Painted pottery pot Courtesy of Shanxi Archaeological Research Institute
Taiyuan, February 23 (Gao Yuqing, Hu Jian) Shanxi Provincial Archaeological Research Institute released new archaeological discoveries on the 23rd, archaeologists found the remains of the Yangshao culture period at the Xiaowang site in Xiangfen County, Linfen City, Shanxi Province, and unearthed a large number of pottery and a small number of stone tools, bone tools, etc., which provided physical information for the study of the cultural appearance of the middle and late Yangshao culture.
Shanxi has a long history and culture, and the sites of the Yangshao period are almost all over the province, with a total of 716 discoveries and nearly 50 officially excavated, especially in the Southern Jinnan region.
Courtesy of Tao Bao, Shanxi Archaeological Research Institute
Linfen is located in the southwest of the province and is one of the important birthplaces of the Chinese nation. In 2021, among the 12 new archaeological discoveries in Shanxi, Linfen Archaeological Projects accounted for one-third. In recent years, the ruins of Tao Temple and Ding Village found in this area have promoted the study of major topics such as the origin of Chinese civilization and early China.
In July 2016, in order to cooperate with the construction of the Shanxi section of the Qinglan Expressway (Changzhi to Linfen), the Shanxi Provincial Archaeological Research Institute (formerly the Shanxi Archaeological Research Institute) jointly with the School of History and Culture of Shanxi University, the Linfen Cultural Relics and Archaeology Workstation, and the Xiangfen County Culture and Tourism Bureau carried out rescue excavations of the Xiangfen Xiaowang site.
The site is located 500 meters northeast of Xiaowang Village, Dengzhuang Town, Xiangfen County, Linfen City, Shanxi Province, and about 13.5 kilometers southwest of the county seat, with an area of about 21,000 square meters. According to the results of archaeological exploration, there are two ruins distribution areas in the village area of the Changlin Expressway Construction Control Zone, one of which is the remains of the Yangshao period, with an excavation area of 225 square meters and 17 ash pits.
Courtesy of Tao Oun Shanxi Archaeological Research Institute
It is understood that the relics unearthed from this excavation are pottery as the bulk, the pottery color is mainly red pottery, the material is divided into two kinds of clay and sand, of which clay pottery is mostly bowls, pots, pointed bottom bottles, and a small number of pottery urns, sand pottery is mostly pots and a small number of pottery cups, which can be restored less. In addition, a small number of ground stone tools, bone tools, etc. have been unearthed.
Archaeologists initially believe that the Xiaowang site is mainly a remnant of the middle and late Yangshao culture. The excavation area is about 2 kilometers away from the Linfen Taoyuan site in a straight line, and the main cultural features of the two sites are relatively close. It is comprehensively judged that the site may be a small settlement or short-term camp within the cultural radiation range of the Taoyuan site, and more information about the site needs more relevant work in the future. (End)