Posted on 01/26/2005 12:17:54 PM PST by blam
7,000-year-old Village found in Ningbo
The Ningbo Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology announced this month that, after a 4-month excavation of 725 square meters, they have confirmed the discovery of a 7,000-year-old village of the early Hemudu culture.
The site is at Fujiashan in the Jiangbei District of Ningbo City, in the eastern province of Zhejiang.
According to a specialist from the institute, the site is one of the largest-scale, highest-yield and best-preserved sites in the province after the Hemudu site itself.
The relics excavated showed it to be a Neolithic site in the early stage of Hemudu culture, which involved cultivation, fishing, hunting and gathering.
Chu Xiaobo, the institute's deputy head, said the Fujiashan site is 20 kilometers from the Hemudu site and 5-6 kilometers from the recently discovered Tianluoshan site, which belongs to the same culture. The position of the three sites indicates that the Yaojiang River may have been the home of the Hemudu culture.
The Fujiashan site was wood-based, facing east and with Fujia Mountain to its west. It's more than 30 meters wide and 16 meters deep. Wares have been found that were constructed using slots and pairs of tenons -- the first time these have been found in the Hemudu culture.
Archeologists said the inhabitants built houses and settled down as their lifestyle shifted from hunting animals to planting vegetables, raising livestock and making handicrafts.
They found many fragments of charcoal, connected with the marks made by fire on the top and surface of crossbeams, suggesting that it may have been fire that destroyed the village eventually.
Wu Xiangdong, the head of the institute, said they had unearthed a large number of relics. The most numerous were earthenware -- recoverable items totaled more than 470 -- and some were first examples in Hemudu culture, as were the patterns engraved onto them.
Among the relics, the most delicate and vivid was an eagle-head-shaped piece of ivory, chiseled on both front and back. The eagle's beak is hook-shaped and its eyes wide open, giving it a fierce and powerful countenance.
Another eagle-shaped earthenware item was also recovered, in the form of a bird spreading its wings, and was another first time discovery for this period.
Archeologists conjectured that it may have been used in sacrifices.
Another interesting find was a pot full of cooked water chestnuts. The archaeologists speculated that it might have been abandoned after a sudden disaster, such as a flood, fire, or an attack from wild animals or enemies.
Source: China.org
Oops - I should clarify, I have two Chinese daughters, one joined us later in our China visit after we left Beijing..
Just bear in mind that the Shang, that preceeded them, used to bury the actual people. A lot of the earliest writing in China, produced by the Shang, were attempts at divination and have quite a bit to say about sacrifices, including human sacrifices. This culture predates the Shang, so I'm curious if, like the transition from Caral to Moche in Peru, they started out organizing for trade and economics and wound up descending into human sacrifice and cruelty. I'm curious what they think they were sacrificing.
Thanks for the input. I like to be correct.
Now, are there any statues with Caucasian features as I've seen others say on another thread? Of all the pictures I've seen, I've not seen any.
Good post.
My first visit was a month long and only after 3 weeks did I start to go to less prominent places. Basically I had 3 weeks packed with some of the best stuff you have ever seen.
Beijing and the near vicinity is packed full of cool things to see.
Good post.
Sorry - couldn't help myself.
Yes, and it was wide spread at one time. I think The Indians were still sacrificing the wives when their husbands died.
There seems to be some of this up on the Indo-Asian steppes. Looks like wives and horses were buried with the male when he died.
So THAT'S where I left it! I was searching all over my house! In my sofa, under my papers.....
They believed that in the next world those items/servants would serve them.
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on, off, or alter the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list --
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
The GGG Digest -- Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)
This is another evidence to show that there were several cultures developing in ancient China. Three large river basins, those of Liao, Huang, and Yangtze nurtured many of these cultures. Then there was the "Caucasian" culture on Tarim basin.
Has anyone noticed that any ornate or unusual object is always given a religious or sacrificial purpose by the ache's? I think that this object was made by some one who just liked eagles and that it was a soup tureen for big parties.
Chamber Pot..
Quite amazing.
Must be really something to see.
"Among the relics, the most delicate and vivid was an eagle-head-shaped piece of ivory, chiseled on both front and back. The eagle's beak is hook-shaped and its eyes wide open, giving it a fierce and powerful countenance. "
This must be really interesting.
"Another interesting find was a pot full of cooked water chestnuts."
Sounds like things came to an end in a hurry, as if a forest fire or a sacking enemy hit town.
Or maybe the moron cooking the water chestnuts wasn't keeping track, and the fire spread, incinerating the whole works. ;')
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