Henan Province’s “Top Five Archaeological Discoveries of 2011” Are Announced

On the afternoon of 3rd March 2012, Henan Province’s “Top Five Archaeological Discoveries of 2011” were announced in the provincial capital of Zhengzhou. The awards ceremony was jointly organized by the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and “Huaxia Archaeology” magazine and sponsored by the Henan Administration of Cultural Heritage.

The Top five archaeological discoveries in Henan Province in 2011 were:

1) The Laonainaimiao Palaeolithic settlement in Zhengzhou by Peking University’s School of Archaeology and Museology and the Zhengzhou Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology;
2)  The Kengnan Prehistoric site in Xichuan County by the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeanthropology and the Chinese Academy of Sciences Graduate School’s Department of Scientific Archaeology;
3) The Longshangang Neolithic site in Xichuan County by the Henan Provincial Institute of cultural relics and Archaeology;
4) The discovery of the south-western corner of the Northern Wei Imperial Palace within the Han-Wei city complex in Luoyang by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of Archaeology;
5) The Song Dynasty era boat in Anyang’s Hua County by the Anyang Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.
　　
Since ancient times, the central plains of Henan Province have been considered one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization and were the country’s political, economic and cultural centre before the Song and Yuan Dynasties. The “Top Five Archaeological Discoveries” awards were conceived as an annual event back in 2008 by the Henan Administration of Cultural Heritage as a means of publicizing important archaeological discoveries made in Henan and raising public awareness of the protection of cultural artifacts and heritage sites.

It is reported that over 150 archaeological excavations were conducted within Henan Province with the approval of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage in the year of 2011. Based on field reports and critical appraisal of various excavations conducted during 2011, ten projects were put forward for the final round of voting of the “Henan Province’s Top Five Archaeological Discoveries of 2011” awards.

On the morning of 3rd March, the project leaders of the ten projects nominated for the 2011 awards presented their findings to the selection committee and attending experts. The selection committee were then asked to judge the nominated projects before selecting Henan Province’s Top Five archaeological discoveries of 2011 through secret ballot.      (Translator: Kelly McGuire)