The
Yangshao culture () was a
Neolithic culture that existed extensively along the central
Yellow River in
China. The Yangshao culture is dated from around 5000 BC to 3000 BC. The culture is named after Yangshao, the first excavated representative village of this culture, which was discovered in 1921 in
Henan Province by the Swedish archaeologist
Johan Gunnar Andersson (1874-1960). The culture flourished mainly in the provinces of Henan,
Shaanxi and
Shanxi.
Subsistence
The subsistence practices of Yangshao people were varied. They cultivated
millet extensively; some villages also cultivated
wheat or
rice. The exact nature of Yangshao agriculture—small-scale
slash-and-burn cultivation versus intensive agriculture in permanent fields, is currently matter of debate. However, Middle Yangshao settlements such as Jiangzhi contain raised floor buildings that may have been used for the storage of surplus grains. They kept such animals as
pigs,
chickens and
dogs, as well as
sheep,
goats, and
cattle, but much of their meat came from hunting and fishing. Their stone tools were polished and highly specialized. The Yangshao people may also have practiced an early form of
silkworm cultivation.
Farming
The Yangshao people mainly cultivated millet but some settlements grew rice. They also grew vegetables like turnips, cabbage, yams and other vegetables. The Yangshao people domesticated chickens, ducks, pigs, dogs and cattle. Millet and rice was made into gruel for the morning while millet was made into dumplings.Meat was only eaten on special occasions and rice was ground in to flour to make cakes.Most of the meat was gotten by hunting or fishing.
Clothing
The Yangshao culture produced silk to a small degree and wove hemp. Men wore loin cloths and tied their hair in a top knot. Women wrapped a length of cloth around themselves leaving the shoulders bare or wore a skirt and took the front end between the legs and tied it in the back. Women tied their hair in a bun.The wealthy could wear silk. Children went naked until 11 years old.
Houses
Houses were built by digging a rounded rectangular pit few feet. Then they were rammed and a lattice of wattle was woven over it.Then it was plastered with mud.The floor was also rammed down.
Next a few short wattle poles would be placed around the top of the pit and more wattle would be woven to it. It was plastered with mud and a framework of poles would be placed to make cone shape for the roof. Poles would be added to support the roof.It was then thatched with millet stalks. There was little furniture, a shallow fire place in the middle with a stool, a bench along the wall, a bed of cloth and food nd item were placed or hung against the walls. A pen would be built outside for animals.
Pottery
The Yangshao culture is well-known for its painted
pottery. Yangshao artisans created fine white, red, and black painted pottery with human facial, animal, and geometric designs. Unlike the later
Longshan culture, the Yangshao culture did not use pottery wheels in pottery-making. Excavations found that children were buried in painted pottery jars.
Archaeological sites
The archaeological site of
Banpo village, near
Xi'an, is one of the best-known ditch-enclosed settlements of the Yangshao culture. Another major settlement called
Jiangzhai (姜寨) was excavated out to its limits, and archaeologists found that it was completely surrounded by a ring-ditch. Both Banpo and Jiangzhai also yielded controversial incised marks on pottery which a few have interpreted as numerals or perhaps precursors to the Chinese script. However, such conclusions may be premature .
Phases
Among the numerous overlapping phases of the Yangshao culture, the most prominent phases, typified by differing styles of pottery, include:
- Banpo phase, approximately 4800 BC to 4200 BC, central plane
- Miaodigou phase, circa 4000 BC to 3000 BC, successor to Banpo
- Machang phase, approximately 2400 BC to 2000 BC
Artifacts
Image:CMOC Treasures of Ancient China exhibit - pottery ding.jpg|Ding, decorated with a string pattern.
Image:YangshaoCordmarkedAmphoraBanpoPhase4800BCEShaanxi.jpg|Yangshao cordmarked amphora, Banpo phase, 4800 BCE.
See also
