At the foot of the verdant Xiqiao Mountain, a rustling sound came, and Wang Huan and his colleagues walked to the depths of the jungle on foot. This is a team from the Guangdong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, who are carrying out an archaeological survey in the Xiqiao Mountain area of Guangdong Province, a major project of "Archaeological China", the study of the origin and spread of Austronesian languages.
At the eastern foot of Xiqiao Mountain, the heat has not yet dissipated, and the surrounding forests are high and the grass is deep, and an ancient relic called flint fine stone tools is their goal today. This kind of stone tool has a high hardness and sharp edges, and ancient humans mostly used it as a knife.
At the eastern foot of Xiqiao Mountain, Wang Huan (first from right) led a team to carry out archaeological investigations in the field. (Photo: Chung Chun Bin)
As the saying goes, "before the Pearl River Delta, there is Xiqiao Mountain". As an extinct volcano formed by volcanic eruptions 40 to 50 million years ago, the high-quality stone of Xiqiao Mountain has been used by the locals, and Xiqiao Mountain also enjoys the reputation of "Lighthouse of Pearl River Civilization".
Wang Huan introduced while exploring the way: "As a large-scale stone tool processing field, the stone tools unearthed in Xiqiao Mountain are extremely rich, and Mr. Jia Lanpo, an archaeologist, said that the stone tools here are pulled by trains, and they can't be pulled for a while. ”
The climate is hot, and in order to prevent sunburn, Wang Huan and his colleagues are "fully armed". Among them, the two young girls wrapped themselves tightly, and only a pair of eyes were exposed on outdoor equipment such as sunscreen hats, ice sleeves, and hiking shoes. They also hang lit boxes of mosquito coils on trekking poles to repel mosquitoes.
The picture shows the archaeological excavation site of the Pinggang site. (Source: Courtesy of Guangdong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology)
Starting in March 2023, Wang Huan's team will be stationed in Xiqiao Town. They went up the mountain to investigate during the day and went back to the hotel to rest at night, and for more than a year, their radius of activity rarely exceeded the range of Xiqiao Mountain.
Every morning at 8 o'clock, Wang Huan led a team into the mountains to investigate, and after the sun went down in the evening, they also ended their day's outdoor work. In the day-to-day investigation and exploration, Wang Huan's team finally confirmed the importance of the archaeological discovery of the Pinggang site.
Wang Huan joked to herself, she has worked for more than ten years, and she is famous for her "bad luck and bad luck" in the unit, "The Pinggang site itself is more important, and for me personally, it is also the most important archaeological discovery in my work so far." ”
In the Lingnan Archaeological Relics Restoration and Protection Research Center at the foot of Xiqiao Mountain, Wang Huan (center) and his colleagues measure the stone tools unearthed from the Pinggang site. (Photo: Chung Chun Bin)
She told reporters that the Xiqiao Mountain ruins were first discovered in 1958, and then a number of archaeological investigations and test excavations were carried out. According to the unearthed large number of special double-shouldered stone tools, in 1960 Mr. Jia Lanpo put forward the concept of "Xiqiao Mountain Culture", and the ruins have received great attention from the academic community.
"However, due to the lack of systematic work, the specific connotation and chronological understanding of the Xiqiao Mountain ruins and the 'Xiqiao Mountain Culture' are not clear." Since March 2023, the Guangdong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology has carried out a regional systematic investigation and exploration of the Xiqiao Mountain site group.
The site is located on the alluvial fan in front of the mountain at the southeast foot of Xiqiao Mountain, and belongs to Fuxian Village, one of the earliest discoveries of the Xiqiao Mountain site group. From September 2023 to April 2024, the Guangdong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology conducted rescue archaeological excavations at the site, confirming that the site contains remains from both Neolithic and Paleolithic periods.
The picture shows Neolithic wood tools unearthed from the Pinggang site soaked in pure water. (Photo: Chung Chun Bin)
The preliminary carbon 14 dating results of the Pinggang site show that the Paleolithic accumulation age is more than 40,000 years ago, and the Neolithic accumulation age is mostly between 5,900 and 5,000 years ago. The site greatly advanced the earliest history of human activities in Xiqiao Mountain from 5,000 or 6,000 years ago to more than 40,000 years ago, and confirmed that the earliest human remains in the Pearl River Delta region were discovered.
"There are more than 20 sites in the Xiqiao Mountain site group that are known to contain stone tools, and we have made some new discoveries during the investigation. The specific age of these 20 or so sites, the characteristics of the relics, and the relationship with the surrounding sites are not particularly clear at present, so there is still a lot of work to be done. At present, Wang Huan and his colleagues have reassigned to fieldwork.
The picture shows the Paleolithic stone tools unearthed at the Pinggang site. (Source: Courtesy of Guangdong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology)
Wang Huan is a native of Xianyang, Shaanxi, small, fast-talking, and has a very hearty personality. In her own words, it is that the "class flavor" is not heavy. Like most archaeologists, Wang Huan chose to go to the field because he didn't like the work in the cubicle.
In her opinion, the position of field archaeology is very training, and it requires a high level of personal comprehensive ability. "In particular, as the person in charge of the archaeological excavation project, in addition to academic research, I also have to negotiate with the infrastructure party, get along with the local villagers, and coordinate with the local government department. Not only that, but also cooperate with the team on the construction site, and then return to the unit to do a good job of accounting......"
The picture shows the artifacts unearthed from the Pinggang site presided over by Wang Huan. (Photo: Chung Chun Bin)
In the past 12 years in the industry, the growth that this job has brought to her is undoubtedly huge. Today, Wang Huan has served as the director of the Institute of Historical Archaeology of the Guangdong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, and has become the person in charge who can take charge of himself.
Although she would laugh at herself for her bad luck, when asked by a reporter which is more important, luck or strength, Wang Huan still chose strength. "With strength, when luck comes, you can catch this 'pouring wealth'!" She quipped.
The picture shows the foot of the eastern foothills of Xiqiao Mountain. (Photo: Chung Chun Bin)
In the mountains and wilderness of Xiqiao Mountain, the sun is still dazzling, and ancient secrets are buried underground. Wang Huan and his colleagues continued to accumulate strength, and then waited for luck to come.