Guided by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, sponsored by the China Cultural Relics Newspaper and the Chinese Archaeological Society, the list of the final selection projects in the country in 2021 was officially released today. In 2021, there are more than 1,700 approved archaeological excavations nationwide, and 32 of the candidates are actively declared by each excavation qualification unit, which has been reviewed by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, and the Selection Activity Office has organized and recommended 20 to enter the final evaluation.
In 2021, the top ten new archaeological discoveries in China were shortlisted for the final evaluation project list
(In chronological order)
Sichuan Daocheng Pyro ruins
The ruins of Shicun Village in Xia County, Shanxi
Gansu Zhangjiachuan Ruins
Huangshan Ruins in Nanyang, Henan
Ruins of Jiming City in Lixian County, Hunan
Ruins of Shi'ao, Yuyao, Zhejiang
Gangshang ruins in Tengzhou, Shandong
Sichuan Guanghan Sanxingdui ruins sacrifice area
Shaanxi Baoji Zhouyuan ruins
Zhejiang Qujiang West Zhou high-grade mound tomb group
Shanxi Yuanqu North White Goose Cemetery
Jiangxi Zhangshu Guozishan Warring States Tomb
Hubei Yunmeng Zhengjiahu Cemetery
Great Tomb of Jiangcun in Xi'an, Shaanxi
Gansu Wuwei Tang Dynasty Tuguhun royal family tomb group
Dangxiong Cemetery in Lhasa, Tibet
Xinjiang Weili Keyak Kuduk Beacon Site
The southern ruins of Kaiyuan Temple in Zhengding, Hebei
Heilongjiang Acheng Jin Shangjing Ruins
Anhui Fengyang Ming Zhongdu ruins
The 20 archaeological excavation projects shortlisted for the final evaluation
The following characteristics are presented
Covers a wide range of areas
From the perspective of site age, of the 20 projects shortlisted for the final evaluation, there are 7 prehistoric archaeology, 6 archaeology of Xia, Shang and Zhou, 1 archaeology of the Qin, Han, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and 6 archaeology of the Tang, Song, Yuanming and Ming dynasties. The prehistoric archaeological achievements are still fruitful, followed by the archaeology of Xia Shang Zhou and the archaeology of Tang, Song and Yuanming.
From the perspective of geographical distribution, the 20 archaeological discoveries shortlisted for the final evaluation came from 15 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government). Among them, Shanxi, Zhejiang, Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces all had 2 finalists, accounting for half of the preliminary evaluation. The remaining Hebei, Heilongjiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Xinjiang, Tibet and other regions each entered the shortlist. The shortlisted projects are widely distributed in provinces and the geographical distribution is relatively uniform.
△ Sichuan Daocheng Pirao site Ashori technical system combination
△ Three-dimensional modeling of the excavation area of shicun site in Xia County, Shanxi
△Distribution of large houses F43 in Gansu Zhangjiachuan Ruins as the center (orthographic photography)
△ After the F2 pottery of the Huangshan Ruins in Nanyang, Henan was repaired
△ The semi-circular wooden pillars of the jiming city site in Lixian County, Hunan Province, and the two sides of the wooden pillars are perforated obliquely
Diverse types of ruins The ruins are rich in connotation
From large Paleolithic wilderness sites to prehistoric settlements in the Yangshao period, from the large rammed earth building sites of the ZhouYuan ruins in the pre-Zhou period to the Ming Zhongdu ruins of "building without use", from the desert and inaccessible frontier beacon sites to the ancient and modern Superimposed Kaiyuan Temple South Ruins that attracted the public to watch... With the continuous expansion of Chinese archaeology, the gradual clarity of the site pattern and the increasing richness of historical and cultural connotations are also reflected in the shortlisted projects.
Three settlement sites from the Yangshao period were selected at the same time. The site of Shicun in Xia County, Shanxi Is the early site of Yangshao, which has the richest content excavated so far in the remains of settlements in southern Shanxi; the ruins of Zhangjiachuan, Gansu, which has a triple ring trench on the land of Longyuan, empirically prove that the Loess Plateau in eastern Gansu is another core of Yangshao culture; the Huangshan site in Nanyang, Henan, not only discovers a large settlement in the Yangshao period, but also the discovery of its jade processing site further fills the gap of Neolithic jade workshops in the Central Plains. In addition, the "prehistoric wooden mansion" found at the site of Jimingcheng in Lixian County, Hunan, the site of Shi'ao in Yuyao, Zhejiang, which witnessed the "tian" of Canghai Mulberry, and the cemetery of Zhengjiahu in Yunmeng, Hubei Province, where the "first long Wenmu Yao" was excavated... All of them are amazing, through the unremitting efforts of archaeologists, important archaeological discoveries emerge in an endless stream, which not only establishes a historical time and space framework, but also enriches the context and branches of history, which is of great significance in exploring the origin and development of Chinese civilization.
△ Zhejiang Yuyao Shi'ao site in the western district of the late Hemudu culture rice field
△ Shandong Tengzhou Gangshang site 2021 Dawenkou culture tomb unearthed pottery
△ Sichuan Guanghan Sanxingdui site sacrifice area No. 5 pit unearthed gold masks
△ Shaanxi Baoji Zhouyuan site Wangjiazui No. 1 base site
△ Zhejiang Qujiang West Zhou high-grade mound tomb group Miaoshan tip mound tomb excavated part of the bronze
Archaeological sources see China
The implementation of major academic topics such as "Comprehensive Research on the Origin and Early Development of Chinese Civilization" and "Archaeological China" has become a strong driving force for the development of Chinese archaeology, which not only shoulders the heavy responsibility of exploring the long history of Chinese civilization, but also undertakes the heavy responsibility of enhancing national self-confidence. Where do we come from? Why China? Why Huaxia? Archaeology has solved our doubts empirically.
Among the final appraisal projects, 8 projects, including the Huangshan Ruins in Nanyang, Henan, the Jimingcheng Ruins in Lixian County, Hunan, the Shi'ao Ruins in Yuyao, Zhejiang, the Gangshang Ruins in Tengzhou, Shandong, the Sanxingdui Ruins in Guanghan, Sichuan, the Tuguhun Royal Family Tombs in the Wuwei Tang Dynasty in Gansu, the Dangxiong Cemetery in Lhasa, Tibet, and the Kuilik Kuduk Beacon Site in Xinjiang are all important achievements of "Archaeological China".
The discovery of the ruins of The Yulikk Kuduk Beacon in Xinjiang allows us to see that in the desert far away from the Central Plains, a group of Tang Dynasty Shubian officers and soldiers protected peace on the banks of the Peacock River; Tuguhun, which stretched for 3,000 miles, although there are only sporadic records in the history books, archaeological discoveries have given us a clearer understanding of this mysterious plateau ancient kingdom, which has the characteristics of Tuguhun culture, Tubo culture, and northern grassland culture, and reveals the historical process of exchanges and exchanges between various ethnic groups along the ancient Silk Road on the mainland. It is an important empirical evidence of the pattern of pluralism and integration of the Chinese nation; the large-scale sealed tombs of the Tubo period located in the Dangxiong grassland in the north of Lhasa, whether it is a golden ear spoon or a Go chess piece unearthed in the site, all show close ties with the culture of the Central Plains, and are important empirical evidence of the exchanges and blends of various ethnic groups.
Under the framework of the "Archaeology China" major project, relying on field archaeological practice and various physical materials excavated from archaeology, it provides scientific academic support for a better understanding of the long-standing, broad and profound Chinese civilization. With the smooth development of a series of archaeological excavation projects, the important position in the study of human origin and evolution and the origin, formation and development of Chinese civilization has become increasingly prominent. The characteristics of the shortlisted final evaluation projects fully reflect this trend, allowing us to see a more wonderful, exquisite and exquisite cultural China.
△ Shanxi Yuanqu North White Goose Cemetery "Taibao 匽中" copper Ding
△ Jiangxi Zhangshu Guozishan Warring States Tomb Bu Shou Ge (戟) front and back
△ Hubei Yunmeng Zhengjiahu Cemetery M274 Long Wen Yao
△ Clothed pottery figurines were unearthed from the outer pit of the Jiangcun Tomb in Xi'an, Shaanxi
△ The tomb group of the Tuguhun royal family in wuwei tang dynasty in Gansu province unearthed Murong Zhi's epitaph
New discoveries of "old ruins"
The majority of the shortlisted projects are active excavation projects. This fully reflects the main development characteristics of Chinese archaeology, such as increasingly strong topics, closer multidisciplinary cooperation, and clearer academic goals, and continuously promotes the deepening of Chinese archaeology.
At present, the archaeological work on the mainland has entered a new era of high-quality development, and the archaeological excavations represented by Sanxingdui have attracted worldwide attention. The Sanxingdui ruins sacrifice area and the Daocheng Piluo ruins can be described as the "twin stars" of the Sichuan archaeological community in 2021. The bronze mask of the Spring Festival Gala of the Year of the Tiger and the Axe of Ashley who "broke the sky" amazed the world, which made the shortlisting of "Gemini Stars" without suspense and became the final favorite of the top ten. It is worth mentioning that the Sichuan Daocheng Pirao site was originally to cooperate with the archaeological survey of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway, and finally changed from the infrastructure survey to the active Paleolithic archaeology special investigation. This also confirms that the current infrastructure archaeology continues to strengthen the awareness of the subject, and the degree of refinement and standardization is increasing. Changing "passive" to "active" is no longer blindly completing tasks and cooperating with infrastructure, but always running through the topic, taking cooperation with infrastructure exploration as an opportunity to solve academic topics, and sparing no effort to deepen and thoroughly study.
Following the concept of excavation, conservation, research and display, this year, the North White Goose Cemetery has made a comeback with the latest archaeological excavations and research results, beauty and wine. In addition to the Zhou Dynasty women's makeup box, the bronze pot contains "fruit wine", the cute "cat's claw gold" unearthed in the site makes netizens call "too cute".
The names of the 20 sites on the shortlist may be unfamiliar to the public, but they are all familiar to the majority of archaeologists. Although archaeological discoveries are accidental, the new discoveries are not coincidences, but the hard work of archaeologists for several years or even decades, and the archaeological gains achieved under years of unremitting efforts are even more rewarding for kung fu.
The shortlisted projects such as the Baoji Zhouyuan Site in Shaanxi, the Jiangcun Tomb in Xi'an, Shaanxi, the Jinshangjing Site in Acheng, Heilongjiang, and the Mingzhongdu Site in Fengyang, Anhui are all archaeological projects that have lasted for several years, and these sites have continued to carry out archaeological investigation and excavation work for many years, emphasizing the combination of multiple disciplines, which is not only the need for the development of archaeology itself, but also the need for research and protection. It further reflects the depth of archaeological work and is an important principle of the selection of "Top Ten Archaeologies".
The fruitful results of the Zhouyuan site are inseparable from the hard work of archaeologists, and the archaeological process of Zhouyuan has also witnessed the progress of the excavation concepts, methods and practices of fieldworkers since the founding of New China. The Ming Zhongdu site in Fengyang, Anhui Province, was also designated as the second batch of state security units as early as 1982, and systematic excavations carried out in recent years have gained a breakthrough understanding of the Ming Zhongdu site. Similarly, for a long time, the field archaeological work of the Jinshangjingjing site has been limited, and the "Kinsangjing Site Archaeological Work Plan" launched since 2013 is not only a planned subject archaeology to cooperate with the protection of the Jinshangjing site, but also to further promote the scientific understanding and academic research of the Jinshangjing site, which is an effective overall protection of the Jinshangjing site.
△ Go pieces unearthed from the Dangxiong cemetery in Lhasa, Tibet
△ Some documents excavated from the site of Xinjiang's Yulikk Kuduk Beacon
△ Hebei Zhengding Kaiyuan Temple South Ruins The south gate of Kaiyuan Temple in the Jinyuan Period (F2) runs from south to north
△ Aerial photo of the excavation area of the Jinshangjing ruins in 2021 (upper west and lower east)
△ Aerial view of the excavation site in the former dynasty palace area of The Ming Zhongdu Ruins in Fengyang, Anhui