KAOGU XUEBAO
(Acta Archaeologica Sinica)
No. 1, 2019

Contents
Wei Jian and Feng Bao,
On the Bainiyao Culture ……………………………………………………………(1)
Yang Huan,
The Comprehensive Research on the Eye Pattern with Four Petals of the Bronzes of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties ……………………………………………………(23)
Wu Xiaoping,
On the Artifacts of the Lingnan Style Unearthed From the Burials of the Han
Dynasty in Yunnan and Guizhou Provinces ………………………………………(47)
Anhui Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology,
The Excavations of the Houjiazhai Site of the Neolithic Age ……………………(63)
Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology et al.,
The Buddhist Monastery Site of the Northern Wei, Liao and Jin Dynasties in Zone II
on the Top of the Yungang Grottoes ……………………………………………(109)

ON THE BAINIYAO CULTURE
by
Wei Jian and Feng Bao  

 THE COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH ON THE EYE PATTERN WITH FOUR PETALS OF THE BRONZES OF THE SHANG AND ZHOU DYNASTIES
by
Yang Huan

Using 131 bronzes bearing “eye pattern with four petals” available to date as the research objects, this paper analyzed the aspects of spatial and temporal distributions, pattern applying rules, pattern natures, rules of distribution in burials, and cultural elements of the bronze vessels bearing this type of pattern. The research showed that the “eye pattern with four petals” was mainly popular in the late Shang through the early Western Zhou Dynasties, and occasionally seen in the mid Western Zhou Dynasty, and distributed in the core area of the Shang Culture and the areas influenced by the Shang Culture. The applying rules of the eye pattern with four petals on the bronze vessels are shown in two aspects: the decorative bands composed of the assemblage of the eye pattern with four petals and whorl pattern are applied on the food serving vessels and water vessels, and the eye pattern with four petals appeared independently on the main places of vessels when it is applied on the wine vessels. The eye pattern with four petals is a zoomorphic pattern developed and stylized from the kui-dragon design, the other parts of which have been reduced into the shape of petals, but the “eye pattern” in the center still kept its feature. In all of the bronzes with clear provenances mentioned in this paper, the ones bearing the “eye pattern with four petals” showed clear characteristics of “one piece in one burial” or “one set in one burial”. Through the studies on the burial types, burial occupants and their regional attributions, and inscriptions, it is revealed that the users of the vessels bearing the “eye pattern with four petals” are the Shang people or the adherents of the downfallen Shang Dynasty in the early Western Zhou Dynasty. Along with the establishment of the Zhou ritual system in the mid Western Zhou Dynasty, this decorative pattern peculiar to the Shang people vanished gradually. A comprehensive and systematic study on the “eye pattern with four petals”, an important design for identifying the Shang people and adherents of the downfallen Shang Dynasty, provides important references for the researches on the issues such as the changes of the chiefdoms and states of the Shang Dynasty, the evolutions of the ethnic groups and clans, and the distribution of the Shang Culture in the Western Zhou Dynasty, etc.

ON THE ARTIFACTS OF THE LINGNAN STYLE UNEARTHED FROM THE BURIALS OF THE HANDYNASTY IN YUNNAN AND GUIZHOU PROVINCES
by
Wu Xiaoping

Since Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty opened southwestern China and established commanderies and districts there in the sixth year of Jianyuan Era (135 BC), large amounts of Han people migrated into the present-day Yunnan and Guizhou Provinces, which started the large-scale Sinicization progress in this area. The historical textual materials and archaeological discoveries all showed that because of the convenient traffic condition and cultural advantage, the culture of the Ba-Shu area became the main content of the Han culture in the Yunnan-Guizhou area. However, on the artifacts unearthed from the burials of the Han Dynasty in this area, there are also styles from the Lingnan region. For example, the long-neck pots, pots with swing handle, three-legged jars, censers, zun-wine vessels, boxes, three-legged plates, phoenix-shaped lamps in the bronzes with incised patterns, the ding-tripods, assembled fu-cauldrons and zeng-steamers, double-lugged cauldrons, bowls, zhi-wine vessels, qi-three-legged cauldrons in common bronze wares, pots, jars and jugs in the celadon (or stamped hard pottery) wares unearthed in the Yunnan-Guizhou area were also found widely in the Lingnan region in large amounts, which reflected the influences of the cultures in the Lingnan region to the Yunnan-Guizhou area. However, we also have to notice that these artifacts bearing Lingnan style only included bronzes and celadon (stamped hard pottery) wares and appeared in only about 100 burials in roughly 20 cemeteries; their dates were from the late Western Han to the mid through late Eastern Han Dynasty, and they were mainly found in the high-ranking burials in the southeastern Yunnan and southwestern Guizhou, but almost absent in the burials in western Yunnan, eastern Guizhou and the northern parts of these two provinces, and in all of the burials of the common people of this area, too. This phenomenon showed the nature of the artifacts from the Lingnan region as luxuries flowing into the Yunnan-Guizhou area as gifts or high-ranking commodities. The routes for them to flow into the Yunnan-Guizhou area were mainly the waterway, which were the ancient Western Sui River and Zangke River. The reason why these articles with Lingnan style were mainly distributed in Gejiu located in southeastern Yunnan and Xingren in southwestern Guizhou would be that these two places were located nearby these waterways. In general, compared to the Ba-Shu area, due to the lack of common immigrants with endeavors, the influences of the artifacts from the Lingnan region to the Yunnan-Guizhou area were severely limited. Even though, the aboriginal cultures in the latter had also influenced the Lingnan region: the discoveries of the drum-shaped bronze fu-cauldron in Phú Thọ Province, Vietnam and Datangcheng Site in Guiping County, Guangxi, and the bronze swords or bronze-hilted iron swords with pommels in the shape of hollowed plaque in Thanh Hóa and Nghê An Provinces, Vietnam all reflected the diffusion of the aboriginal cultures of the Yunnan-Guizhou area in the Lingnan region.

THE EXCAVATIONS OF THE HOUJIAZHAI SITE OF THE NEOLITHIC AGE
by
Anhui Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology

Houjiazhai Site located in Dingyuan County, Anhui at the middle reach of the Huai River is a terrace site of the Neolithic Age about 7000–6000 BP with two phases of cultures, covering areas of about 4 ha. This site was discovered in 1977, and was excavated twice in 1985 and 1986, which recovered 375 sq m in total. The cultural layers were about 2.5 m thick, and could be divided into four strata. The site had rich connotations, from which large amounts of cultural artifacts including pottery wares, stone and bone or antler implements were unearthed, and a set of new materials of Neolithic archaeology with unique cultural characteristics were obtained. According to the stratigraphy and characteristics of the artifact assemblages, the remains of this site were divided into two phases of cultures; Strata 1 and 2 and the ash pits, house foundations and other features belonged to the upper layer culture. The pottery wares of this culture were made of reddish-brown pottery, gray pottery and black pottery, most of which were plain, plus some fingernail-cut patterns, cutout patterns and bowstring patterns, and the most typical ones were some red color-painted pottery wares. The shapes of tripod, flat bottom, ring foot, horn-shaped single handle, ear-shaped lugs, etc. were popular, and the types of pottery wares were ding-tripods, zeng-steamers, jars, dou-stemmed bowls, yu-basin-shaped vessels, etc. Strata 3 and 4 belonged to the lower layer culture, the pottery wares of which were coarse with thick bodies and large sizes; except for a few cases of fingernail-cut patterns, most of the pottery wares were plain and polished. The shapes of single handle, ear-shaped lugs, flat bottom, and low ring foot were popular, and the main types of pottery wares were fu-cauldron-shaped vessels, phallus-shaped vessel stands, jars, bo-bowls, bowls, dou-stemmed bowls, etc. What important were some incised marks found on the bottoms of some bowls. In the site, large amounts of animal bones such as that of pigs and deer were also unearthed. This site has rich connotations, early dates and new cultural features, and bears its unique artifact assemblage characteristics and cultural properties. The lower layer culture of the Houjiazhai Site and the Shuangdun Site are jointly named as Shuangdun Culture, and the upper layer culture of the Houjiazhai Site is named as Houjiazhai Culture. The archaeological excavations and studies of the Houjiazhai Site established a measuring rod for the archaeological researches on the Neolithic Age in the Huai River valley, filled out the gap of the archaeological cultures in this area, and is significantly meaningful for the establishment of the chronological framework of the archaeological cultures of the Neolithic Age in the Huai River valley and the researches on the genealogy of the archaeological cultures in the Huai River valley.

THE BUDDHIST MONASTERY SITE OF THE NORTHERN WEI, LIAO AND JIN DYNASTIES IN ZONE II ON THE TOP OF THE YUNGANG GROTTOES
by
Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology
Yungang Grottoes Research Institute
Datong Municipal Institute of Archaeology

To coordinate with the anti-seepage project of the top of the Yungang Grottoes, the archaeological team jointly organized by Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, Yungang Grottoes Research Institute and Datong Municipal Institute of Archaeology conducted excavation to the remains of the Buddhist monastery above Caves 5 and 6 of the Yungang Grottoes in 2011. This site was located between the east side of the splayed wing wall of the Yungang Castle of the Ming Dynasty and the west bank of Longwang Gou (Dragon King Gully), consisted of the remains of a Buddhist monastery site of the Northern Wei, Liao and Jin Dynasties and a foundry workshop of the Liao and Jin Dynasties. The features included a pagoda base of the Northern Wei, Liao and Jin Dynasties, a casting well, 30 iron smelting furnaces and one water well of the Liao and Jin Dynasties. The pagoda base was facing the south, the top of which was smaller than the bottom, and in an octagonal plan. The center of the pagoda base was the original base constructed in the Northern Wei Dynasty, surrounding which were the extended pagoda base parts built in the Liao and Jin Dynasties, which were mainly constructed with stone slabs. The casting well consisted of the round operation platform and the vent; it had a square plan, an opening slightly larger than the bottom, on which the round operation platform was built to set the casting molds. The 30 iron smelting furnaces were built around the casting well; their forms and sizes were varying, and most of them had the ore chamber, fuel box, vent, blasting facilities, etc. preserved. These iron smelting furnaces had single- or double-bellows equipped. The water well had a round plan and a bottom larger than the opening. The artifacts unearthed in the excavation were mainly the architectural component parts of the Northern Wei, Liao and Jin Dynasties, most of which were tile sherds, plus some tile-ends and glazed ridge ornaments, as well as fragments of ceramic wares and stone construction parts. The nature, date and values of the site are roughly made clear: it was a Buddhist monastery site of the Northern Wei, Liao and Jin Dynasties, which is helpful for the understandings to the evolution courses of the layouts of the Buddhist monasteries and forms of pagodas in the Yungang area from the Northern Wei to the Liao and Jin Dynasties. The foundry workshop site is the most complete foundry remains of the Liao and Jin Dynasties found to date, which is significantly valuable for the studies on Tiangong Kaiwu (Exploitation of the Works of Nature: Chinese Technology in the Seventeenth Century) and the metallurgy of the Liao and Jin Dynasties.

Since the 1950s, remains of the early and mid periods of the Yangshao Culture have been discovered in central and southern Inner Mongolia. With the deepening of field surveys and the advancement of archaeological excavations, we have found that these remains are widely distributed in a region with the southward-flowing section of the Yellow River as its epicenter. It extends to the Lake Dai in Liangcheng County, which is to the south of the Manhan Mountain in the east; across the Yinshan Mountains to Shangdu County and Sonid Right Banner in the northeast; the eastern edge of Hanggin Banner on the Ordos Plateau in the west; and the northern Shanxi and Shaanxi in the south. The remains in these sites have obvious common factors, but also show regional differences. Previously, they were called “Ashan Phrase I Culture”, “Bainiyao's First Culture”, “Chahekou Culture” and “Bainiyao Culture”, but without a unified name. According to the differences in cultural characteristics and distribution areas, we divide these remains into three types from west to east: Lujiapo, Bainiyao, and Lower Wangmushan with three phases dated to 7000–5800BP. Based on the analysis of typical sites and major pottery assemblages, we named these remains as “Bainiyao Culture”. Bainiyao Culture is a new archaeological culture developing from the main factors of Banpo, Hougang Phase I and Miaodigou Cultures when they expanded from the Central Plains to the north. It gradually formed distinctive features and unique development sequence; through the evolution of the pottery types, we can also confirm that in the central and southern Inner Mongolia, its direct successor is Miaozigou Culture in the late Yangshao Age, and their distribution areas are slightly different. Judging from the unearthed production tools, the economic type of Bainiyao Culture is dominated by hoe agriculture, with hunting, fishing, and gathering as supplements. The settlements were usually surrounded by moats, indicating that there might be resource competition among the tribes, and the settlement pattern continued to develop to a higher stage.