The Longwangshan cemetery and the change in funerary practices in middle Yangzi during the late Neolithic Age, China

An Analysis of the Longwangshan cemetery reveals that Neolithic inhabitants in the Middle Yangzi had a clear repertoire of funerary practices. Grave goods can be categorized into two groups, which were respectively used as offerings for the dead and utensils in public ritual activities. The grave goods for the two types of activities greatly differed in terms of shapes, textures, manufacturing techniques, and placements. The increased use of goods distant from deceased suggests that public ritual activities were more emphasized to maintain communality and represent social status of deceased and/or his/her family in funerary practices over time. The Longwangshan cemetery sheds light on the study of social trajectory in Neolithic Middle Yangzi.