"Which research gaps have been filled? What evidence has been added to the pattern of pluralistic unity of the Chinese nation... A few days ago, the "New Archaeological Discovery in China in 2022" was announced in Beijing. Sitai Neolithic Site, Nanzuo Neolithic Site in Qingyang City, Gansu Province, Yinxu Shang Wang Mausoleum and Surrounding Sites in Anyang City, Henan Province, Hebosuo Bronze Age Site in Kunming City, Yunnan Province, and Xixia Porcelain Kiln Site in Suyukou, Helan County, Ningxia, etc. 6 projects were selected.
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The Paleolithic Site of Xuetang Liangzi (from Yun County) in Shiyan City, Hubei Province
Adding evidence to the history of human evolution
"Xuetang Liangzi site is famous for the discovery of two ancient human skull fossils ('Yunxianren' No. 1 and 'Yunxianren' No. 2). In order to solve relevant academic problems and revitalize historical scenes, etc., since 2021, The Hubei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, together with the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, conducted a new round of archaeological excavation and research on the site." Lu Chengqiu, associate research librarian of the Hubei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology, told Xuetang Liangzi (Yun County) The introduction of the Paleolithic site starts from the excavation origin of the site.
From the perspective of geographical location, the Paleolithic site of Xuetang Liangzi (from Yunxian) is located in Mituosi Village, Qingqu Town, Yunyang District, Shiyan City, Hubei Province, on the north bank of the Han River and west of the Quyuan Estuary.
According to Lu Chengqiu, the site has preserved the stratum accumulation of different periods for more than 1 million years. It is a Paleolithic site integrating ancient humans, ancient animals and Paleolithic remains.
From 1989 to 2008, five archaeological excavations were carried out, and the skull fossils of "Yunxianren" No. 1 and "Yunxianren" No. 2, as well as abundant animal fossils and stone tool remains were discovered.
For Lu Chengqiu, May 18, 2022 is an unforgettable day - on the same day 33 years after the discovery of the "Yunxian Man" No. The No. 3 skull of County People came out.
After more than half a year, at 9:00 a.m. on December 3, 2022, the skull fossil of "Yunxianren" No. 3 was successfully extracted and unearthed.
"It is very rare that the No. 3 skull has no obvious deformation, and the trait information provided is more abundant than that of the two previously discovered skulls, which largely makes up for the shortcomings caused by the deformation of the first two skulls." Lu Chengqiu said.
According to Wang Youping, a professor at the School of Archeology and Museology of Peking University, this new discovery helps to promote the understanding of the origin and development direction of Homo erectus in China and East Asia, and is also a very important research material for the global human evolution system.
Relevant experts said that the newly discovered "Yunxian Man" No. 3 skull is the most complete ancient human skull fossil discovered in the Eurasian inland so far, and it retains important and rare anatomical features of humans at this stage; In the middle and key links of the nearly 2 million-year evolution of ancient humans, it provides detailed and critical evidence for exploring major issues such as the evolution model of East Asian ancient humans, the origin of East Asian Homo erectus, and the evolutionary relationship between East Asian Homo erectus and Homo sapiens.
The harvest of this excavation provides important basis and information for key nodes to demonstrate the millions of years of human evolution history in the land of China, and to tell the story of the evolution and cultural development of the ancestors of the Eastern human hometown.
"In the future, we will further obtain the precious scientific information contained in the shape, structure, genetics and symbiotic cultural relics and relics of the 'Yunxian Man' No. 3 skull, and reveal its scientific value in terms of human evolution stages and cultural development status , to provide materials and basis for later restoration of ancient human behavior, interpretation of their survival and adaptation methods, and cultural capabilities." Lu Chengqiu said.
②
Sitai Neolithic Site in Shangyi County, Hebei Province
Evidence for the Emergence of Early Settled Villages in Northern China
In the south of Mongoliaying Village, Sitai, Shijing Township, Shangyi County, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, there is a site that has attracted attention-the Neolithic Site of Sitai.
The site is located on the southern edge of the Mongolian Plateau, and is the largest and well-preserved site of the Early and Middle Neolithic Age discovered in Northwest Hebei in recent years.
According to Zhao Zhanhu, the person in charge of the archaeological excavation project at the Sitai site, starting from 2020, the Hebei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology and other units will jointly carry out a new round of excavation and research on the Sitai site.
More than 40 house sites were excavated, and more than 800 pieces of pottery, stone, bone and shellfish relics were unearthed.
According to the stratum, dating, and characteristics of the remains, it is divided into five groups of remains with different ages, among which the first and second groups are the most important.
Six semi-crypt house sites were found in the first group of remains, and four semi-crypt house sites were found in the second group of remains.
According to Zhao Zhanhu's further analysis, the remains of the first and second groups have shown a continuous development process in terms of the structure of the house site and the characteristics of the unearthed pottery and stone tools.
The firing of pottery and the pressure stripping of stone tools are very mature; the rough stones with tongue-shaped stone cores, wedge-shaped stone cores, cone-shaped stone cores, and fine stone leaves found in the house site completely display a wedge-shaped stone core. To the development process of conical stone core.
"The development and evolution system of microlithic technology provides very important evidence for the study of the transition from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic, and realizes the seamless connection between the Paleolithic and Neolithic. The embossed patterns on pottery have zigzag patterns and grids. There are cultural factors similar to those unearthed from the Xinglongwa Culture in the West Liaohe River Basin and the Beifudi Site in the Yishui River Basin at the eastern foot of Taihang, which provides a new perspective for exploring the origin of Chinese civilization." Zhao Zhanhu explain.
Relevant experts said that the first and second groups of remains represented by typical artifacts such as embossed cylindrical pottery pots, pottery plate-shaped utensils, fine stone leaf stone tools, and grinders have distinctive cultural characteristics, and they are preliminarily judged to be a new archaeological group. Culture is an important breakthrough in Neolithic archeology in northern China.
Groups of house sites found in archaeological sites have confirmed the emergence of early settled villages in the northern region, showing the development and transformation of human survival from mobile habitats in the Paleolithic Age to gradual settlements in the Early Neolithic Age.
The microlithic industry inherited from the tradition of wedge-shaped microlithic core technology in the Nihewan Basin for more than 10,000 years, showing the continuity of culture and population, and providing typical and direct evidence for the study of the transition between the Paleolithic and Neolithic ages in northern China.
③
Nanzuo Neolithic Site in Qingyang City, Gansu Province
Large-scale high-level central settlements with urban characteristics in the late Yangshao period
The Nanzuo Neolithic site located in Nanzuo Village, Houguanzhai Town, Xifeng District, Qingyang City, Gansu Province, was discovered in the late 1950s.
From 1984 to 1996, the Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and Peking University conducted six archaeological excavations on the site in two stages, and discovered relatively rich remains of the late Yangshao Culture.
According to Zhang Xiaoning, an assistant librarian at the Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology, in order to clarify the civilization process of the Loess Plateau, especially the Longdong region, in 2021 and 2022, a joint archaeological team composed of Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology and other units will conduct a survey of the South China Sea. The third stage of archaeological excavation at the Zuo site was confirmed to be a large, high-level central settlement with the nature of a city in the late Yangshao period.
"The archaeological achievements at this stage include the discovery of the core area of the site with an area of about 300,000 square meters surrounded by 9 rammed earth platforms, the discovery of the 'Miyagi' with a well-organized layout and central axis symmetry, and the discovery of large palace buildings. A large number of well-made high-standard utensils were unearthed in the 'Miyagi', and a large amount of carbonized rice was found." Zhang Xiaoning said.
The archaeological work of the Nanzuo site has taken multidisciplinary cooperation as an important part from the very beginning, including carbon dating, animal and plant archaeology, pottery residue analysis, pottery technology analysis and many other aspects.
According to reports, plant identification shows that the main crop in Nanzuo Palace District is rice, followed by millet; analysis of pottery residues shows that painted pottery flat-bottomed bottles may have contained grain bud wine, and white mud stacked pots have been used to hold or cook meat; ceramics The analysis of scientific and technological archeology shows that the unearthed objects in the "Miyagi" area of Nanzuo also reflect the long-distance connection with the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and the lower reaches of the Yellow River.
"Most of the firing temperatures of pottery are higher than 1000°C, and the highest can reach 1116°C, which shows that it has reached a very high level of firing." Zhang Xiaoning said.
At the "Archaeology Forum of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences New Archaeological Discoveries in China in 2022", after Zhang Xiaoning's report on the Nanzuo site, Zhang Chi, a professor at the School of Archeology and Museology of Peking University, described the Nanzuo site as "several incredible" in his comments .
Relevant experts said that the discovery of the Nanzuo site shows that the Longdong area has entered the stage of early state or civilized society around 5,000 years ago. The history of civilization of more than 5,000 years is of great significance.
④
Remains of Shang Wang Mausoleum Area and Surrounding Area of Yin Ruins in Anyang City, Henan Province
Promoting research on the mausoleum system of the Shang Dynasty, as well as Shang culture and business history
Over the past 90 years of Yin Ruins archaeology, rich cultural relics of the late Shang Dynasty have been discovered, including large-scale palace buildings, tombs of Shang kings, inscriptions on oracle bones, bronzes and jades, etc. It also witnessed the glorious culture, national political form and technological level of the heyday of the ancient Chinese Bronze Age, and demonstrated the unique style of ancient Chinese civilization in the ancient world.
"Since the 1990s, late Shang main roads have been discovered in the Da Sikong area to the south and east of the Huan River within the scope of the Yin Ruins ruins; from the west of Yin Ruins to the east of today's Angang factory area, there are late Shang main canals and their branch canals , the two constitute the backbone framework of the Yinxu Dayi Shang capital city space." Niu Shishan, a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said, "However, such important phenomena have not been found in the area on the north bank of the Huan River centered on the Tomb of the King of Shang. In 2021, the Institute of Archeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences plans and implements a new round of archaeological work on the Yin Ruins, hoping to achieve further breakthroughs. Against this background, we will carry out archaeological exploration of the Tomb of the King of Shang and the surrounding area.”
There are three goals for this archaeological exploration—first, to find the arterial road between the Xiaotun palace area and the Wangling area through exploration, secondly, to find out the scope of the Shang Wangling area, and then to find out the functional zoning of the north bank of the Qinghuan River.
According to Niu Shishan, through a new round of archaeological work, it has been newly discovered that there are two ditches in the Wangling area, which are side by side and closed.
Combining multiple factors, it can be known that the two ditches have a clear relationship with the Shang King's Cemetery, and belong to the Huang's trench surrounding the Shang King's Cemetery.
Based on the outer boundary of the ditch, the scope of the Wangling area was determined.
"In previous archaeological discoveries, in the Spring and Autumn Period Qingong Cemetery in the south of Fengxiang Qinyong City, there were ditches around the tombs of Duke Qin in each group. The confirmation of the ditches in the mausoleums of the Yinxu Royal Tomb area pushes this regulation to the late Shang Dynasty. These The discovery will promote the study of the Shang Dynasty mausoleum system, Shang culture, and Shang history. At the same time, it also provides new and important information for the construction of the Yinxu National Archaeological Site Park." The nature of society, sacrificial activities and their forms in the Shang Dynasty provided new information."
In addition, there are some new discoveries, such as the discovery of a semi-fan-shaped blank area in the southeast of the Wangling area; confirming that the area of the Western Zhou site in the southwest of the Wangling area exceeds 40,000 square meters, which will promote the Zhou people to destroy the Shang and the state governance of the Zhou Dynasty. Research.
⑤
Hebosuo Bronze Age Site in Kunming, Yunnan
Archaeological evidence of the formation and development of a unified multi-ethnic state
The Hebosuo Bronze Age Site is located near Hebosuo Village, Shangsuan Town, Jinning District, Kunming City, Yunnan Province. One kilometer northeast of the central area of the site is the famous Shizhaishan Cemetery where the "Prince of Dian King" was unearthed.
According to Jiang Zhilong, a research librarian at the Yunnan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, since 2014, the Yunnan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology has carried out archaeological exploration and excavation work at the Hebosuo site, and confirmed the distribution pattern of the "platform-river" site.
Up to now, the Hebosuo site has undergone archaeological excavation at 10 sites. The previous archaeological excavations have revealed cultural relics from the Shang and Zhou Dynasties to the Qin and Han Dynasties, and constructed a complete archaeological cultural sequence from the Shang and Zhou Dynasties to the Qin and Han Dynasties in the Dianchi Basin.
In 2021 and 2022, the Yunnan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology will conduct archaeological excavations at a small site in Shangsuan Town, 1.1 kilometers southeast of Hebosuo Village.
"The most important discoveries at this stage are relics such as clay seals and bamboo slips, roads, remains of suspected large buildings, and related architectural remains." Jiang Zhilong said.
According to Jiang Zhilong, 837 pieces of sealing mud were unearthed in the abandoned river channel in the northeast corner of the northern excavation area.
It is mainly made of official seals and private seals. The official seals include "Yizhou Taishou Zhang" and "Jianling Order Seal", etc., covering 20 of the 24 counties in Yizhou County in the Han Dynasty. Private seals include "Song Yu's Seal", "Jun Feng's Private Seal" and so on.
In addition, there is a small amount of Taoist sealing clay.
The bamboo slips were found in H18 in the southern excavation area, and only 1/4 of the ash pit has been excavated.
More than 1,000 fragments of bamboo slips with characters and more than 10,000 fragments of bamboo slips without characters have been unearthed.
Among them, in the bamboo slips with characters, there are words such as "walking in the pavilion by Dianchi Lake", "Jianling" and "the fourth year of Shiyuan" (83 BC), which should be official documents.
In addition, many achievements have been made through multidisciplinary cooperation such as zooarchaeology and plant archaeology.
For example, the study of plant remains found rice, wheat, millet and other crop remains in different periods, which can restore the changes in the livelihood mode and the development of agricultural production of the Bronze Age residents in the central Dian Lake area; the study of animal remains found wild animals such as deer. Pigs and other domesticated animals confirm the animal food source and possible livestock breeding of the ancestors at the Hebosuo site; environmental archaeological research shows that the water level of Dianchi Lake was at a low level throughout the Bronze Age. About 3 meters lower than today.
Relevant experts believe that the discovery of the Hebosuo site is of great significance.
First of all, through the relevant archaeological remains, it can be confirmed that the county seat of Yizhou in the Han Dynasty was located near Shangsuan No. 1, but the city walls, gates, and the layout of buildings in the city need to be further clarified; secondly, the discovery of related documents such as mud seals and slips, It shows that the central government began effective administrative jurisdiction over the frontier Yunnan region during the Western Han Dynasty; third, the results of years of archaeological work vividly demonstrate the complete process of the region from diversity to unity.
Bai Yunxiang, a researcher at the Institute of Archeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, believes that the new archaeological discovery of the Hebosuo site is a breakthrough in the archaeology of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau region, and it is an empirical case of the multi-integration pattern of Chinese civilization.
⑥
Xixia Porcelain Kiln Site at Suyukou, Helan County, Ningxia
Whole new kiln types revealed
The Suyukou Xixia Porcelain Kiln Site is located about 10 kilometers inside Suyukou of Helan Mountain in Ningxia. It was discovered during an archaeological survey in 2017 that it covers an area of about 40,000 square meters and has 13 kilns.
From 2021 to October 2022, the Ningxia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, in collaboration with Fudan University, will conduct formal excavations in order to explore the kiln industry of fine white porcelain production in Northwest China and find out the origin of fine white porcelain unearthed from the Xixia Mausoleum.
"The excavation covers an area of 1,000 square meters, revealing the remains of a complete workshop including two kilns. A large number of brand-new fine white porcelain products and various kiln furniture were unearthed. , Quartz, lime and other porcelain raw materials and fuel pits." said Chai Pingping, a librarian at the Ningxia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology.
Regarding the value of archaeological excavations at the Xixia porcelain kiln site in Suyukou, relevant experts said that first of all, a new type of kiln industry was discovered-Helan kiln.
The kiln mainly produces fine white porcelain, with firm white body, warm and moist glaze, and strong light transmission. At that time, there were kilns in the south and north.
This discovery fills in the gaps in the firing of fine white porcelain in Northwest China, and is of great significance for exploring the exchange and development of China's porcelain industry during the Song and Song Dynasties.
Secondly, kiln technology is unique and superb.
This is the first time that a large-scale filling and firing technique of sealing the mouth of a sagger with glaze has been discovered outside of Shanglin Lake in Zhejiang Province, and it is also the first time that a porcelain-making technique that uses a large amount of quartz in the porcelain body and enamel has been discovered.
Regarding whether the Xixia porcelain kiln site in Suyukou is an official Xixia kiln that everyone is concerned about, Chai Pingping explained: "The kiln products are mainly unearthed from high-level sites such as the Xixia Mausoleum and the Xixia Palace in Helan Mountain. , the products were also found in Lin'an, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty. Based on the above factors, the Suyukou Xixia porcelain kiln site is closely related to the Xixia royal family, and it is preliminarily determined that it has the nature of Xixia's "official kiln."
The complex appearance of the kiln industry reflects the development process of the pluralistic unity of the Chinese nation.
As the Xixia Porcelain Kiln Factory, on the basis of the traditional kiln technology in the north, it has absorbed a large number of advanced kiln technology such as the Hutian kiln in the south, creating a unique type of kiln industry, reflecting the historical facts of ethnic cultural exchanges, exchanges, and blending in the Song and Song Dynasties.
(People's Daily Overseas Edition reporter Zhao Xiaoxia)