Archeology One Hundred Years Road Empirical Test of 5000 Years of Civilization History Reconstruction of Chinese Prehistory
A small-mouthed and pointed-bottom vase on display at Miaodigou Yangshao Cultural Museum.
Photo by our reporter Zhao Xiaoxia
Since the first excavation of the Yangshao Village site, archaeologists have carried out a total of 4 archaeological excavations.
The fourth archaeological excavation underway from August 2020 until now has realized the integration of multiple disciplines and deepened the cognition of Yangshao culture.
The picture shows the fourth archaeological excavation site at Yangshao Village.
Photo by our reporter Zhao Xiaoxia
The picture shows the painted pottery basin with leaf pattern on display at Miaodigou Yangshao Cultural Museum.
Photo by our reporter Zhao Xiaoxia
The picture shows the four-petal flowered earthenware jar on display at Miaodigou Yangshao Cultural Museum.
Photo by our reporter Zhao Xiaoxia
The picture shows the painted pottery basin with swirl patterns on display at Miaodigou Yangshao Cultural Museum.
Photo by our reporter Zhao Xiaoxia
In front of the large-scale relief wall of "A Hundred Years of Archaeology" next to the Yangshao Cultural Museum in Sanmenxia City, Henan Province, walk along the marked time axis, "starting" from 1921, passing through the site of Yangshao Village in Mianchi, Henan, the site of Zhoukoudian in Beijing, and the west of Xia County in Shanxi Yincun Ruins... Searching for Jia Lanpo, Yuan Fuli, Guo Baojun, Liang Siyong, Li Ji, Xia Nai and other scholars who have shining brilliantly in the history of Chinese archaeology over a century, the footsteps of history echo here.
As stated in the preface on the relief wall: "Starting with the excavation of the Yangshao Village site in Mianchi, Henan in 1921, modern archaeology emerged in China. Several generations of archaeologists have worked diligently on the land of China and passed on from generation to generation to establish Chinese archaeology. system."
From Yangshao
Before 1921, Yangshao was just an unknown village in Shaoshanzhiyang, Mianchi, Henan. It was far beyond the vision of Chinese intellectuals who were eagerly looking forward to reconstructing Chinese prehistory with modern archeology.
1921 was a crucial turning point.
In April 1921, the legendary Swedish geologist Anderson discovered some pottery pieces and stone tools that were washed out by running water about 1 kilometer south of Yangshao Village, and he was very interested.
Later, he recorded this process in the book "Children of the Loess", writing "Lying in bed at night and thinking about the mystery of Yangshao Village..." So he made up his mind to conduct a scientific excavation at this site.
In October of the same year, with the approval of the Department of Agriculture and Commerce of the Beiyang Government and the Geological Survey, Antesheng, who was employed by the Department of Agriculture and Commerce of the Beiyang Government, and Yuan Fuli, a young geologist who had just returned from studying in the United States, came to Yangshao Village to carry out archaeological excavations. , Opened the prelude to Chinese field archaeology, discovered the prehistoric culture characterized by polished stone tools and painted pottery, and named it "Yangshao Culture".
Among them, the "Topographic Map of Yangshao Village Site" surveyed and drawn by Yuan Fuli became the earliest field archaeological work in the history of Chinese archaeology. The scientific excavation methods laid the foundation for the development of field excavation technology in Chinese archaeology.
Chen Xingcan, member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and director of the Institute of Archaeology, said that the Yangshao culture was the first archeological culture named in the history of modern Chinese archaeology, and it was also the first Neolithic culture that was scientifically recognized in China. Its appearance overturned The conclusion that China has no stone age culture.
The excavation of Yangshao Village marked the beginning of Chinese Neolithic archaeology and the birth of modern Chinese archaeology.
On October 17, 2021, the fourth archaeological excavation site of the Yangshao Village site. The person in charge of the excavation site is humorously describing the life of the ancestors of Yangshao Village to the representatives of the Yangshao Cultural Discovery and the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Modern Chinese Archaeology:" Wearing silk and stepping on the'concrete' floor..."
Since the first excavation in 1921, archaeologists have carried out four archaeological excavations on the Yangshao Village site.
The fourth archaeological excavation underway from August 2020 to the present, through comprehensive scientific exploration and fine archaeological excavations, has deepened the world's understanding of the Yangshao culture.
Looking back at the discovery and research process of Yangshao Culture, Chen Xingcan believes that "from the side it reflects the century-old history of modern Chinese archaeology exploring the origin and revealing the development context and brilliant achievements of Chinese civilization."
Centennial Journey
Chinese archaeologists set off from Yangshao, and the roads have been blue wisp of wind and rain for a hundred years.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of modern Chinese archaeology. Wang Wei, member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and chairman of the Chinese Society of Archaeology, has divided centennial archaeology into an initial period, a preliminary development period, a stagnant period and a recovery period, a rapid development period, a booming development period, There are 6 stages in the golden development period.
He believes that the research on Paleolithic archaeology explored "Where did I come from"; the research on Neolithic archaeology, from the revelation of the cultural features of the prehistoric period to the tracing of its cultural origin, proved the native origin of the Chinese prehistoric culture department.
"An Tesheng traced the origin of painted pottery culture to the west, and proposed Chinese prehistoric culture to the west. Chinese archaeologists discovered the existence of painted pottery culture, black pottery culture, gray pottery culture, etc. The archaeologist Liang Siyong has solved the relative age of these three cultures through the discovery of the three stacks of Hougang. Through the efforts of archaeologists, the Peiligang culture, Cishan culture, and Beiligang culture from 9000 to 7000 years ago The discovery of Xin culture and Hemudu culture proves that Chinese prehistoric culture is of local origin." Wang Wei said.
The excavation of Yin Ruins in Anyang, Henan, which began in 1928, opened the prelude to archaeology in the Chinese historical period.
Wang Wei believes that archaeology in the historical period focuses on two major academic research topics-the formation and development of a unified multi-ethnic state and the formation of the Chinese nation community.
The opening ceremony of the "3rd Chinese Archaeology Conference" announced the Zhoukoudian site in Beijing, the Xiyin village site in Xia County, Shanxi, the Niuheliang site in Chaoyang, Liaoning, the Hemudu site in Yuyao, Zhejiang, the Liangzhu site in Yuhang, Zhejiang, and the Shuanghuashu site in Gongyi, Henan. , Erlitou Ruins in Yanshi, Henan, Yin Ruins in Anyang, Henan (including Huanbei Shopping Mall and Hougang Ruins), Guoguo Cemetery in Sanmenxia, Henan, Zenghou Tombs in Suizhou, Hubei, Mawangdui Han Tomb in Changsha, Hunan, Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, Gansu, and Dulan, Qinghai The "Hundred-Year-Old Archaeological Discoveries" such as the Rehui Tombs, the "Nanhai I" shipwreck in Guangdong, and the Mingding Mausoleum in Beijing. The origin, the origin of agriculture, the formation and development of the origin of Chinese civilization, the birth of China's early state, and the formation and development of a unified multi-ethnic nation have all solved major academic problems and achieved new breakthroughs in their respective fields.
After a hundred years, Chinese archaeology has revealed the cultural pedigree of millions of years of human history, 10,000 years of cultural history, and 5,000 years of civilization history in China with solid archaeological materials, extending the historical axis, enhancing historical reliability, and empirical evidence. It shows the context of the origin and development of Chinese civilization, and demonstrates the contribution of Chinese civilization to world civilization.
"Chinese-style archeology is not about how large the excavation area is, how spectacular the excavation scenes are, nor how rich and beautiful the unearthed cultural relics are, but about using archaeological methods and rigorous theories to comprehensively and systematically reveal ancient Chinese society. The appearance and historical evolution laws of China, and provide Chinese cases and Chinese wisdom for the development of today's society." said Song Xinchao, deputy director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.
Technology help
"The excavation started on October 27 and ended on December 1 and lasted 36 days. The tools used were hand shovel, brush, iron pick, iron hook, tape measure, tape measure, etc., which were carried out by the China-U.S.-Central Asia delegation from the U.S. Brought... this set of excavation tools was the most advanced tool in archaeological excavations at the time." Archaeologist Gong Qiming recorded in the book "Yangshao Culture" that Antson led the excavation of the Yangshao Village site in 1921. The tools used.
One hundred years later, with the continuous advancement of science and technology, the role of new technology in archaeological research in China has become increasingly significant.
Archaeological excavations use archeological stratigraphy, environmental archaeology, animal archaeology, plant archaeology, geological archaeology, metallurgical archaeology, etc., to make archaeological discoveries more scientific.
Archaeological excavation cabin, integrated excavation platform, multi-functional excavation operating system... The various modern technological methods used in the archaeological excavation of the Sanxingdui site in Guanghan, Sichuan have become a hot spot; Zhaoguo, Gui'an New District, Guizhou, one of the top ten new archaeological discoveries in the country in 2020 The cave site spans the entire late Paleolithic and Neolithic ages. The environmental archaeology work uses a combination of stratum sediment substitute indicators and stalagmites paleoenvironmental indicators. Among them, stalagmites are collected directly from ancient human cave sites for paleoclimate restoration. , For the first time in China...
It is worth mentioning that anthropological research from the perspective of ancient DNA is a new international frontier and interdisciplinary.
On the morning of October 18 this year, Fu Qiaomei, a researcher at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, appeared at the 3rd China Archaeology Conference. She gave a keynote report on "Palaeogenome Mapping the Genetic Evolution of Chinese Population".
In her view, directly studying the past population brings more possibilities for solving anthropological-related problems.
In the afternoon of the same day, in the group discussion of the Professional Committee of Human Skeletal Archaeology, three scholars including Fu Qiaomei shared relevant topics under the topic of ancient DNA research.
Professor Wang Chuanchao from the Institute of Anthropology of Xiamen University shared online population migration and language transmission from the perspective of paleogenomics, and believed that ancient DNA research provides a very valuable reference for the origin, evolution and migration history of humans, and also for the origin of agriculture And communication, language diffusion, etc. provide new research methods.
Professor Yu Xiyun from the School of History of Wuhan University said that the large-scale entry of technology into archaeological research is a prominent feature of the past 20 years.
"X fluorescence technology, isotope technology, DNA research, etc., have brought archaeology to microscopic research, surveying and mapping technology, big data, etc., and archaeology to macroscopic research. Among them, DNA research is particularly worth looking forward to, but research that reveals human biological lineage through DNA does not It will not completely replace the research of revealing cultural genealogy through the remains, but learn from each other, confirm each other, and complement each other, and jointly deepen and improve the understanding of human history."
Passing the torch
Beginning with the excavation of the Yangshao Village site in 1921, modern Chinese archaeology has gone through a century of ups and downs. Generations of Chinese archaeologists have lived and slept and slept with blue lights and yellow scrolls, bringing countless sites back to the sky and clearing away the fog of history.
The Sanxingdui site that attracted widespread attention in 2021 is behind the continued efforts of several generations of archaeologists.
In 1986, the archaeological excavations of No. 1 and No. 2 "sacrifice pits" at Sanxingdui site attracted worldwide attention, "woke up and shocked the world", but the excavation conditions at that time were very simple. "In order to minimize the impact of wind and sun on cultural relics, the archaeological team 24 hours a day, night and day”; as a key site for studying the state of China’s early state and exploring the boundaries of the Xia and Shang dynasties, the Erlitou site in Yanshi, Henan Province, since its discovery in 1959, has been condensed by several generations of archaeologists for more than 60 years. Sweat...
"When I come, I am not afraid of wind and rain on the road, young and crazy. When I return, it is cool in autumn for several times, and the temples are like frost. Life is endless, the light of China. You use candlelight to illuminate the Quartet..." A tribute to Chinese archaeologists The MV is a portrayal of generations of archaeologists who have overcome obstacles, searched from top to bottom, and moved forward. It has touched the heartstrings of many archaeologists.
Today, more and more young people are joining the archaeological team.
At the site of the fourth archaeological excavation at the Yangshao Village site, young archaeologists in blue uniforms cleaned the stratum in the exploration area; more than 200 archaeologists participated in the excavation of the six newly discovered "sacrifice pits" in Sanxingdui, more than 1/2 It's the "post-90s"...
More and more young people are about to enter the door of archaeology because they love this profession.
Wang Na, a senior student of International Economics and Trade at Beijing Forestry University, is working hard to transfer to postgraduates majoring in arts and sciences.
"Every time I visit a museum or a heritage park, I want to figure out the ins and outs of every cultural relic and every historic site. I feel that although the times have changed and the vicissitudes of life have changed, through studying these real objects, it can be compared to millions of years ago. Dialogues with people, close to the pulse of their times, explore the production and lifestyle at that time, and then reveal the law of development of human society step by step. This process is very attractive.” Wang Na said, hoping to make archaeology a mission with a sense of mission. Participate in inheriting and protecting the achievements of human civilization.
As Wang Wei wrote in the postscript on the large relief wall of "A Hundred Years of Archaeology": "We must adhere to the pragmatic and rigorous academic style pioneered by the older generation of archaeologists; the spirit of exploring, pioneering and innovative; working tirelessly and willingly The feeling of dedication; the will to persevere and face difficulties; unite as one, overcome difficulties, keep making progress, and strive to build archaeology with Chinese characteristics, Chinese style, and Chinese style, for the development of world archaeology and the realization of the greatness of the Chinese nation Renaissance makes a unique contribution to Chinese archaeology."
Further reading
Miaodigou Cultural Painted Pottery
In the prehistoric era of China, painted pottery was an important symbol of Yangshao culture.
Especially the painted pottery of Miaodigou culture in the middle of Yangshao culture reached the peak of prehistoric painted pottery art development.
The painted pottery of the Miaodigou culture period emphasizes the contrast of colors and patterns, and uses two continuous forms of composition, paying attention to the symmetry and balance of the patterns. It has a keen aesthetic feeling and strong decoration. The most characteristic are petal patterns and swirl patterns. , Has a significant impact on the surrounding culture.
Its wide spread area and far-reaching influence set off "the first wave of art in China's prehistoric era".
Zhao Xiaoxia