Early China Archaeological Digest 12/31/12

Early China Archaeological Digest 12/31/12 By Keith N. Knapp Dear Colleagues, Here is the last Digest of 2012. This fall was not the best for the Digest, but I hope this spring to more regularly publish the Digest. There is a lot of good stuff this week -- a good way to end the world. I hope that you have a great beginning to a great 2013. With warm holiday regards, Keith Prehistoric This is an article about that Paleolithic engraved stone found at Shuidonggou. This article, though, goes into greater detail and has better photographs than the link I sent previously. http://phys.org/news/2012-12-engraved-stone-artifact-shuidonggou-paleolithic.html An 8,000 year old moated settlement has been discovered at the Shunshanji site in Sihong County, Jiangsu. Found at the site were 92 tombs, 26 ash pits, 5 house ruins, and three kitchen range ruins. Four photographs. http://www.kaogu.cn/en/detail.asp?ProductID=3816 A 4,000 year old excavated tomb from Man Bac, Vietnam indicates that the Neolithic people of this locality cared for people with severely afflicted family members. This citation comes from David Meadows' Explorator. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/science/ancient-bones-that-tell-a-story-of-compassion.html?_r=0 In China's largest Neolithic settlement site, Shaanxi's Shenmu shimao site, archaeologists have discovered two pits filled with the skulls of young females. They are very close to the city wall, which leads archaeologists to believe that these sacrificial pits were connected with the construction of the wall. In Chinese with a photograph of one of the pits filled with skulls. http://kaoguwang.com/index.php/eight/detail/480 Shang and Western Zhou Near Hebei's Handan City, archaeologists have discovered a Shang Dynasty city. So far a Shang wall has been discovered that is 4 meters high. In Chinese with no photographs. http://kaoguwang.com/index.php/eight/detail/486 In Zhouyuan, the home of the Zhou people, archaeologists have found the earliest primitive greenware gui vessel (cigui 瓷簋); perhaps this was where green ware was first produced. The tombs also yielded other clay vessels that have never been seen before in Zhouyuan. In Chinese, one photograph. http://www.kaogu.cn/cn/detail.asp?ProductID=15913 In Zhouyuan, Shaanxi, archaeologists have excavated a nearly complete cemetery that dates back 2,500 years. Zhouyuan, of course, is the home of the Zhou people. This site is called the Yao Family cemetery. About 130 tombs and horse pits have been excavated. (A weird thing about this article is that it says that the site is 2,500 years old, but it also says these tombs belong to the Western Zhou people. It seems to me that the Western Zhou had disappeared two hundred years before these people were buried). What is striking about the cemetery is that graves in the northern section all point in a south to north direction; however, in the southern section, the graves are all pointed east to west. No cemeteries in Zhouyuan excavated prior to this has this pattern, which seems to indicate social complexity. In Chinese with no photographs. http://www.kaogu.cn/cn/detail.asp?ProductID=15926 From this same Yao Family cemetery site, five residential ruins have also been discovered near Wenquan City in northwestern Xinjiang. The residences were large and made from stone. One of these residence was divided into four distinct areas. In Chinese with ten photographs. http://www.kaogu.cn/cn/detail.asp?ProductID=15918 Eastern Zhou At the Sangangping site in Luding County, Sichuan, archaeologists have excavated 61 tombs from the middle and late Warring States period. These were stone vault burials. 2 photographs of grave goods. http://www.kaogu.cn/en/detail.asp?ProductID=3810 At the Dazhangzi site in Huludao in Jianchang County, which has Warring States tombs and was one of 2011 top ten discoveries, archaeologists opened a tomb that has the heads of 40 sacrificial animals. Also in the tomb is a human sacrifice that is sitting straight up and the heads of two other human sacrificial victims. The animal skulls include two from horses with the rest being those of dogs, pigs, and goats. In Chinese with one photograph. http://kaoguwang.com/index.php/eight/detail/474 Han Dynasty In Mianyang, Sichuan, archaeologists have found ruins belonging to the Kingdom of Guanghan, which existed during the Western Han. At the site two tombs and a brick kiln were uncovered. No photos. http://www.kaogu.cn/en/detail.asp?ProductID=3806 In Jiyuan City, Henan, 26 tombs and 40 ash pits that date to the Western Han, Song, Ming, and Qing have been discovered. From a Han tomb, figurines of multi-colored mother ducks have been excavated. The same tomb also had a multi-colored chicken, as well as a vermillion ear cup, a granary, stove, and well. In Chinese with two photos of the grave goods and a closeup of one of the mother ducks. http://kaoguwang.com/index.php/eight/detail/475 Eight tombs were discovered in a northern suburb of Xi'an, seven of which are from the mid to late Eastern Han, and the other from the Northern Dynasties. In Chinese with no photographs. http://kaoguwang.com/index.php/eight/detail/472 Six Dynasties and Kofun Japan Well-digging villagers in Hunan's Liyang found blue-green bricks from the Wei-Jin period that have images of the sun and dagger-axes on them. They were part of a collapsed tomb. In Chinese with one photograph of two bricks. http://kaoguwang.com/index.php/eight/detail/474 Here are more articles on that Kofun era man who was wearing armor when overcome by a volanic eruption in an aread that is called the "Pompeii of Japan." The text of two of these articles is basically the same, but each article has different photographs. These citations come from David Meadows' Explorator. http://japandailypress.com/japanese-archaeologists-find-1400-year-old-kofun-period-warrior-still-in-armor-1819971 http://phys.org/news/2012-12-armour-pompeii-japan.html http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/armour-clad-remains-from-6th-century-unearthed-at-japanese-volcano/story-e6frg6so-1226539790355 Tang Dynasty In Luoyang, archaeologists have recovered the most complete Tang Dynasty brick and tile kiln. In Chinese with three photographs. http://www.kaogu.cn/cn/detail.asp?ProductID=15928 In Hebei, near Handan, in Jize County, a Tang Dynasty graveyard has been excavated. 64 tombs were excavated; these tombs yielded 431 cultural relics. This is the first Tang Dynasty graveyard found in Hebei. http://www.kaogu.cn/cn/detail.asp?ProductID=15927 Song and Jin In Fangshan, near Beijing, a large tomb has been discovered. Archaeologists think it might be a royal tomb of the Jin Dynasty. In Chinese with one photograph of the tomb. http://www.kaogu.cn/cn/detail.asp?ProductID=15925 A good photo essay on Wan'an Bridge in Pingan County, Fujian. This wooden bridge was built during the Northern Song. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/photo/2012-12/25/c_132062107_6.htm In northern Fujian in Pucheng County, road construction has led to the discovery of the mechanism base of a lost temple building. This building was called the Hall of the Rotating Wheel. Inside this round building was a rotating book cabinet that was two zhang high and had three levels for storing books. The round building in which it was stored was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Residents now want to rebuild the temple. In Chinese with one photograph. http://kaoguwang.com/index.php/eight/detail/477 Ming and more recent In Yanqing County, Beijing, scholars have found Ming Dynasty Daoist cave shrine that has 24 statues carved in high relief. In Chinese with no photographs. http://www.kaogu.cn/cn/detail.asp?ProductID=15934 The Vietnamese government has opened to the public its wartime bunker where the war was masterminded. http://vietnamnews.vn/Life-Style/234310/war-bunker-opens-its-doors.html Historical sites can no longer be used as business assets in China http://www.china.org.cn/china/2012-12/27/content_27533697.htm A doctor who has refused to support his 70 year old mother has sparked a debate in China about the growing prevalence of unfiliality. Some are calling for the government to administer moral education. My crystal ball can see filial piety tales becoming a hot topic, heh, heh, heh. http://www.china.org.cn/china/2012-12/27/content_27531440.htm A museum dedicated to the WWII Flying Tigers has been opened in Zhijiang, Hunan http://www.china.org.cn/china/2012-12/19/content_27455063.htm A photo essay of traditional woodcarvings. The photographs are good but they are obscured by an obnoxious advertisement on the right-hand side that I seem unable to vanquish. http://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/culture/2012-12/03/content_15981289.htm 5