Is Sarabulun not the ruins of Chigu?
On which shore of Issyk-Kul was the ancient Chigu located?
Sarybulun is the only known large settlement of the 1st millennium BC in the Issyk-Kul basin. Written sources mention the name of only one settlement in this territory — the residence of the Usun ruler, Chigu. This raises the question: could Sarybulun be the ruins of Chigu? Let us turn to ancient chronicles.
The earliest information about Chigu comes from the "Shiji" ("Historical Records") as told by the involuntary Chinese traveler Zhang Qian. His information is invaluable. He is the only informant who personally visited Chigu.
For historians of Kyrgyzstan, the first information about the Usuns and their residence Chigu, obtained by Zhang Qian, is significant, likely from Fergana: "The Usun lies almost 2000 li from Davani (Fergana.— Ed.), to the northeast." In his commentary on this text, N. Ya. Bichurin rightly noted that the term "Usun" here refers to the ruler's residence — "the town of Chigu." In his opinion, this "town" was located somewhere between the northeastern tip of Lake Issyk-Kul and the southern bank of the Ili River. However, on his historical map compiled in 1851, the scholar places Chigu on the southern shore of Issyk-Kul somewhat west of the Tosor River.
It should be noted that N. Ya. Bichurin uncritically accepted the distances indicated in Chinese sources and took them at face value when identifying various toponyms. It is concerning that the same 2000 li appears in determining the distance not only between Fergana and Chigu but also between Fergana and Kangyu (Kangjuy), Kangyu and Yanzai, Fergana and Bactria, etc., which gives reason to believe that this figure was a template for the informants from Davan and only very roughly reflected the actual distances between Fergana and the residences of neighboring states.
More specific materials for localizing Chigu are provided in the "Jianhan Yi" ("History of the Former Han Dynasty"). Here, the distance to the Usun residence from a precisely fixed point — Chang'an — the old capital of China: "The rule of the great guni (supreme leader.— Ed.) of the Usuns in the city of Chigu, from Chang'an is 8900 li." The relative accuracy of this figure is verified by other data contained in the same chronicle: "The rule of the ruler of Aksu in the city of Wugusu (modern Aksu.— Ed.) from Chang'an is 8350 li... to the north to the Usun Chigu is 610 li." As we can see, the discrepancy between the figures is only 60 li, or just 30 km. The most important figure for localizing Chigu is the one that indicates its distance from Aksu. The indicated distance (610 li, i.e., 305 km) leads the researcher (considering that caravan routes went through the Bedel Pass) directly to the southeastern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul. However, trust in the knowledge of Chinese historians regarding the actual distances between specific geographical points is seriously undermined by the later chronicle "Beishi" ("History of the Northern Dynasties"). The distance from the then capital of China to Chigu turned out, according to "Beishi," to be not 610 li more than to Aksu, but 410 li less.
Ancient agricultural culture of the population of the Pre-Issyk-Kul region in the 1st millennium BC.
