Chi Zhang, Jia-ning He, Xiaohong Wu, Yinqiu Cui, Hua Wang, Jiangkai Zhang, Linyuan Fan, Wen-xue Yan
Abstract The multidisciplinary research on the Yangshao period (4200–2900 BCE) tomb M13, a joint secondary burial at the Baligang site of the Yangshao culture in Dengzhou City, Henan Province showed that there were in total 126 individuals buried in this grave. Their death crossed at least 200 years; among them, at least five individuals were from three maternal lineages, and the descent system of this group was patrilineal. There were also 138 pig mandibles buried in M13, which had been dated and shows that they were collected across over 400 years. Based on the statistics the death population at Baligang site, it is estimated that the human bones found from M13 went through a secondary burial process during which they were probably regarded as “ceremonial objects.” The joint secondary burials as M13 is seen as a result of some reburying ceremonies held at the Baligang site.
{"title":"Study on the burial practice of tomb M13 of the Yangshao culture at Baligang site in Dengzhou City","authors":"Chi Zhang, Jia-ning He, Xiaohong Wu, Yinqiu Cui, Hua Wang, Jiangkai Zhang, Linyuan Fan, Wen-xue Yan","doi":"10.1515/char-2020-0011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/char-2020-0011","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The multidisciplinary research on the Yangshao period (4200–2900 BCE) tomb M13, a joint secondary burial at the Baligang site of the Yangshao culture in Dengzhou City, Henan Province showed that there were in total 126 individuals buried in this grave. Their death crossed at least 200 years; among them, at least five individuals were from three maternal lineages, and the descent system of this group was patrilineal. There were also 138 pig mandibles buried in M13, which had been dated and shows that they were collected across over 400 years. Based on the statistics the death population at Baligang site, it is estimated that the human bones found from M13 went through a secondary burial process during which they were probably regarded as “ceremonial objects.” The joint secondary burials as M13 is seen as a result of some reburying ceremonies held at the Baligang site.","PeriodicalId":41590,"journal":{"name":"Chinese Archaeology","volume":"20 1","pages":"132 - 138"},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2020-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1515/char-2020-0011","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46400609","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In 2015, the Heilongjiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology excavated at Xiaonanshan site on the bank of Ussuri River in southeast Raohe County, Heilongjiang Province. The excavation was conducted in three zones, with nine Neolithic burials recovered in Zone III. Most burials were in northeast-southwest orientation and consisted of two parts: a cairn above ground, and a grave below the cairn. Pottery wares, lithic tools, and jades were unearthed from these burials. The cultural remains represented by these eight early phase burials are the first of their kind discovered in China and represent a new archaeological culture: the Xiaonanshan culture. The 14C data of this culture provided dates of 7,890±30 BP and 8,150±30 BP, preceding Xinkailiu culture. This excavation has filled a blank on early Neolithic cultures in eastern Heilongjiang and provided new materials for the studies on the origination and diffusion of the jade culture in East Asia.
{"title":"The excavation of Zone III of the Xiaonanshan site in Raohe County, Heilongjiang Province in 2015","authors":"","doi":"10.1515/char-2020-0007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/char-2020-0007","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 In 2015, the Heilongjiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology excavated at Xiaonanshan site on the bank of Ussuri River in southeast Raohe County, Heilongjiang Province. The excavation was conducted in three zones, with nine Neolithic burials recovered in Zone III. Most burials were in northeast-southwest orientation and consisted of two parts: a cairn above ground, and a grave below the cairn. Pottery wares, lithic tools, and jades were unearthed from these burials. The cultural remains represented by these eight early phase burials are the first of their kind discovered in China and represent a new archaeological culture: the Xiaonanshan culture. The 14C data of this culture provided dates of 7,890±30 BP and 8,150±30 BP, preceding Xinkailiu culture. This excavation has filled a blank on early Neolithic cultures in eastern Heilongjiang and provided new materials for the studies on the origination and diffusion of the jade culture in East Asia.","PeriodicalId":41590,"journal":{"name":"Chinese Archaeology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2020-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1515/char-2020-0007","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42793518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
From 2004 to 2007, the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology excavated the Hengshui cemetery of the Western Zhou dynasty in Jiangxian County, Shanxi Province. The excavation recovered 1,299 burials of the Western Zhou dynasty. Tomb M2158 is a large-sized burial located in the middle slightly to the west of the cemetery. It is a vertical earthen shaft pit burial in a rectangular plan, the bottom of which is slightly larger than the opening; along the four sides of the bottom of the grave, artificial second-tier ledges built of rammed earth are featured. In the middle of the bottom, a waist pit was dug. The burial receptacles consist of two inner coffins and one outer coffin. The tomb owner is an adult male 35–40 years old. In the grave, six human victims and two sacrificial dogs were found. The grave goods unearthed from this burial include bronzes, proto-porcelain wares, jades, stone and bone implements, and shell (cowry) objects. The grave goods show that the date of this burial was the early stage of the mid-Western Zhou dynasty, and its occupant was the earl of Peng, the lord of the Peng state enfeoffed by the king of the Western Zhou.
{"title":"The excavation of tomb M2158 at the Hengshui cemetery of the Western Zhou dynasty in Jiangxian County, Shanxi Province","authors":"","doi":"10.1515/char-2020-0008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/char-2020-0008","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 From 2004 to 2007, the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology excavated the Hengshui cemetery of the Western Zhou dynasty in Jiangxian County, Shanxi Province. The excavation recovered 1,299 burials of the Western Zhou dynasty. Tomb M2158 is a large-sized burial located in the middle slightly to the west of the cemetery. It is a vertical earthen shaft pit burial in a rectangular plan, the bottom of which is slightly larger than the opening; along the four sides of the bottom of the grave, artificial second-tier ledges built of rammed earth are featured. In the middle of the bottom, a waist pit was dug. The burial receptacles consist of two inner coffins and one outer coffin. The tomb owner is an adult male 35–40 years old. In the grave, six human victims and two sacrificial dogs were found. The grave goods unearthed from this burial include bronzes, proto-porcelain wares, jades, stone and bone implements, and shell (cowry) objects. The grave goods show that the date of this burial was the early stage of the mid-Western Zhou dynasty, and its occupant was the earl of Peng, the lord of the Peng state enfeoffed by the king of the Western Zhou.","PeriodicalId":41590,"journal":{"name":"Chinese Archaeology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2020-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1515/char-2020-0008","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45102815","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In 2017 to 2018, Hebei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and other institutions excavated the Taizicheng city site. Assisted by coring, the fieldwork confirmed that there were 67 building foundations, 14 roads, and two drainage ditches in this city site; the foundation of the No. 9 building in the center of the south zone and the courtyard No. 3 in the center of the north zone formed a tandem arrangement of “qian chao hou qin” [in front, audience hall; behind, resting chambers] along a symmetrical axis. In the unearthed artifacts, there are large numbers of bricks with stamps of “nei,” “gong,” and “guan,” white-glazed Ding wares with an inscription “shang shi ju,” fragments of chiwen-dragon heads on the main ridge, etc. Seen from the ranks of the artifacts and architectural sites, this city site would be the remains of an imperial residence of the mid through late Jin dynasty, which might be the Taihe Palace for Emperor Zhangzong of the Jin dynasty to hold summer nabo-imperial encampment. The excavation of the Taizicheng city site greatly improves the studies on the site selection of imperial encampments, construction regulations, utensil assemblage for the use of imperial courts, etc. of the Jin dynasty.
{"title":"The Taizicheng city site of the Jin dynasty in Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province","authors":"","doi":"10.1515/char-2020-0006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/char-2020-0006","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 In 2017 to 2018, Hebei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and other institutions excavated the Taizicheng city site. Assisted by coring, the fieldwork confirmed that there were 67 building foundations, 14 roads, and two drainage ditches in this city site; the foundation of the No. 9 building in the center of the south zone and the courtyard No. 3 in the center of the north zone formed a tandem arrangement of “qian chao hou qin” [in front, audience hall; behind, resting chambers] along a symmetrical axis. In the unearthed artifacts, there are large numbers of bricks with stamps of “nei,” “gong,” and “guan,” white-glazed Ding wares with an inscription “shang shi ju,” fragments of chiwen-dragon heads on the main ridge, etc. Seen from the ranks of the artifacts and architectural sites, this city site would be the remains of an imperial residence of the mid through late Jin dynasty, which might be the Taihe Palace for Emperor Zhangzong of the Jin dynasty to hold summer nabo-imperial encampment. The excavation of the Taizicheng city site greatly improves the studies on the site selection of imperial encampments, construction regulations, utensil assemblage for the use of imperial courts, etc. of the Jin dynasty.","PeriodicalId":41590,"journal":{"name":"Chinese Archaeology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2020-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1515/char-2020-0006","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48542917","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract Based on the discussion on the shape, nature, iron-smelting products and technical characteristics of the “bowl-shaped” bloomeries of the iron-smelting remains of the Han dynasty at Liuchen Town in Pingnan County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, this paper puts forward the issue of the origin of the “bowl-shaped” bloomeries in China, and referring to the “bowl-shaped” bloomeries found in West Asia, South Asia, Europe, and Africa and their smelting technical traditions. This paper pointed out that the “bowl-shaped” bloomeries in China had the same origin with that of the other regions of the world, which was the result of the far and wide diffusion of the “bowl-shaped” bloomeries of West Asia, and its introduction route might be from West Asia via South Asia and Southeast Asia along the Indian Ocean.
{"title":"The “bowl-shaped” bloomeries of Pingnan County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the origins of “bowl-shaped” bloomery in China","authors":"Yingfu Li","doi":"10.1515/char-2020-0015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/char-2020-0015","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Based on the discussion on the shape, nature, iron-smelting products and technical characteristics of the “bowl-shaped” bloomeries of the iron-smelting remains of the Han dynasty at Liuchen Town in Pingnan County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, this paper puts forward the issue of the origin of the “bowl-shaped” bloomeries in China, and referring to the “bowl-shaped” bloomeries found in West Asia, South Asia, Europe, and Africa and their smelting technical traditions. This paper pointed out that the “bowl-shaped” bloomeries in China had the same origin with that of the other regions of the world, which was the result of the far and wide diffusion of the “bowl-shaped” bloomeries of West Asia, and its introduction route might be from West Asia via South Asia and Southeast Asia along the Indian Ocean.","PeriodicalId":41590,"journal":{"name":"Chinese Archaeology","volume":"20 1","pages":"167 - 170"},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2020-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1515/char-2020-0015","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41647187","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract In South China, cupstones, a kind of artifact of ancient cultures bearing unique regional characteristics, are widely distributed. Cupstones are cobbles with concave recesses (cupules) formed by direct processing or wearing for a long-time of use. According to the numbers of the sides exhibiting such recesses, cupstones can be classified into those bearing recesses on one side, on two sides, on three sides, and on four or more sides. The cupstones are distributed in two distinct areas: the inland and coastal regions. They were made and used starting during the Upper Paleolithic Age and persisted into the Warring States period and Qin and Han dynasties, and perhaps even later. These artifacts experienced a development that saw their increase over time in quantity and quality as they changed from being made in rough to finer form. The function of cupstones may not be single; they might have been used to process nuts or shells, or perhaps they functioned as implements or tools for processing stone implements, or as a kind of multipurpose artifact.
{"title":"On cupstones in South China","authors":"Yongxu Fu","doi":"10.1515/char-2020-0010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/char-2020-0010","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract In South China, cupstones, a kind of artifact of ancient cultures bearing unique regional characteristics, are widely distributed. Cupstones are cobbles with concave recesses (cupules) formed by direct processing or wearing for a long-time of use. According to the numbers of the sides exhibiting such recesses, cupstones can be classified into those bearing recesses on one side, on two sides, on three sides, and on four or more sides. The cupstones are distributed in two distinct areas: the inland and coastal regions. They were made and used starting during the Upper Paleolithic Age and persisted into the Warring States period and Qin and Han dynasties, and perhaps even later. These artifacts experienced a development that saw their increase over time in quantity and quality as they changed from being made in rough to finer form. The function of cupstones may not be single; they might have been used to process nuts or shells, or perhaps they functioned as implements or tools for processing stone implements, or as a kind of multipurpose artifact.","PeriodicalId":41590,"journal":{"name":"Chinese Archaeology","volume":"20 1","pages":"123 - 131"},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2020-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1515/char-2020-0010","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49028030","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In 2016, remains of a ground-level Buddhist temple complex were found in the middle of the west zone of the Tuyoq caves in Shanshan (Piqan) County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. This Buddhist temple complex consisted of the Buddha hall, dorms for monks, and storage facilities. In the Buddha hall, many murals of bodhisattvas, devas, and donors were found, and artifacts such as household utensils made of clay, wooden architectural components, textiles, and manuscript fragments were unearthed. The date of this Buddhist temple complex was the Qocho Uyghurs kingdom from the latter half of the tenth century to the latter half of the fourteenth century; the excavation is very important for understanding the distribution of the construction centers and the iconographical composition of the Buddhist cave temples and monasteries in the Qocho Uyghurs kingdom period.
{"title":"The excavation of a Buddhist temple complex of the Qocho Uyghur kingdom in the middle of the west zone of the Tuyoq caves in Shanshan County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region","authors":"","doi":"10.1515/char-2020-0009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/char-2020-0009","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 In 2016, remains of a ground-level Buddhist temple complex were found in the middle of the west zone of the Tuyoq caves in Shanshan (Piqan) County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. This Buddhist temple complex consisted of the Buddha hall, dorms for monks, and storage facilities. In the Buddha hall, many murals of bodhisattvas, devas, and donors were found, and artifacts such as household utensils made of clay, wooden architectural components, textiles, and manuscript fragments were unearthed. The date of this Buddhist temple complex was the Qocho Uyghurs kingdom from the latter half of the tenth century to the latter half of the fourteenth century; the excavation is very important for understanding the distribution of the construction centers and the iconographical composition of the Buddhist cave temples and monasteries in the Qocho Uyghurs kingdom period.","PeriodicalId":41590,"journal":{"name":"Chinese Archaeology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2020-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1515/char-2020-0009","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43364147","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract The previous studies on the bronzes were usually focused on their “assemblages”; through analyses to several typical burials in the Yinxu site, this paper presents the concept of “source composition” of bronzes, which emphasizes the source and disposition of bronzes, and pays more attention to the social backgrounds of the bronzes than “assemblages” do. This paper analyzes M303 at Dasikong, M1713 at West Zone, Fu Hao’s tomb and M1046 at Liujiazhuang Locus North of the Yinxu site, and then reveals that the compositions of the bronzes found from them may have two types, namely the single-sourced and multiple-sourced. Moreover, the multiple-sourced compositions also had various forms, which may be caused by the social backgrounds of the burials and the social relations of the burial occupants.
{"title":"On the source “composition” of the bronze vessels in the burials of the Yinxu site","authors":"Yuyun Tang","doi":"10.1515/char-2020-0012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/char-2020-0012","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The previous studies on the bronzes were usually focused on their “assemblages”; through analyses to several typical burials in the Yinxu site, this paper presents the concept of “source composition” of bronzes, which emphasizes the source and disposition of bronzes, and pays more attention to the social backgrounds of the bronzes than “assemblages” do. This paper analyzes M303 at Dasikong, M1713 at West Zone, Fu Hao’s tomb and M1046 at Liujiazhuang Locus North of the Yinxu site, and then reveals that the compositions of the bronzes found from them may have two types, namely the single-sourced and multiple-sourced. Moreover, the multiple-sourced compositions also had various forms, which may be caused by the social backgrounds of the burials and the social relations of the burial occupants.","PeriodicalId":41590,"journal":{"name":"Chinese Archaeology","volume":"20 1","pages":"139 - 150"},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2020-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1515/char-2020-0012","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45781221","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
From March 2018 to January 2019, the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and other institutions excavated the Wangjiabang cemetery outside the north moat of the Chenghe ancient city site. They recovered 112 burials and three pottery ware pits and unearthed large numbers of artifacts, including pottery wares, jade and stone yue-battle-axes, ivory objects, bamboo-woven wares, lacquer wares, pig mandibles, and so on. These burials all belonged to the Qujialing culture, the large-scale ones mostly double- or triple-chamber burials in the same graves, and many burials were furnished with tree trunk coffins. Some pottery assemblages in the grave goods also had unique features. This discovery has filled a gap of the prehistoric burials in the middle reach of the Yangtze River, and provided valuable materials for further understanding the funeral customs and social structure of the Qujialing culture.
{"title":"The Wangjiabang cemetery of the Chenghe site of the Neolithic Age in Shayang County, Hubei Province","authors":"","doi":"10.1515/char-2020-0002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/char-2020-0002","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 From March 2018 to January 2019, the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and other institutions excavated the Wangjiabang cemetery outside the north moat of the Chenghe ancient city site. They recovered 112 burials and three pottery ware pits and unearthed large numbers of artifacts, including pottery wares, jade and stone yue-battle-axes, ivory objects, bamboo-woven wares, lacquer wares, pig mandibles, and so on. These burials all belonged to the Qujialing culture, the large-scale ones mostly double- or triple-chamber burials in the same graves, and many burials were furnished with tree trunk coffins. Some pottery assemblages in the grave goods also had unique features. This discovery has filled a gap of the prehistoric burials in the middle reach of the Yangtze River, and provided valuable materials for further understanding the funeral customs and social structure of the Qujialing culture.","PeriodicalId":41590,"journal":{"name":"Chinese Archaeology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2020-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1515/char-2020-0002","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44138183","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}