Neolithic site dating back 5,000 yrs discovered in C China

China Daily ^ | Friday, August 29, 2014 | Xinhua

[SunkenCiv]

Archaeologists in Central China's Henan province have excavated a large neolithic settlement complete with moats and a cemetery.

The Shanggangyang Site covers an area of 120,000 square meters and sits along a river in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan, dating 5,000 to 6,000 years back to the Yangshao culture, which was widely known for its advanced pottery-making technology.

The site features two defensive moats surrounding three sides. Researchers have found relics of three large houses as well as 39 tombs, the large number suggesting several generations resided there, archaeologist Gao Zanling, a member of the Zhengzhou Administration of Cultural Heritage, said.

"The size and population of the settlement, if compared with others in the same era, was pretty large," Gao told Xinhua.

Excavation of the site has offered a glimpse into the life in the tribe, including the use of pits to store food or bury garbage. Researchers also found a variety of crockery wares, including pots, kettles, cups and other tools.

[SunkenCiv]

The site of the Shanggangyang site, discovered in Xiyang village in Henan province, Aug 22, 2014. [Photo/CFP]

[SunkenCiv]

[Zhang Fei]

Was this where they found ancient Caucasian tombs?

[JimSEA]

The right location and with the polished stone implements, storage pits and painted pottery, you’d guess a Yangshao culture site. There isn’t much discussion of the cemetery but the mention of tombs suggests social stratification. The date would be right for the beginning of bronz implements. However, that’s a really complicated period in China.

[SunkenCiv]

The very thing that generates a lot of public interest in digs — tombs, up to and including the pyramids — skews how the ancient civs get viewed; for much older sites, we see what survives, mainly stone implements, relying on the rare survival of the imprint of woven items like baskets and fabrics. Even the existence of writing may be much older than generally accepted, but the materials used haven’t survived.

[SunkenCiv]

Nope.

http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhengzhou

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/caucasianmummies/index

[BenLurkin]

Cool!

[JimSEA]

Agreed. But the interest in grave goods, burial practices and tombs does say a lot about social stratification. Also, I suspect the practice of writing in China predates the turtle shells of the Longshan in China. The writing on the bronze seems pretty advanced to have just popped up. I was lucky enough to see some of the earliest bronze pieces in Taipei and they are spectacular.

[SunkenCiv]

• 'Earliest Writing' Found In China
• Pottery Offers Clues To Origin Of Chinese Characters
• New archaeological discovery rewrites earliest Chinese characters dating
• 9500 year old obsidian bracelet shows exceptional craft skills

[SunkenCiv]

whoops, missed one.

• Chinese writing '8,000 years old'

[JimSEA]

Thanks, those are really interesting. I hadn’t seen them.