Dadianzi (Excavation Report of the Xiajiadian Lower Culture Site and Cemetery)

Author: Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1996-03-01
Features: This book is a report on the excavation of the Xiajiadian Lower Culture settlement site and tombs by the Inner Mongolia team of the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, from 1974 to 1983 in Dadianzi, Chifeng, Inner Mongolia. The Xiajiadian Lower Culture belongs to the early Bronze Age remains in the northern and southern foothills of the Yan Mountains, dating back to about 3,600 years ago, equivalent to the Xia Dynasty in the Central Plains region. It revealed a residential site surrounded by rammed earth walls and moats, as well as a complete cemetery with 804 tombs. The cemetery reflects hierarchical differences between different family burial grounds and individual tombs within the same burial ground. Among the thousands of pottery pieces discovered, over 200 have colorful patterned designs on their surfaces, including several that resemble the "survival" pattern, leading to the belief that certain motifs on Chinese bronze vessels may have originated before the Shang Dynasty.