Crews are extracting excavated objects
Unearthed pottery pieces
Text/Figure Yangcheng Evening News reporter Yu Xiaoling Correspondent Tian Tian
The reporter learned from the Dongguan Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports that on January 7, in the Shajiao Community of Humen Town, Dongguan City, archaeologists excavated and cleaned up the excavations in the hundreds of square meters of exploration area, which was named Shajiao Ruins, which is the first dune type ancient cultural site found in Dongguan, and the site is from the end of the Neolithic period to the Shang Period.
Recently, the relevant departments of Dongguan City and the Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology carried out archaeological survey and exploration in the Shajiao community of Humen Town, and in the process of exploration, a sand dune site was found, and there were remnants of cultural layer accumulation and activity surface in the pre-Qin period. With the approval of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology conducted archaeological excavations at the site from November 2021 to January 2022.
The area is about 300 square meters
As an ancient cultural relic with obvious marine cultural characteristics, the dune site is named for its distribution on coastal sandy beaches, sand banks and sandbars. Sand dune sites have been found in Zhuhai, Zhongshan and other places on the southeast coast of China, such as the pearl river estuary, and are an indispensable and important part of the culture of the pre-Qin period in Guangdong.
The formation of the pearl river delta dune site is closely related to the development of the landform, dating back to around 6,000 years ago, the sea level of the Pearl River Delta reached the current height, forming a modern coastline pattern, and the dune accumulation gradually formed. During this period, the human groups on the mainland began to slowly emerge from the caves and move closer to the banks of the Haihe River, leaving behind their cultural relics.
Among the ancient cultural sites found in Dongguan in the past, the main sites are shell hill ruins and terrace sites, such as Nancheng Oyster Gang, Qishi Wanfu Nunnery, Shipai Longyan Gang and Humen Village. The first discovery of sand dune ruins in Dongguan, the excavation of a large number of pottery pieces, grinding exquisite stone tools and jade in an area of 300 square meters, is of great significance to enriching the types of ancient cultural sites in Dongguan, extending the historical axis of Dongguan, enhancing the credibility of Dongguan history, and enriching the historical connotation of Dongguan, which is another example of Dongguan as an important birthplace of Lingnan civilization.
A large number of jade pottery pieces have been unearthed
The early cultural layer of the dune site is a slope-like accumulation of northeast high and southwest low, which can be divided into 2 layers, the upper layer is gray-brown sand soil layer, about 25 cm thick, containing a large number of grit, braised clay blocks, pottery pieces, etc.; the lower layer is yellow-brown sand layer, about 20 cm thick, the sand is purer, the breech is reduced, and the pottery pieces are larger.
Among the excavated relics, there are exquisite jade rings, pottery pieces with a wide range of ornaments, and stone tools such as hammers, hammers, and stones. Pottery pieces are mainly sand pottery, mixed with a small amount of clay pottery, a wide variety of ornaments, there are more than ten kinds of ornaments such as rope patterns, zigzag patterns, diamond checks, checkered patterns, etc., and the recognizable shapes are jars, kettles, beans, etc., speculating that people at that time already had a certain aesthetic level, and the local pottery process was more mature.
According to archaeological staff, sand pottery is named for the incorporation of a certain amount of sand particles and other fragments in the clay, which is not easy to crack when heated, and is more used as a cooker, which began to appear in the Neolithic Age. It plays a huge role in improving people's living environment and changing from raw food habits of ru mao drinking blood to cooked food. Clay pottery is fired from washed, sand-free clay and is often used as a container. Grinding stone tools such as stone tungsten and stone hammers are important features of the Neolithic age, and their use in the Pearl River Delta extends to the Shang and Zhou dynasties.
An initial attempt at public archaeology
In the case of the archaeological excavation project of Shajiao Ruins, the appropriate archaeological site has been carefully selected to open to the media, so that media reporters who pay attention to archaeology can visit the archaeological site at close range, experience the archaeological site, photograph and record the process of archaeological excavation and cleaning and sorting out the excavated relics. This is also the initial attempt of dongguan cultural departments in the field of public archaeology.
Next, Dongguan will also expand the form of public archaeology, select suitable archaeological sites, invite public participation, further enhance the public's understanding of archaeology and cultural relics, and make the awareness of cultural relics protection deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
It is reported that Dongguan has a history of more than 5,000 years of civilization, nearly 1,700 years of county history, and more than 1,260 years of city history, and is an important origin of Lingnan civilization and rich in cultural heritage. After more than 30 years of series of archaeological investigations, Dongguan has found a rich type and a large number of underground cultural relics, including more than 20 ancient sites, establishing a prehistoric cultural sequence of dongjiang in Dongguan city; in addition, there are 108 ancient tombs and 12 ancient kiln sites, clarifying the archaeological and cultural context of Dongguan. Next, Dongguan will dig deep into the rich connotation of the site, show the historical context of the origin and development of Dongguan regional civilization, further rely on infrastructure archaeological projects, build a complete development sequence of Dongguan city, and excavate and explain the historical and cultural connotation of Dongguan.
Source: Yangcheng Evening News