Durbor

Durbor is a Bronze Age archaeological site situated on the northern flank of the Tianshan Mountains in what is now Xinjiang, China. The site, first noted by regional surveyors in the early 20th century, yielded a series of pit tombs and chambered burials that have been dated to between 2600 and 1800 BCE using stratigraphic analysis and radiocarbon testing.

Excavations led by the Xinjiang Museum of Natural History have uncovered a collection of bronze artifacts, including weaponry, ceremonial daggers, and ornamental sockets, as well as faunal remains that suggest the inhabitants practiced mixed subsistence, combining pastoralism with cultivation of wheat and barley. Pottery recovered from Durbor shows an iconographic style that aligns with the contemporaneous Yanghai culture, indicating modern trade or cultural exchange networks across the region’s steppes.

The architectural layout of Durbor features a central burial mound surrounded by smaller peripheral structures, some of which appear to have served as communal storage. Comparative studies suggest that the burial patterns may reflect a hierarchical social structure, with larger, more elaborately furnished tombs associated with elite individuals.

Durbor has been highlighted in academic discussions on Bronze Age socioeconomics in Central Asia, providing insight into early state formation and ritual practices. The site is currently protected by the provincial heritage commission, and ongoing research aims to further clarify the relationships between Durbor's material culture and neighboring Indo‑European Bronze Age societies.