Chinanews.com, Anyang, December 2, title: The archeology of "Dayi merchants" in Anyang, Henan Province is unveiling layers of veils
Author Wang Yu Zhang Junjun
More than 3,300 years ago, the capital of the Shang Dynasty was "Dayi Shang". What did the capital of the Shang Dynasty look like?
What is the functioning mechanism of the city?
How was the development of agricultural production and handicrafts at that time?
Along with these questions, the reporter recently interviewed He Yuling, deputy director of the Anyang Workstation of the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
"The archaeology of the Yin Ruins has been going on for nearly 100 years. It is the site with the longest excavation time and the most fruitful research results among all ancient sites in China." He Yuling said, "We continue to promote the archaeology of the Yin Ruins, excavating bit by bit, revealing layer by layer, It is to make the country, city, and people more than 3,300 years ago come alive."
The picture shows that the ruts on the roads of the Shang Dynasty discovered by archaeologists are clearly visible.
Photo by Ma Shuran
In recent years, archaeologists have carried out new exploration and excavation in the Yinxu palace and ancestral temple area, and found a large pool garden site with an area of 60,000 square meters and a maximum depth of 16 meters. There are also large rammed earth foundations in the north. , which provides the latest information on the layout and evolution of Yinxu palaces, and the layout of Yinxu palaces and ancestral temple areas is clearer.
Among them, the road system inside the Yin Ruins has been continuously revealed. Two north-south roads leading directly to the palace area were found about 1 km south of the palace and ancestral temple area of the Yin Ruins. A large road with a width of 14 meters was excavated on the north bank of the Huan River. There are traces of ruts on both sides of the road, and residential sites, tombs, and handicraft workshops are densely distributed on both sides of the road. The frame system revealed by the road provides important clues for further exploration of the urban layout and clan distribution of Yinxu.
The picture shows that the ruts on the roads of the Shang Dynasty discovered by archaeologists are clearly visible.
Photo by Ma Shuran
The ruins of Huanbei Commercial City were discovered in 1999. There are already foundation trenches for the city walls around, and there are palace areas, handicraft workshop areas, noble residence areas, and tombs inside.
The era of Huanbei Shangcheng site is earlier than the Yin Ruins in the traditional sense, filling the gap between Zhengzhou Shangcheng in the early Shang Dynasty and Yin Ruins in the late Shang Dynasty. , the answer is worth looking forward to.
The discovery of the Huanbei Shang City ruins has changed the traditional concept of "Yin Ruins", and is a major breakthrough in the archaeological and historical research of the Shang Dynasty in the past 20 years.
He Yuling introduced that in recent years, some important clan settlements and handicraft workshop sites in the late Shang Dynasty have been discovered outside the palace and ancestral temple ruins of Yinxu. , Gongwei is around the capital of Yin, and the people of Yin call themselves "Dayi merchants", which is worthy of the name.
The picture shows the animal bones laid on the roads of the Shang Dynasty discovered by archeology.
Photo by Ma Shuran
In the Yin Ruins, 7 copper-casting workshops, 4 bone-making workshops, 1 jade-making workshop, and 1 pottery workshop have been discovered.
According to He Yuling, according to the distribution of these workshop sites, it can be divided into four "handicraft industrial parks" in the south, west, east and north.
The discovery of these handicraft workshop sites proves that the record of "Hundred Craftsmen" in the oracle bone inscriptions is true, allowing people to see the brilliance of the development of the handicraft industry in the Shang Dynasty.
The picture shows the pottery fragments laid on the roads of the Shang Dynasty discovered by archaeologists.
Photo by Ma Shuran
The Xindian site, discovered in 2016, is located about 10 kilometers north of the Yinxu palace and ancestral temple area, with a total area of about 1 million square meters and a total excavated area of about 6,000 square meters. The main body is a super-large bronze casting base and a large settlement of "combination of residence, burial and production".
The Taojiaying site, discovered in April 2021, is 7.2 kilometers southwest of the palace and ancestral temple area of Yinxu, with a total area of about 185,000 square meters.
Taojiaying is an important companion (wei) city at the same period in the northern part of the Huanbei Shangcheng site, and it is one of the few known ring trench settlement sites in the middle of the Shang Dynasty.
There is also the Shaojiapeng site about 2.5 kilometers south of the Yinxu palace area, which shows that it may be the residence of the "Ce" family of historians in the late Shang Dynasty.
The picture shows the road archaeological excavation site in the Shang Dynasty.
Photo by Ma Shuran
He Yuling introduced that the discovery of these settlements outside the Yin Ruins in different periods is of great help to the study of the scope and layout of the capital city during the Yin Ruins period, the development, dissemination, and exchange of bronze casting technology, and the enrichment and perfection of the cultural sequence of the early, middle and late Shang Dynasty. It is a breakthrough.
"'Dayi Merchants' has a wide area, a strong level of productivity, a high degree of civilization and self-confidence, which is amazing. The stability of the people's life, the rich circulation of goods, and the close cultural integration are also amazing." He Yuling said, " More than 3,300 years ago, the 'Dayi merchants' are unveiling layers of veils." (End)