China News Service, Shandong Shouguang, May 13th (Sun Tingting, Hao Xuejuan) in the Jinan Springs from the source, flowing east into the Bohai Sea on the banks of the Xiaoqing River. Since March 15, 2020, more than a hundred archaeologists, holding a shovel in one hand, one hand Holding a brush, on the loess beach formed by the impact of river water for more than 4,000 years, let the social culture and human life forms of different periods such as the Longshan period, Han Tang, Ming and Qing Dynasties travel through time and space, and "reappear" here.
Liu Wentao, a librarian of the Shandong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, has buried the sand at the southern site (cemetery) of Xujia Village for a month. This site is located about 500 meters south of Xujia Village, Heilizhai Town, Gaoqing County, Zibo City, Shandong Province, on the north bank of the Xiaoqing River. As of May 6, 2020, a total of 5 tombs from the Longshan period were cleared out. The stage tombs are being cleaned up, 15 tombs in the Tang Dynasty are cleaned, 5 ash pits during the Longshan period, and the cleaned area is more than 1,000 square meters.
With the approval of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Shandong Provincial Underwater Archaeological Research Center and the Boxing County Museum carried out archaeological excavations on the southeast site of Zhaibian, with an approved area of 800 square meters. Photo by Han Chunyi
The stratigraphic accumulation of the Xujia Village South site (cemetery) shows that the site was originally a platform landform with a high center and low east and west sides. According to the current surface, the opening is about 2.6 meters, and is divided into three cultural layers: Tang Dynasty, Warring States Period to Han Dynasty, and Early to Late Longshan. Among them, the small and medium-sized tombs in the Longshan period were basically unearthed. The large-scale tombs are being cleaned up. The two-stage platform on the west side of the tomb has been cleared, 13 pig mandibles are buried, and many utensils such as pottery cups, pots, tripods, and sams . The funerary utensils are exquisitely made and the craftsmanship is complicated, which fills the discovery gap of the Longshan period in the Gaoqing area. Tombs of the Tang Dynasty, the cemetery planning is clear, all are brick chamber tombs. Three rows are arranged from east to west. In particular, the burial shape of the cemetery has distinctive features. The "fan-shaped" and "horse-shoe-shaped" burial chambers are the only ones seen in Shandong tombs so far.
In Liu Wentao's view, the excavation of the southern ruins (cemetery) of Xujia Village is far more than that. The site (cemetery) is one of the few important sites along the Xiaoqing River in the northern Lube area. There are only a few large tombs in Longshan excavated by Shandong archaeology. This excavation has provided rare physical information on the study of the Longshan culture in the northern Lube area and the exchange of related cultures. The excavation of the cemetery also provided rare physical "evidence" for studying the exchanges between Lubei area and Hebei area in the middle and late Tang Dynasty, and the movement of people under the feudal town pattern. The porcelains unearthed in the tombs have various shapes and glazes, which provide a rare ruler for the extinction of porcelains scattered in the northern part of the country.
A total of 73 ruins have been cleaned up at the Zhaibian Southeast Ruins, including 2 modern ditches, 61 ash pits in the Han Dynasty, 1 urn burial in the Han Dynasty, 2 roads in the Han Dynasty, and 8 ditches in the Han Dynasty. Photo by Han Chunyi
About 9 kilometers east along the Xiaoqing River, it is Caopo Village, Huagou Town, Gaoqing County, Zibo City. About 1 km southwest of the village is the Caopo site in Gaoqing County. The site is new to cooperate with the archaeological investigation and exploration of the Xiaoqinghe Comprehensive Control Project. The accumulation of the cultural layer of the site is generally about 0.8-1.5 meters thick, and the maximum thickness can be more than 2 meters. It has rich connotation and long duration. The Longshan period continued until the Tang and Song periods. There were human activities. The exploration shows that the opening of the Xiaoqing River channel will not be earlier than the Song Dynasty, or it may be consistent with historical records, and more archaeological evidence is needed.
Zhang Heng, an assistant librarian of Shandong Institute of Archaeology, is one of the archaeologists at the Beiying site in Boxing County, whose age span ranges from "after 50" to "after 00". In 30 days, this archaeological team exposed a total of 800 square meters of ruins. More than 30 ash pits, 2 kilns, 1 water well, 3 ditches and 4 tombs have been unearthed.
The team of archaeological excavation of the Zhaibian Southeast Ruins is composed of the personnel of Shandong Underwater Archaeological Research Center. Photo by Han Chunyi
Zhang Heng said that the ruins here are relatively rich, mainly based on the remains of Longshan and the Han Dynasty. More than 10 ash pits, 3 ditches, 2 tombs, 1 water well and 1 kiln have been found in the remains of the Han Dynasty. Among them, Y1 is well preserved and the structure is complete; well J1 has a foot socket. There are many relics unearthed in the Han Dynasty, mainly made of pottery and building materials such as slabs, tiles and bricks, and a small number of pottery beans, pots, pottery pats, pottery wells and other utensils.
The southeast Zhaibian site is rectangular, about 190 meters long and 80 meters wide. The northern part of the site is modern cultivated land, and the southern part is a modern river embankment. Photo by Han Chunyi
In the Longshan period, the cultural layer is 0.4-1.5 meters thick. At present, more than 10 ash pits, 2 tombs, and 1 kiln have been excavated. In the western part of the excavation area, traces of suspected trenches are found. The next step is to dissect and excavate. During the excavation of the Longshan period, there were abundant relics, mainly pottery, and a small number of stoneware and mussels. Nearly 10 pieces of pottery have been repaired, with shapes such as tripods, pots, cups, pots, lids, etc., and stone tools with shovel and axe. These cultural relics provide important data for the study of the cultural characteristics, settlement patterns, and social life of the Longshan period in the northern Lube area.
The northeast ruins of Shuangguanghou Xinzhuang are the remains of the salt industry in the Song and Jin Dynasties. Archaeologists have found that there are very few artifacts that can be broken down, and only a few ceramic pieces have the characteristics of the Song and Yuan Dynasties. Archaeologists said that from the analysis of the unearthed materials, the function of the site is not only pure salt making, but also the cultural relics related to casting and repairing tools for salt cooking. At present, the south bank of Laizhou Bay only found two relics of the foundry tools for casting salt in the Song and Yuan Dynasties in Guangrao and Binhai Development Zones. The discovery and excavation of this site should be of great significance.
There are many pottery pieces unearthed in the Han Dynasty, especially the inscription beans, etc., which will help the study of the Zhaibian ruins and the culture of the Han Dynasty in the North Lube area. Photo by Han Chunyi
In the process of excavation and protection of cultural relics, there are a total of 43 cultural relics found in the engineering land area, including 35 new discoveries. These ruins cover various historical periods from the Neolithic period to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, including prehistoric settlements, city sites, cemeteries, and pottery and salt handicraft sites. Archaeological excavations have achieved phased results, cleared a batch of ancient tombs, houses, crypts, pottery kilns and salt stoves, and unearthed a large number of precious cultural relics such as bronzes, jade, porcelain and iron.
In the process of clearing stratum and relics, 84 small pieces and specimens were unearthed, including 39 pieces of porcelain fragments, mostly in the Song and Jin Dynasties and Ming and Qing Dynasties. Photo by Han Chunyi
The staff said that the large prehistoric tombs and high-level buildings in the Zhou Dynasty all showed the splendid history and culture of this area. The disclosure of the siltation of the Yellow River and the repeated dredging of the cultural layer since the Song Dynasty verified the history of river management since the Xiaoqing River was opened in the Jin Dynasty. These achievements are of great significance to the study of the early history of Qi State, the civilization of the Yellow River, and the history of changes in the Xiaoqing River Basin. The protection and display of these archaeological achievements will promote the construction of the Xiaoqinghe Cultural Tourism Belt.
It is understood that Shandong has made it clear that the Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology will be the leading unit to organize engineering archaeological work, integrate the province's business forces, and convene eight archaeologically qualified units into 11 archaeological teams to participate in the "archaeological battle". At present, the excavation of one cultural relic site has been completed, and the rest of the excavation work should be completed by May 20. (Finish)