA-ICP-AES, LA-ICP-MS, optical microscopy, and SEM–EDS, the study reveals that the glass beads belong to the plant ash soda-lime glass. Different colored beads were produced using metal ions (copper, iron) or lead–tin yellow pigment as colorants, and were manufactured through drawing and hot-forming techniques. Based on these analyses, it is concluded that the glass beads originated from Central Asia. The transmission route likely passed through the Pamir Plateau, south of the Tarim Basin, via the Shule, Yutian, Qiemo and Ruoqiang region, and then south of the Qaidam Basin, eventually reaching Dulan county. This research provides important material evidence for further discussion of the Tuyuhun tomb cultural attributes and deeper investigation of the Qinghai route of the Silk Road.