The top ten new archaeological discoveries in the country in 2020 were announced, covering important academic fields such as the study of Xia culture, the formation and development of a unified multi-ethnic country, and the archaeology of the Silk Road
Ten Archaeological Discoveries of Early Granary City in Zhoukou Xia Dynasty
The top ten new archaeological discoveries in the country in 2020 were announced, the Zhaoguodong site in Gui'an New District, Guizhou, the Jingtou Mountain site in Yuyao, Zhejiang, the Shuanghuaishu site in Gongyi, Henan, the Shizhuang site in Huaiyang, Henan, the Xuyang cemetery in Yichuan, Tibet, and Zanda, Tibet 10 projects including Sangdalongguo Cemetery, Tushan No. 2 Tomb in Xuzhou, Jiangsu, Shaoling Former Tomb of the Sixteen Kingdoms in Xi'an, Shaanxi, Dulan Tombs in Qinghai, 2018 Xuewei No. 1 Tomb, and Tumen Mopan Village Mountain City Ruins in Jilin, etc. After discussion and voting by 21 final judges, he was elected.
Beijing News Yesterday, the top ten new archaeological discoveries in the country in 2020 were announced. The Shizhuang site in Huaiyang, Henan, Tushan No. 2 Tomb in Xuzhou, Jiangsu, and Xuewei No. 1 Tomb in Dulan Dulan Tombs in Qinghai were selected.
Looking at the order of times, the earliest Zhaoguodong site in Gui'an New District, Guizhou, spans the entire Late Paleolithic and Neolithic eras, and is very rare across the country; the earliest site of the mountain city in Tumen Mopan Village, Jilin, has been verified by textual research. The former site of Nanjing in the Eastern Xia Kingdom at the end of the Jin Dynasty.
The judges of the “Top Ten” Final Jury were selected by lottery. 21 people came from the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Museum of China, the Archaeological Research Center of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, and Chinese Cultural Heritage. Research institutes, Peking University and other units.
Song Xinchao, deputy director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, said that many of the 20 projects shortlisted for the final evaluation are new achievements of the "Archaeological China" project, as well as new discoveries in the archaeological work of infrastructure construction. These projects cover the origins of modern humans, the origins of civilization, and the origins of summer. Important academic fields such as cultural studies, the formation and development of a unified multi-ethnic state, and Silk Road archaeology.
According to reports, the selection of the top ten new archaeological discoveries in the country is a concentrated display of annual archaeological research results, and is also an important platform for reporting the latest research results to the industry and the public and popularizing archaeological knowledge.
Zhaoguo Cave Ruins, Gui'an New District, Guizhou
Sites of human activities spanning the Old and Neolithic Ages
How did ancient humans live more than 40,000 years ago?
At the Zhaoguo Cave site in Gui'an New District, Guizhou Province, archaeologists found the answer.
From 2016 to 2020, Guizhou Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Sichuan University College of Archaeology and Culture Museum, Chengdu Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology conducted 5 annual archaeological excavations.
The ruins are about 8 meters thick, spanning the entire late Paleolithic and Neolithic ages, and are very rare across the country.
Relics and relics are very rich, including 51 fire relics, 2 tombs, a large number of stone products, polished bone tools, and the remains of animals and plants related to human activities.
According to archaeological investigations, the cultural accumulation of Zhaoguodong site is divided into four phases and six phases. The early period of the first phase is 45,000 to 37,000 years ago.
In the stratum more than 12,000 years ago, a whole-body polished stone tool was found, with a large amount of ocher powder on the blade. This is one of the earliest polished stone tools discovered in China to explore the origin and function of polished stone tools. Provided new evidence.
According to Zhang Xinglong, the project leader, the 51 fire pits discovered at the Zhaoguodong site are mainly concentrated in the late Paleolithic period. They are one of the most abundant fire-use remnants found in China. These remains are scattered around. Together with the relics, they provided important materials for revealing the behavior and survival strategies of cave dwellers in the late Paleolithic period.
"This is the first time that a continuous development of cultural relics has been discovered in Guizhou from 40,000 years ago to 10,000 years ago." Li Shuicheng, professor of liberal arts at Sichuan University, said that a complete sequence of mills was discovered at the Zhaoguodong site. The bone maker is a very important indicator for judging the origin of modern humans. At the same time, the discovery of human bone tombs 10,000 years ago provides important evidence for understanding the morphological characteristics of humans in southwest China during this period.
Shizhuang Site in Huaiyang, Henan
Found in Zhoukou, China’s earliest granary city so far
Three of the "Top Ten" are in Henan: the Shuanghuaishu site in Gongyi, Henan, the Shizhuang site in Huaiyang, Henan, and the Xuyang cemetery in Yichuan, Henan.
The Huaiyang Shizhuang site is located in Shizhuang Village, Sitong Town, Huaiyang District, Zhoukou City, with a total area of about 100,000 square meters.
This is another site in Zhoukou City that was selected as one of the "Top Ten" after the Pingliangtai site last year.
Within the area of 2,850 square meters excavated at the Shizhuang site, 29 rare storage relics were discovered, which are concentrated and diverse in shape.
When constructing these storage facilities, most of them first level up the ground, then build mounds or walls with adobe, and smear fine mud on the outside.
Archaeological work has shown that the site has experienced a process from the storage and living functions of the site in the early period, to the granary city with a special function in the middle period, and then to the later period of abandonment.
Judging from the characteristics of the times reflected in the unearthed pottery, it is roughly equivalent to the "Xinzhai period" stage in the Songshan area.
The dating data of the series of carbon fourteen samples show that the above-mentioned remains date from 2000 BC to about 1700 BC, which has entered the early Xia Dynasty.
The project leader Cao Yanpeng introduced that the site belongs to a walled settlement with clear layout and dedicated functions. It is a new small-scale and specialized settlement in the Central Plains in the early Xia Dynasty, and it is a brand-new settlement form.
There are at least 13 settlements of the same period in the surrounding area of 150 square kilometers, which together constitute a huge regional settlement group, which is an important support for the development of a single functional settlement at the Shizhuang site.
It has important value for re-understanding the social organization structure, management level and national governance ability of the early Xia Dynasty.
Xu Hong, the leader of the Erlitou team of the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that such a small specialized settlement is the earliest known granary city in China so far, and it fills a gap in research in this field.
Zanda Sangdalungo Cemetery, Tibet
The wood figurines unearthed in the western Tibet cemetery were discovered for the first time on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
Sangdarongguo Cemetery is located at the mouth of Sangdagou Gou, Zada County, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region. It is located at the northern foot of the western section of the Himalayas. It is 3700 meters above sea level. The terrain is high in the north and low in the south. It belongs to a mountainous semi-desert and desert zone.
Sangdarongo is the transliteration of the Tibetan Sangsdar Lungmgo, which means "Sangdangkou".
The cemetery was first discovered in December 2017. Because the tomb shape and unearthed relics reflect unique archaeological and cultural characteristics, it was included in the “Archaeological China” project by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and was supported by special funds for the protection of key cultural relics.
After the archaeological excavations conducted by the Tibet Autonomous Region Cultural Relics Research Institute and Zanda County Cultural Relics Bureau from 2017 to 2020, important results have been achieved in stages.
Archeologically proved that the Sangdalungo Cemetery is the most systematic tomb material for exploring early funeral customs in western Tibet, reflecting the tradition of the ancestors of the time and the local people to bury both Ming and practical objects at the same time, as well as burial. The custom of food and destroying weapons.
It reflects the traces of the spread of archaeological culture from the west, east, south, central and central plains of Zanda County as the center.
The wooden figurines unearthed from the cemetery were first discovered on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and their shape features are the same as those unearthed from the tombs in Turpan, Xinjiang.
The shape and features of the bronze mirror with handle are also similar to those unearthed from the cemetery in Yili, Xinjiang.
Six pieces of gold and silver decorations were unearthed from the three tombs, their shapes and the nearby Quta cemetery and ancient Rujia cemetery, as well as the gold and silver surfaces unearthed from the Malali cemetery in northwest India and the Sangzong cemetery in northern Nepal. The decorations are the same or similar.
According to the carbon 14 dating, the age of the Sundarongguo Cemetery is from 366 BC to 668 AD, which lasts more than 1,000 years.
The tombs here are densely distributed and have complex relationships. The diverse tomb shapes and a large number of unearthed artifacts present the archeological and cultural characteristics of early western Tibet. This is to explore the social structure and production mode of the time, as well as its relationship with the southern foot of the Himalayas, Xinjiang, and Xinjiang. The exchanges between the Central Plains and other regions in Tibet provided important information.
The team of this archaeological excavation is mainly composed of women.
Project leader He Wei introduced that, including her, six female archaeological team members have been working in the local area for four years. “I hope we can continue to contribute to archaeology and we hope that better sites can be found on the plateau.”
Tomb No. 2 of Tushan Mountain, Xuzhou, Jiangsu
The owner of the tomb of Tushan No. 2 may be Liu Ying, the king of Chu in the Eastern Han Dynasty
The Tushan Han Tomb is located at the northern foot of Yunlong Mountain in Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province. A total of three tombs have been discovered. They are recorded as "Yafu Tomb" in "Shuijing Zhu", commonly known as Fan Zeng's Tomb.
Tomb No. 1 is relatively small, and Tomb No. 3 may be an abandoned tomb.
Tomb No. 2 is located under the main seal. It was discovered in 1977 and has undergone more than 40 years of excavation by three generations of archaeologists.
According to the project leader Geng Jianjun, Tushan No. 2 Tomb is large in scale and complex in structure.
On the tomb there is a circular seal with a height of about 16 meters and a bottom diameter of nearly 100 meters.
A total of more than 4,800 pieces of various relics were unearthed, including more than 4,500 pieces of sealed mud found in the enclosed soil, and more than 350 pieces of cultural relics unearthed in the tomb, mainly pottery, jade, bronze and iron.
There are a large number of imitation lacquered woodware pottery in the pottery, among which the drawer-shaped square box was discovered for the first time in China.
Jade articles include jade garments, jade seats, coffins, pillows and other funerary jade articles.
A stone case unearthed in the front room was covered with a silk go chessboard with seventeen ink lines in vertical and horizontal directions, and 84 oval brass chess pieces were placed on it. 76 green glass chess pieces were found in the lacquered wood coffin of the East Corridor.
As a result, the shape, texture, and color of the two players in the Han Dynasty Go game were confirmed for the first time.
Archaeological excavations have shown that the age of Tushan No. 2 Tomb is the early and mid Eastern Han Dynasty. The owner of the tomb is Liu Ying (the king of Feng Chu), the son of Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
The copper iron mirror with continuous arc pattern, which was popular in the middle and late 1st century, was unearthed in the tomb. The early voucher top method of laying wooden boards as beam support is consistent with the tomb era. The silver jade clothing and double lacquered coffins unearthed from the tomb are in line with the princes and kings. Burial system.
Han Guohe, vice president of Zhengzhou University, said that Tushan No. 2 tomb clearly displays the historical facts of the complete construction of the tombs of the princes and kings in the early Eastern Han Dynasty. The unearthed silver jade clothing and gilt copper jade clothing are also recorded in the "Book of the Later Han". The consistent burial system of the tombs of the princes and kings has important reference value for the study of the tombs of the emperors of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
2018 Xuewei No.1 Tomb in Dulan Hot Water Tombs, Qinghai
A "Seal of King A Chai" unearthed from the prototype of "Nine-story Demon Tower"
Located in Rehui Township, Dulan County, Haixi Mongolian-Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, the Rehui Tombs were discovered and named after archaeological discoveries in 1982. They are important tombs from the 6th to 8th centuries and the prototype of the "Nine Demon Pagoda".
The unearthed cultural relics strongly proved that from the Northern Dynasty to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Qinghai Road was an important trunk line on the Silk Road, and Dulan was a transit point for Eastern and Western trade.
In 2018, the hot water tombs were stolen, and the number of cultural relics involved reached 646, shaking the country.
This excavation was carried out on the tombs stolen in 2018, numbered 2018 Xuewei No.1 Tomb.
Scientific excavations confirm that this is one of the most complete, clearest, and most complex high-level tombs found on the Qinghai Rehui Tombs and even on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. From this, archaeologists have grasped the basic characteristics of the Tuyuhun tomb for the first time.
A silver seal was unearthed, a square shape with a side length of 1.8 cm, composed of a camel and ancient Tibetan. The interpretation of Tibetan scriptures roughly means "the seal of the nephew King A Chai".
It can be seen that the owner of the tomb is King Achai, who calls himself "nephew", which reflects the relationship between Tuyuhun and Tubo formed by the political marriage of Tuyuhun during the Tubo period.
According to the tree rings of the tombs, the tombs were dated to the reign of Tubo Chide Zuzan (704-755 AD), which coincides with the records of Dunhuang documents.
The cemetery sacrificial buildings, sacrificial pits, tomb structures of the Five Gods Temple, murals, colored coffins, and a large number of exquisite relics unearthed in the tombs are found in the tombs. It is a study of the burial system and burial customs of the hot water area during the Tang (Tubo) period and the Tang Empire Related issues such as the history of relations with ethnic minorities, the history of transportation on the Silk Road, and the history of material and cultural exchanges are of great value.
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Top ten archaeological discoveries and some of the "most"
●Zhaoguodong Site, Gui'an New District, Guizhou
●Jingtou Mountain Site, Yuyao, Ningbo, Zhejiang
●Shuanghuaishu Ruins in Gongyi, Henan
●Shizhuang site in Huaiyang, Henan
●Xuyang Cemetery in Yichuan, Henan
●Zanda Sangdalongguo Cemetery, Tibet
● Tomb No. 2 of Tushan, Xuzhou, Jiangsu
●The original tomb of the Sixteen Kingdoms in Shaoling, Xi'an, Shaanxi
●2018 Xuewei No.1 Tomb in Dulan Hot Water Tombs in Qinghai
●Mountain City Ruins of Mopan Village, Tumen, Jilin
The earliest polished stone tools
At the Zhaoguodong site in Gui'an New District, Guizhou, a whole-body polished stone tool was discovered in the stratum 12,000 years ago, with a large amount of ocher powder on the blade. This is one of the earliest polished stone tools discovered in China so far. Exploring the origin and function of polished stone tools provides new evidence.
The earliest Granary City
The Shizhuang site in Huaiyang, Henan Province is the earliest granary city discovered in my country. It provides excellent material materials for studying the grain reserves, unified management and possible tribute system of the early country in ancient my country.
The earliest prototype of Wengcheng
At the Shuanghuaishu site in Gongyi, Henan, the design of the two walls in front of the large-scale central residential building and the two misplaced doorways and thickened walls have a strong defensive color and may be the prototype of the earliest urn city in ancient China.
The most complete tombs on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
The 2018 Xuewei Tomb No. 1 is one of the most complete, clearest, and most complex high-level tombs found on the Rehui Tombs and even on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Archaeologists used this to grasp the basic characteristics of the Tuyuhun Tomb for the first time.
Beijing News reporter Zhang Chang