The picture shows the artifacts excavated by the archaeological department. Courtesy of Inner Mongolia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology
Hohhot, 6 Jan (Xinhua) -- According to the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology on 6 January, archaeologists recently discovered the ruins of The Stone City of xiajiadian in the lower cultural period of Xiaotangshan in Sanzuodian Town, Ningcheng County, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia, providing conditions for studying the creation and distribution law of the lower cultural stone city of Xiajiadian and further revealing its cultural connotations.
Lian Jilin, a researcher at the Inner Mongolia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, said that the site is located on a hill on the north bank of the local Kundulun River, surrounded by stone walls, and the plane of the entire stone city site is slightly oval.
The picture shows the ruins of Shicheng in the lower cultural period of Xiajiadian. Courtesy of Inner Mongolia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology
From May to October 2021, in order to cooperate with the construction of the 508 National Highway project and approved by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China, the Inner Mongolia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology jointly conducted rescue excavations of the Xiaotangshan site in conjunction with the local Ningcheng County Cultural Relics Protection Center.
The excavation covers an area of about 4,000 square meters, and more than 40 housing sites, 33 cellars and ash pits, 6 tombs, 1 pottery kiln, in addition to "horse-noodle" buildings, courtyards, roads and so on. More than 750 specimens of pottery, stone tools, bone tools, bronzes, mussels and other utensils have been unearthed, and more animal bones have been unearthed, which have been identified as horses, cattle, pigs, sheep, dogs, wolves, deer, etc.
Most of the tombs found by the archaeological department in this excavation are rectangular vertical caves, some of which are built using abandoned housing sites, and there are two kinds of burials for adults and children, and there are basically no burial items in the tombs.
It is worth mentioning that stored clay and clay have been found in many cellars of the site, and a pottery kiln and more stone, pottery and bone pottery tools have been found.
Lian Jilin said that there is a dragon pottery process in the site, which is the first time to be found in the lower cultural site of Xiajiadian.
Archaeologists believe that the copper slag excavated at the site is basically the same as the copper artifacts excavated, indicating that there is likely metal smelting activity in the site.
Archaeologists combined the remains found and excavated relics to determine that the Xiaotangshan site was an important stone city site in the lower cultural period of Xiajiadian in northern China.
The xiajiadian lower culture is around 4100 to 3300 years old, and is the earliest bronze culture in northern China. The Kundulun River Basin, where the Xiaotangshan Stone City Ruins are located, is one of the areas where the lower cultural stone city of Xiajiadian is more concentrated. (End)