List of Neolithic cultures of China

Last updated

This is a list of Neolithic cultures of China that have been unearthed by archaeologists. They are sorted in chronological order from earliest to latest and are followed by a schematic visualization of these cultures.

Contents

It would seem that the definition of Neolithic in China is undergoing changes. The discovery in 2012 of pottery about 20,000 years BC indicates that this measure alone can no longer be used to define the period. [1] It will fall to the more difficult task of determining when cereal domestication started.

List

Dates (BCE)English nameChinese nameModern-day name and location
18000–7000 Xianren Cave culture
(Paleolithic)
仙人洞、吊桶环遗址 Wannian County, Shangrao, Jiangxi
8500–7700 Nanzhuangtou culture南莊頭遺址 Yellow River region in southern Hebei
7500–6100 Pengtoushan culture彭頭山文化central Yangtze region in northwestern Hunan
7000–5000 Peiligang culture 裴李崗文化 Yi-Luo river basin valley in Henan
6500–5500 Houli culture 後李文化 Shandong
6200–5400 Xinglongwa culture 興隆洼文化 Inner Mongolia-Liaoning border
6000–5000 Kuahuqiao culture跨湖桥文化 Zhejiang
6000–5500 Cishan culture 磁山文化southern Hebei
5800–5400 Dadiwan culture 大地灣文化 Gansu and western Shaanxi
5500–4800 Xinle culture 新樂文化lower Liao River on the Liaodong Peninsula
5400–4500 Zhaobaogou culture 趙宝溝文化 Luan River valley in Inner Mongolia and northern Hebei
5300–4100 Beixin culture 北辛文化 Shandong
5000–4500 Hemudu culture 河姆渡文化 Yuyao and Zhoushan, Zhejiang
5000–3000 Daxi culture 大溪文化 Three Gorges region
5000–3000 Majiabang culture 馬家浜文化 Lake Tai area and north of Hangzhou Bay
5000–3000 Yangshao culture 仰韶文化 Henan, Shaanxi, and Shanxi
4700–2900 Hongshan culture 紅山文化 Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, and Hebei
4100–2600 Dawenkou culture 大汶口文化 Shandong, Anhui, Henan, and Jiangsu
3800–3300 Songze culture 崧澤文化 Lake Tai area
3400–2250 Liangzhu culture 良渚文化 Yangtze River Delta
3100–2700 Majiayao culture 馬家窯文化upper Yellow River region in Gansu and Qinghai
3100–2700 Qujialing culture 屈家嶺文化middle Yangtze region in Hubei and Hunan
3000–2000 Longshan culture 龍山文化central and lower Yellow River
2800–2000 Baodun culture 寶墩文化 Chengdu Plain
2500–2000 Shijiahe culture 石家河文化middle Yangtze region in Hubei
1900–1500 Yueshi culture 岳石文化lower Yellow River region in Shandong
1600–1400 Erligang culture 二里崗文化 North China Plain

Schematic outline

Map of the Chinese Neolithic Neolithic china.svg
Map of the Chinese Neolithic

These cultures existed for the period from 8500 to 1500 BC. Neolithic cultures remain unmarked and Bronze Age cultures (from 2000 BC) are marked with *. There are many differences in opinion on the dating for these cultures, so the dates chosen here are tentative:

Year
(BC)
North-
east
China
(1)
Upper
Yellow River
(2)
Middle
Yellow River
(3)
Lower-
Yellow
River
(4)
Lower-
Yangtze
(5)
Middle-
Yangtze
(6)
Sichuan (7)Southeast
China
(8)
South-
west
China
(9)
8500   Nanzhuangtou       
  8500–7700      
         
8000         
         
         
7500         
         
         
7000      Pengtoushan    
     (including   
      Chengbeixi    
6500  Dadiwan Peiligang Houli  and Zaoshi)  Zengpiyan  
Xinglongwa Laoguantai Cishan 6500–5500 7000–5800 7000–5500 
6200–5400 Baijia Jiahu       
6000 6500–5000 Lijiacun   Kuahuqiao     
  6500–5000 6000–5000    
         
5500         
    Beixin      
Xinle   5300–4500     
50005300–4800  Yangshao   Hemudu Daxi   Dapenkeng  
   5000–3000 5000–34005000–3300  Fuguodun  
     Majiabang   5000–3000 
4500 Zhaobaogou    5000–4000    
4500–4000   Dawenkou Songze     
   4300–26004000–3000    
4000         
         
         
3500      Qujialing    
Hongshan     3500–2600 Yingpanshan   
(incl. Fuhe) Majiayao    Liangzhu  3100-?  
30003400–23003300–2700  3200–1800   Tanishan  
  Banshan    Shijiahe Baodun Shixia  
 2700–2400 Longshan  2500–20002800–2000 Nianyuzhuan  
2500  Machang 2800–2000 Longshan   Qinglongquan   Qinglongquan  
 2400–2000 2600–2000   Hedang Baiyangcun
 *Qijia *Shimao   Longshan  3000-?2200–2100
2000*Xiajiadian 2300–18002300-1800  2400–2000   Dalongtan
2000–300 *Erlitou *Yueshi     2100–2000
 *Siba 1900–15001900–1500*Maqiao     
1500 1950–1500*Erligang

1600–1400

 1800–1200*Sanxingdui 1700-1150  

For this schematic outline of its neolithic cultures China has been divided into the following nine parts:

  1. Northeast China: Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning.
  2. Northwest China (Upper Yellow River): Gansu, Qinghai and western part of Shaanxi.
  3. North-central China (Middle Yellow River): Shanxi, Hebei, western part of Henan and eastern part of Shaanxi.
  4. Eastern China (lower Yellow River): Shandong, Anhui, northern part of Jiangsu and eastern part Henan.
  5. East-south-eastern China (lower Yangtze): Zhejiang and biggest part of Jiangsu.
  6. South-central China (middle Yangtze): Hubei and northern part of Hunan.
  7. Sichuan and upper Yangtze.
  8. Southeast China: Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guangxi, southern part of Hunan, lower Red River in the northern part of Vietnam and the island of Taiwan.
  9. Southwest China: Yunnan and Guizhou.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peiligang culture</span> 7000–5000 BC Chinese archaeological culture

The Peiligang culture was a Neolithic culture in the Yi-Luo river basin that existed from about 7000 to 5000 BC. Over 100 sites have been identified with the Peiligang culture, nearly all of them in a fairly compact area of about 100 square kilometers in the area just south of the river and along its banks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yangshao culture</span> 5000–3000 BC Chinese archaeological culture

The Yangshao culture was a Neolithic culture that existed extensively along the middle reaches of the Yellow River in China from around 5000 BC to 3000 BC. The culture is named after the Yangshao site, the first excavated site of this culture, which was discovered in 1921 in Yangshao town, Mianchi County, Sanmenxia, western Henan Province by the Swedish geologist Johan Gunnar Andersson (1874–1960). The culture flourished mainly in the provinces of Henan, Shaanxi and Shanxi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longshan culture</span> Late Neolithic culture in northern China

The Longshanculture, also sometimes referred to as the Black Pottery Culture, was a late Neolithic culture in the middle and lower Yellow River valley areas of northern China from about 3000 to 1900 BC. The first archaeological find of this culture took place at the Chengziya Archaeological Site in 1928, with the first excavations in 1930 and 1931. The culture is named after the nearby modern town of Longshan in Zhangqiu, Shandong. The culture was noted for its highly polished black pottery. The population expanded dramatically during the 3rd millennium BC, with many settlements having rammed earth walls. It decreased in most areas around 2000 BC until the central area evolved into the Bronze Age Erlitou culture. The Longshan culture has been linked to the early Sinitic . According to the area and cultural type, the Longshan culture can be divided into two types: Shandong Longshan and Henan Longshan. Among them, Shandong Longshan Cultural Site includes Chengziya Site; Henan Longshan Cultural Site includes Dengfeng Wangchenggang Site in Wangwan, Taosi Site and Mengzhuang Site in Hougang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erlitou culture</span> Bronze Age culture in China

The Erlitou culture was an early Bronze Age society and archaeological culture. It existed in the Yellow River valley from approximately 1900 to 1500 BC. The culture is named after Erlitou, an archaeological site in Yanshi, Henan. It was widely spread throughout Henan and Shanxi and later appeared in Shaanxi and Hubei. Most archaeologists consider Erlitou the first state-level society in China. Chinese archaeologists generally identify the Erlitou culture as the site of the Xia dynasty, but there is no firm evidence, such as writing, to substantiate such a linkage, as the earliest evidence of Chinese writing dates to the late Shang dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dawenkou culture</span>

The Dawenkou culture was a Chinese Neolithic culture primarily located in the eastern province of Shandong, but also appearing in Anhui, Henan and Jiangsu. The culture existed from 4300 to 2600 BC, and co-existed with the Yangshao culture. Turquoise, jade and ivory artefacts are commonly found at Dawenkou sites. The earliest examples of alligator drums appear at Dawenkou sites. Neolithic signs, perhaps related to subsequent scripts, such as those of the Shang dynasty, have been found on Dawenkou pottery. Additionally, the Dawenkou practiced dental ablation and cranial deformation, practices that disappeared in China by the Chinese Bronze Age.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hemudu culture</span> Neolithic culture just south of Hangzhou Bay, China

The Hemudu culture was a Neolithic culture that flourished just south of the Hangzhou Bay in Jiangnan in modern Yuyao, Zhejiang, China. The culture may be divided into early and late phases, before and after 4000 BC respectively. The site at Hemudu, 22 km northwest of Ningbo, was discovered in 1973. Hemudu sites were also discovered at Tianluoshan in Yuyao city, and on the islands of Zhoushan. Hemudu are said to have differed physically from inhabitants of the Yellow River sites to the north. Some authors propose that the Hemudu Culture was a source of the pre-Austronesian cultures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qijia culture</span> Bronze Age culture around the upper Yellow River region

The Qijia culture was an early Bronze Age culture distributed around the upper Yellow River region of Gansu and eastern Qinghai, China. It is regarded as one of the earliest bronze cultures in China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taosi</span>

Taosi is an archaeological site in Xiangfen County, Shanxi, China. Taosi is considered to be part of the late phase of the Longshan culture in southern Shanxi, also known as the Taosi phase.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erligang culture</span> Bronze Age culture in China

The Erligang culture is a Bronze Age urban civilization and archaeological culture in China that existed from approximately 1600 to 1400 BC. The primary site, Zhengzhou Shang City, was discovered at Erligang, within the modern city of Zhengzhou, Henan, in 1951.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cishan culture</span> 6500–5000 BC north Chinese archaeological culture

The Cishan culture was a Neolithic culture in northern China, on the eastern foothills of the Taihang Mountains. The Cishan culture was based on the farming of broomcorn millet, the cultivation of which on one site has been dated back 10,000 years. The people at Cishan also began to cultivate foxtail millet around 8700 years ago. However, these early dates have been questioned by some archaeologists due to sampling issues and lack of systematic surveying.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pengtoushan culture</span>

The Pengtoushan culture was a Neolithic culture located around the central Yangtze River region in northwestern Hunan province, China. It dates to around 7500–6100 BC, and was roughly contemporaneous with the Peiligang culture to the north. It is named after the type site at Pengtoushan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qujialing culture</span> Chinese Neolithic civilization

The Qujialing culture was a Neolithic civilisation centered primarily on the middle Yangtze River region in Hubei and Hunan, China. The culture succeeded the Daxi culture and reached southern Shaanxi, northern Jiangxi and southwest Henan. Artefact types unique to the culture include ceramic balls and painted spindle whorls; the latter were inherited by the succeeding Shijiahe culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chengtoushan</span>

Chengtoushan was a Neolithic settlement located on the northwestern edge of Dongting Lake in Li County, Hunan, China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zhongyuan</span> Place in China

Zhongyuan (Chinese: 中原; pinyin: Zhōngyuán), the Central Plain(s), also known as Zhongtu (Chinese: 中土; pinyin: Zhōngtǔ, lit. 'central land') and Zhongzhou (Chinese: 中州; pinyin: Zhōngzhōu, lit. 'central region'), commonly refers to the part of the North China Plain surrounding the lower and middle reaches of the Yellow River, centered on the region between Luoyang and Kaifeng. It has been perceived as the birthplace of the Han Chinese civilization. Historically, the Huaxia people viewed Zhongyuan as 'the center of the world'. Human activities in the Zhongyuan region can be traced back to the Palaeolithic period.

China, the world's leading producer of fruit, is also by far the leading producer of peaches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xu Xusheng</span>

Xu Xusheng, also known by his courtesy name Xu Bingchang, was a Chinese archaeologist, historian, and explorer born in Tanghe, Henan Province. Best known for his discovery of the Erlitou culture in 1959, he was one of China's most important and respected archaeologists and historians of the twentieth century, providing a model of archaeological methodology for future Chinese archaeologists. He also was president of Beijing Normal University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yueshi culture</span> Archaeological culture in China

The Yueshi culture was an archaeological culture in the Shandong region of eastern China, dated from 1900 to 1500 BC. It spanned the period from the Late Neolithic to the early Bronze Age. In the Shandong area, it followed the Longshan culture period and was later replaced by the Erligang culture.

The Zhou–Chu War was a military conflict between the Zhou dynasty under King Zhao and the state of Chu from 961 to 957 BC. King Zhao personally led at least two major campaigns against Chu and other states and tribes of the middle Yangtze region, initially conquering the lands north of the Yangtze and the Han River valley. Eventually, however, the Zhou forces suffered a crushing defeat, with half of their armed forces as well as King Zhao killed, subsequently losing control of much conquered territory. The war ended the era of Western Zhou's early expansion and forced it into the defense against foreign aggressors. On the other side, Chu consolidated its de facto independence and would continue to grow into one of the most powerful states of China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China's 100 major archaeological discoveries in the 20th century</span>

In 2001, the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences organized a poll for China's 100 major archaeological discoveries in the 20th century. The participants included eight national-level institutions for archaeology and cultural relics, provincial-level archaeological institutes from 28 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions, as well as from Hong Kong, the archaeological departments of 11 major national universities, and many other scholars in Beijing. After three months and three rounds of voting, the results were announced on 29 March 2001 and were published in the journal Kaogu (Archaeology). In 2002, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Press published the book China's 100 Major Archaeological Discoveries in the 20th Century (二十世纪中国百项考古大发现), with more than 500 pages and 1,512 pictures.

References

  1. Wu, Xiaohong; Zhang, Chi; Goldberg, Paul; et al. (29 June 2012). "Early Pottery at 20,000 Years Ago in Xianrendong Cave, China". Science. 336 (6089): 1696–1700. Bibcode:2012Sci...336.1696W. doi:10.1126/science.1218643. PMID   22745428. S2CID   37666548. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.

Further reading

chapter 7, Higham, Charles, 'East Asian Agriculture and Its Impact', p.234-264.
chapter 15, Higham, Charles, 'Complex Societies of East and Southeast Asia', p.552-594