Northern Wei stone lamp (partial). Arterial imaging
Neolithic stone carved silkworm pupae. Photo courtesy of Shanxi Archaeological Museum
Bronze drum seats during the Spring and Autumn period. Photo courtesy of Shanxi Archaeological Museum
Datong Li Wangjian site archaeological achievements exhibition cabinet. Arterial imaging
A group of archaeologists, carefully prepared for one year, used a large exhibition to tell the archaeological achievements of Shanxi during the "13th Five-Year Plan" period.
Sponsored by the Shanxi Archaeological Museum, the "Temperature of Archaeology - Shanxi '13th Five-Year Plan' Archaeological Achievements Exhibition" selects 387 pieces (sets) of cultural relics, which are divided into four units: "extending the historical axis", "enhancing the historical credibility", "enriching the historical connotation" and "activating the historical scene". Behind each exhibit, there are stories of archaeologists who have green lights and yellow scrolls and waded through mountains and rivers.
Discover the mysteries of human origins
Entering the prologue hall, the blue background panel is dotted with stars, each star representing an archaeological achievement. Under the stars, the silhouette of archaeologists carrying out field excavations is moving.
During the "13th Five-Year Plan" period, Shanxi carried out a total of 228 field excavations, revealing an area of more than 214,000 square meters, and completing the protection and restoration of more than 3,000 pieces of bronze, bone horn, jade and ceramics.
In front of the background panel, there are stone lamps excavated from the Northern Wei Tombs of Datong Pingcheng, which are carved with lotus flowers, honeysuckle, trick figures, and dragon patterns, which are superb works of Pingcheng art. "Light me up, warm you, this exhibit fits perfectly with the theme of the exhibition." Liu Yan, vice president of the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, said, "Unlike the general exhibition of cultural relics, this exhibition links archaeologists with their work results, shows a self-portrait of archaeologists, and allows the audience to see the enthusiasm and perseverance of archaeologists behind the cultural relics and feel the temperature of archaeology." ”
In front of the exhibition hall, there is an ancient cave, which was relocated from the Ruins of Luliang Lishi Xinyi, which is 4500 years old. Step into the cave and embark on a journey of historical discovery.
During the "13th Five-Year Plan" period, Shanxi's Paleolithic archaeology work focused on issues such as the origin of early humans, human behavior and their adaptation methods, and the origin of modern humans. The first unit of the exhibition, "Extending the Historical Axis", mainly shows the latest research results such as the Xihoudu Site, the Dingcun Ruins, and the Datong Liwangjian Ruins.
In front of the fossil tooth cabinet of the Xiangfending villagers, many viewers carefully examined it. This shovel-shaped tooth is the left middle incisor, the root of the tooth gradually tapers from the neck line to the root tip, the overall morphological characteristics are similar to the teeth of modern humans, which was found by archaeologists in the gravel layer dating back 120,000 years.
"There are only 5 human parietal bones and tooth fossils excavated from the Dingcun site, which is very precious." Shi Xiaorun, deputy director of the Institute of Paleoanthropology of the Shanxi Archaeological Research Institute, introduced that fossils reflect the information of ancient human evolution and migration, and can also be used as the basis for paleolithic archaeology to judge the age.
More than 100,000 years ago, the ancient Ding villagers lived on both sides of the Fenhe River, producing stone tools from horned shale gravel as blanks, and hunting wild animals for food with three-edged large sharps, scrapers, stone balls and so on. The stone tool assemblage group in the exhibition hall reveals the process of making stone tools by the People of Ding Village. "These stone pieces were unearthed in the same place and can be put together into a relatively complete whole, which may be the remaining fragments of the three-sided large pointed vessel." Shi Xiaorun introduced.
Animal bones, triangular rulers, vernier calipers... The exhibition cabinet of archaeological achievements at the Liwangjian site in Datong presents the workbench of archaeologists: stone tools that need to be weighed are placed on electronic scales, post-it notes are written with unfinished work items, and information is densely recorded on notebooks.
"Archaeologists spend nearly 300 days a year in the wild, and they really can't stick to it without a strong love and firm academic belief." Shi Xiaorun said.
Showcasing the splendid Yangshao culture
The second unit, "Enhancing Historical Trustworthiness", focuses on the latest archaeological discoveries and research results in Shicun, Linfen Taoyuan, Tianfengping, Xiwubi, Xiaxian Dongxiafeng, Wenxi Qianjin rake and other places in Xia County, reflecting the brilliant civilization in the middle reaches of the Yellow River from 7000 to 3300 years ago.
Under the magnifying glass, the stone carved silkworm pupae excavated from Shicun Village in Xia County comes to life, which is one of the earliest stone carved silkworm pupae currently found in China. "The Jinnan region is one of the birthplaces of Yangshao culture, and the stone carved silkworm pupae and mulberry cocoons found in Shicun and Xiyin in Xia County, Shanxi, not only show that the ancestors of Jinnan probably mastered the technology of raising silkworm reeling in the early yangshao culture more than 6,000 years ago, but also show that Jinnan is one of the birthplaces of Chinese silk." Zhang Guanghui, director of the Institute of Chinese Civilization of the Shanxi Archaeological Research Institute, said.
A child stands in front of an electronic screen to experience the restoration of cultural relics, drags the fragments with his fingers, assembles a Neolithic faience urn, and then chooses the pattern and color of the urn according to personal preference.
According to reports, the prototype of this faience urn was excavated at the Linfen Taoyuan site. This is a Neolithic site located in the south of Shanxi, with the Yangshao cultural relics being the richest and most typical. Yangshao cultural faience pottery widely uses continuous and symmetrical patterns, popular red and black contrasting expression techniques, and diverse themes. The petal-patterned faience pottery that prevails in the intersection area of Jin, Shaanxi and Yu, painted with groups of flowers, buds, leaves, etc., is known as the "Flower of Huaxia".
The ancestors who lived on the Loess Plateau created two architectural forms: earth and stone. The exhibition hall shows a large pentagonal earthen site model found in Linfen Taoyuan, which some experts believe may be a public activity place. "It was previously speculated that the size of the pentagonal houses may be related to the size of the settlement, but recently it has been found that there are pentagonal sites of different sizes in the same site. What is the function and significance of such a site needs to be explored. Zhang Guanghui said.
Archaeologists also found a large number of carbonized millet, millet seeds, stone axes, pottery knives and other agricultural tools in Linfen Taoyuan and Lishidegang, indicating that around 5500 years ago, Shanxi had formed a mature agricultural form based on millet cultivation.
Explain the history of Shanxi's Central Plains
The Shang, Zhou, Qin, and Han dynasties were a critical stage in the development of china's early state into a unified empire. Shanxi experienced the confrontation between the late Shang and Fang states, the dominance of the Jin state in the Spring and Autumn Period, and then the unification of the Qin and Han dynasties. The third unit of the exhibition exhibits cultural relics excavated from Wenxi Liquor Head, Yicheng Dahekou, Xiangfen Tao Temple North Cemetery, etc., which explain the history of the Central Plains in Shanxi and deepen the understanding of the development of the ancient Chinese state.
In the exhibition hall, the three groups of Spring and Autumn period bronzes excavated from the north cemetery of Xiangfen Tao Temple are eye-catching. "The fine grain of the copper bean catcher, the pattern of the copper pot is complex but not chaotic, and the copper jian is very large but the wall is very thin, which reflects the superb skills of the craftsmen at that time." Wu Junhua, director of the Jin Cultural Research Institute of the Shanxi Archaeological Research Institute, introduced.
In the middle of the Spring and Autumn Period, The Duke wen of Jin defeated the Chu division and the princes of the alliance, and created the hegemony of the Jin state for a hundred years. Jinguo has strong political and economic strength, and the bronze casting industry is very developed. The copper drum seats and perforated copper beans excavated from the north of Xiangfen Tao Temple represent the highest level of bronze casting technology at that time.
The touch-screen interactive equipment in the exhibition hall leads the audience to "personally visit" the archaeological site and relive the excavation process of a noble tomb in the north cemetery of Xiangfen Tao Temple. Follow the guide deep into the burial chamber, and the artifacts are laid out in front of you. "This is the bronze drum seat of the Spring and Autumn Period, click on the screen to enlarge, you can clearly see the stripes on the dragon." Wu Junhua gave a presentation to reporters on an interactive device. Through the hotspot button, you can also compare and watch the original form of the cultural relics when they were excavated and the complete appearance after restoration.
The upper and lower rows of a display case are placed with two groups of artifacts excavated from the Houzhai cemetery in Shuozhou. The 5 clay pots in the upper row are small in size and "three-legged standing" at the bottom, which has typical northern nomadic cultural characteristics. The four pottery pots in the lower row are large in size and flat at the bottom, which belong to the representative artifacts of the farming culture of the Central Plains.
"Shuozhou was a strategic fortress of the Han Dynasty to resist the Xiongnu from going south. Different styles of cultural relics coexist in the Houzhai cemetery, reflecting the cultural fusion of the northern border area. Wu Junhua said.
Present a vivid picture of local history
During the Northern Dynasties to the Ming and Qing dynasties, China experienced two upsurges in ethnic integration, eventually forming a unified multi-ethnic state. Shanxi was the core ruling area of the Northern Dynasty, the land of The Tang Dynasty, and also the economic and cultural center of gravity of the north during the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and the stage for the Ming, Qing, And Jin merchants to shine. The fourth unit of the exhibition brings together cultural relics excavated from Pingcheng City of Northern Wei, Xindai Kiln Tou, Hejingu Town and other places, showing a vivid historical picture.
Important discoveries of Northern Dynasty archaeology are concentrated in the ruins of The Pingcheng City of Northern Wei in Datong. Before and after the Northern Wei Dynasty capital Pingcheng, in order to fill the shortage of Gyeonggi households, many times immigrated, and Pingcheng gradually became the political and cultural center of northern China in the 4th and 6th centuries.
The cultural relics in the exhibition hall reproduce the picture of the multicultural fusion of Pingcheng in Northern Wei: the golden jaw holder excavated from Datong Yunbo Road has a strong shamanic color; the pottery figurines unearthed on Tiantai Street, dressed in xianbei style costumes; the images of the four gods and the calligraphy of the Wei monument excavated from Jia Bao's tomb, reflecting the Central Plains Han culture.
From the Tang Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty, the porcelain industry in Shanxi developed unprecedentedly and occupied an important position in the history of ceramics.
The porcelain excavated from the site of the Northern Song Dynasty kiln in Xingxian County's Xici Kiln Ditch makes people shine. Liu Yan introduced that this kind of underglaze ochre decoration of "persimmon color" porcelain, in appearance is obviously different from similar products in the northern region, the color is rich and bright, the ornamentation is free and free, showing a distinct regional style.
During the Song and Jin dynasties, Hejin was close to the political center of Kaifeng, the economy was prosperous, and porcelain production reached its peak. The excavation of the porcelain kiln site in Hejingu Town is an important discovery in the archaeology of Chinese ceramics, and was selected as one of the "Top Ten New Archaeological Discoveries in China" in 2016. The display case displays the Jin Dynasty porcelain pillow excavated from Kawazugu Town, decorated with floral patterns with the technique of picking flowers and filling black, and the black and white contrast is vivid and vivid.
The Ming Dynasty implemented a feudal system, and the first feudal lords in Shanxi were Zhu Zhuo, the King of Jin, Zhu Gui, and Zhu Mo, the King of Shen. The glass ceremonial figurines excavated from the Changzhi Shijiazhuang cemetery are owned by the Shen Wang family Yun and the Fengguo general Zhu Tianyi of the Junguo. This group of glass ceremonial warriors is composed of door gods, samurai, trick music and others, reproducing the grand scene of the ming dynasty royal family travel.
Liu Yan introduced that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, Shanxi archaeology will continue to carry out in-depth work around major topics such as "Archaeological China", "Research on the Origin of Chinese Civilization", and "Research on the Status and Role of Jinnan in the Process of Chinese Civilization", increase the intensity of field research, deepen multidisciplinary cooperation, strengthen the transformation of achievements and the dissemination of value interpretation, and tell the story of Shanxi and The story of China.