On August 25, the Chengdu Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology announced the discovery of a Zhou dynasty site—Xiyuan Village Site in Xipu Street, Pidu District, Chengdu.

The site is a rare site in the Chengdu Plain that developed continuously from the middle and late Western Zhou Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period. The cemetery in the Spring and Autumn Period is currently the largest cemetery discovered in the Chengdu Plain at the same time. The stratum relationship is clear. Ruler.

  The discovery of the Xiyuan Village site is of great significance for the detailed time dimension of Zhou Dynasty culture in the Chengdu Plain, restoration of historical and cultural features, reappearance of social organization forms, and revealing funeral customs. It is a rare material for understanding and researching ancient Shu culture. .

  Discover the large public cemetery in the Spring and Autumn Period

  In October 2020, the Chengdu Cultural Relics and Archaeology Work Team, together with the Pidu District Cultural Relics Conservation Office, conducted a cultural relic exploration on the Xifang Road Primary School Project site and discovered a settlement site from the pre-Qin period within the red line of the project.

  Approved by the State Administration of Cultural Relics and the Sichuan Provincial Administration of Cultural Relics, the Chengdu Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology has conducted detailed surveys and rescue excavations on the site from March 2021 to the present, and confirmed that it is a site from the middle and late Western Zhou Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period.

  According to Xiong Qiaoqiao, the person in charge of the excavation site, the rescue excavation revealed a wealth of relics, and a large number of relics were unearthed. More than 80 tombs, more than 10 houses, and more than 60 ash pits were cleared from the Western Zhou and Spring and Autumn Periods. There are 3 ash ditch, 1 kiln, and 1 stove. A large number of bronzes, jadeware, pottery and other relics have been unearthed. Bronze wares mainly include swords, hooks, seals, adons, etc., among which willow-shaped swords and seals are typical Shu cultural artifacts.

  "From the point of view of the relics and relics, the site can be divided into two major stages." Xiong Qiaoqiao believes that the first stage is the middle and late Western Zhou Dynasty. The relics of this stage are a large number of houses, ash pits, kiln sites, stoves, etc. The relics are mainly pots, urns, basins and other life-like pottery, indicating that the site was used as a residential site at this stage; the second stage is the Spring and Autumn period, and the relics at this stage are a large number of tombs and a small amount of tombs. The ash pit, ash ditch, etc., and the relics are mainly bronze swords, millstones and clay pots used for burial, indicating that this stage is mainly used as a cemetery.

  The excavation also actively carried out a number of scientific and technological archaeology work such as plant archaeology, animal archaeology, and environmental archaeology, and obtained a large number of animal and plant remains.

  Excavated the foundation sites of many Western Zhou buildings

  The architectural remains of the Western Zhou Dynasty are the major discoveries of this excavation, which are mainly divided into two types: base trough-type buildings and column-cavity-type buildings.

As many as 15 buildings that can be enclosed were found in the excavation area. At the same time, it was also found that some pillar holes were buried with drilled armors, and complete clay pots were placed in the base troughs.

  "The large-scale building complex and the special foundation-laying behavior indicate that the settlement is not low-level, and should be a central settlement." Xiong Qiaoqiao said, according to the remaining ruins, one can imagine the crowds and crowds of settlements.

  According to reports, in the Spring and Autumn Period, the site was mainly used as a public cemetery.

A large number of willow-shaped swords were unearthed from the tombs, which embodies the social organization form of the ancient Shu that also used agriculture and soldiers.

The willow-shaped sword is small in shape and simple in shape. It is the most distinctive weapon in Shu.

Dun is generally considered to be a typical artifact of the Chu culture. This time it was also found in the Eastern Zhou tombs on the Chengdu Plain. This reflects the cultural exchange between the Shu and Chu states.

  Pottery is the most common relic in archaeological excavations. It has the characteristics of large quantity, rapid evolution, and large cultural differences. It is of great significance for archaeological staging and intercultural comparison.

Among the pre-Qin sites discovered in the past on the Chengdu Plain, there are relatively few sites in the Spring and Autumn Period, and the unearthed pottery is not very rich.

The excavation unearthed a large number of recoverable pottery, such as pots, cups, beans, ware covers, etc., which have distinctive regional characteristics and era characteristics, filling the gaps in the archeological culture of the Spring and Autumn Period in the Chengdu Plain.

  The burial of deer bones is common in these Eastern Zhou tombs.

No matter how big or small the tombs in Xiyuan Village are, there is a burial custom of burying deer bones. The burial sites are mainly limb bones, with a small amount of mandibles and spine bones.

The number of deer bones to be buried in each tomb varies in number, with more than 10 pieces and only 1 piece for widows.

  "Deer has a symbol of wealth and sacrificial significance in the ancient Shu society. In the Chengdu Plain, the phenomenon of using deer for sacrificial ceremonies has a long history. A large number of antlers have been found in the sacrificial area of ​​the Jinsha Site." Xiong Qiaoqiao said, burial of animals and economic life Closely related, the discovery of a large number of deer bones reflects that the hunting industry was developed at that time, showing that hunting played an important role in the production and life of the ancient Shu people.

  Can be used as a ruler for spring and autumn tombs in Chengdu Plain

  "The main age of the site is the Zhou Dynasty, and it is a rare pre-Qin site in the Chengdu Plain that spans the Western and Eastern Zhou Dynasties." Xiong Qiaoqiao said, judging from the results of current rescue excavations, the site is a very important pre-Qin site in the Chengdu Plain. .

  Previously, thousands of Eastern Zhou tombs had been excavated in the Chengdu Plain, but most of them were tombs in the Warring States Period.

  What makes archaeologists delighted is that more than 80 tombs of the Spring and Autumn Period were discovered this time. The relationship between the layers is clear and the unearthed relics are rich. They can be used as archaeological scales for the Spring and Autumn Period tombs in the Chengdu Plain. .

  Xiong Qiaoqiao said: "The cemetery is arranged in an orderly manner and has a uniform orientation. Obviously, it has been carefully planned, indicating that the area is an important public cemetery. It is of great significance for the in-depth study of the funeral customs and etiquette systems of the ancient Shu ancestors in the Chengdu Plain."

  The settlement was a residential site in the Western Zhou Dynasty and a cemetery in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. This diachronic change is an excellent material for exploring the changes in the settlement and the reasons behind it. It provides an analysis and research on the social structure and cultural changes of the ancient Shu settlements. Important template.

  It is speculated that the Xiyuan Village site is located in the early Shu culture represented by the Baodun Site, Sanxingdui Site, and Jinsha Site. The key node of the late Shu cultural transition.

The discovery of the Permian in the Western Zhou Dynasty and the Spring and Autumn Period is of great significance. It provides important materials for the construction and improvement of the time-space framework of the pre-Qin archaeological culture on the Chengdu Plain, and is helpful for in-depth exploration of the evolutionary relationship between the Twelve Bridge Culture and the Xinyi Village Culture.

  "Because the current collation work is still in progress, the current understanding is only preliminary. With the subsequent excavation and collation, we believe that we will continue to obtain new discoveries and deeper understanding." Xiong Qiaoqiao said.

  (Our reporter Zhou Hongshuang, our correspondent Chen Chen)