Plate 49
Three-storey green glazed pottery hundred opera building
Late Eastern Han Dynasty
Height 58 cm, width 20 cm, depth 20 cm
In 1977, the old town post and telecommunications institute of Xiangcheng County was excavated
A Brief Introduction to prehistoric city sites in China
Cao Bingwu, Central Plains Cultural Relics, No. 3, 1996, pp. 37-46
This paper reveals the origin and function of early Chinese city sites and some characteristics of prehistoric Chinese culture by reconstructing the diachronic process of archaeological and cultural changes and environmental changes in northern China, especially in the Central Plains, from the Yangshao period to the Longshan period, as well as the deep relationship between various cultural factors and culture and environment in this process.
This article is discussed in the following three sections. First, it analyzes the premise of the early emergence of the city, namely: the need for city building, the knowledge of city building and the construction technology; The characteristics of the city and the reasons for the large number of late city sites in the Yongsan era are analyzed and summarized. Second, from the Yangshao period to the Longshan era, the clues to the rise of the city site were sought in the social, cultural and natural background. Compared with the archaeological culture of the Yangshao period, the Longshan period has distinct characteristics in terms of the distribution of sites, pottery, house construction and tombs. From the middle and late Yangshao culture, the balance between prehistoric humans and nature was broken, and there was a shortage of biological resources. The results of environmental science research also strongly support the speculation of resource shortage in the Yongsan era. The shortage of resources eventually led to the emergence of defensive plundered cities. Third, a number of problems with the city itself are introduced. The question of the defensive function of the city was central to the social and cultural significance of early Chinese city sites. Most of the city sites of the Yongsan era are regarded as military castles used by one group of people to resist another group of people under the condition of tight resources and large population flows, which are somewhat similar to the border cities of the historical period. In the Yongsan era, the concept of "land", the concept of private ownership and the leadership class have been born, which are the prerequisites for the emergence of the state. Therefore, it can be concluded that China in the Longshan era has embarked on the road of national formation.
The Yellow River and Ancient Chinese Cities
Zhang Xinbin - Collected Treatises on Cultural Relics and Archaeology of Henan, pp. 131-139 - Henan People's Publishing House, 1996
The Yellow River is the second largest river in the mainland, because it has been diverted many times in history, north to the Haihe River, south to the Huai River, so the Yellow River Basin in the historical period includes a large area between the Huai River and the Hai River. The Yellow River is characterized by a small amount of water, a large variable rate, a high sediment content, and an average annual sediment transport volume of 1.6 billion tons, up to a maximum of 3.36 billion tons. Over time, the riverbed continues to rise and become an above-ground hanging river due to the bondage of the, which is very easy to break and divert. In evaluating the influence of the Yellow River on Chinese civilization, Tang Jiahong said: "It is not only beneficial to primitive agriculture, but also constantly endangers the people's livelihood."
In the Longshan era, a large number of city sites appeared in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, characterized by a small area, all of which were built with rammed earth walls and certain facilities. The authors believe that the emergence of this first peak of city-building is a direct result of the control of the flooding of the Yellow River. According to geology and documentary records, during the 1000 years of the 21st century BC, the Yellow River Basin was in the most severe period of flooding. In the process of preventing and controlling floods, the ancient ancestors used the rich loess resources, mastered the advanced ramming technology, and were inspired by the construction of the embankment and began to build the city. Large-scale water control activities also contributed to the formation of the classical city-state. For the common interests of water control, for the sake of greater living space, in the process of water control, the ties between tribes were deepened, the power of leaders was strengthened, the emergence of royal power was promoted, and the transition from primitive society to class society was promoted. The Xia Dynasty regime should have been a slave city-state consortium, and the emergence of this consortium was undoubtedly closely related to the Yellow River. The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period were the second warm period in the history of the mainland, when ice and snow melted and rivers flooded, which triggered the second large-scale city-building activities. A large number of prosperous cities based on the Yellow River civilization have emerged, which has further improved the level of architecture and laid a solid foundation for the prosperity of the Qin and Han civilizations.
In short, the Yellow River not only created a vast loess plain, but also played a key role in the formation and development of ancient Chinese cities, and the formation of city-building technology, high-platform architecture, and mixed civil architecture characteristics is closely related to the Yellow River.
The source of the text is "Research Outline of the Origin of Chinese Civilization", published by Cultural Relics Publishing House in December 2003
Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Research Center for Ancient Civilizations, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, ed
The pictures and descriptions are from "Han Dynasty Architectural Ming Ware Unearthed in Henan", edited by Henan Museum, 2002