Everything about The Prehistoric Beifudi Site totally explained
The
Prehistoric Beifudi site (北福地) near Yixian in
Hebei Province,
China, is the
excavation of a recently discovered
prehistoric Neolithic village that Chinese archaeologists say is one of the most important sites found so far.
This archaeological site was voted Number One in the Top Ten most outstanding archaeological findings in 2004 by Chinese archaeologists in their annual poll.
Findings
The most significant discovery in the first phase of the site's excavation is the large number of
pottery masks in the shape of human and animal faces, the oldest extant carvings to date. A dozen carved clay masks, in cat, monkey and pig as well as human likenesses, have been unearthed at Beifudi. One mask of a human face has a mouth and nose in carved
relief and the eyes are pierced out. The first
engraved clay artifacts ever found in ruins of this age, the masks add several millennia to China’s history of
carving. Although the beliefs of these Neolithic people are not known, the early Chinese almost certainly performed
ritual ceremonial sacrifices and burned
burials (
fanyi) on the raised platforms, as both human and animal burials have been found. The masks are believed to be part of the ritual performances accompanying sacrifices and burials.
Excavations in the second phase, dating to 6500–7000 BC include pottery and
stone tools,
ceramic pots (including the round-bottom fu vessel, the vessel seat, and the bo bowl) and small-mouth-double-handled pots.
Conclusions
Drawing on
archaeology,
geology and
anthropology, modern scholars don't see the origins of the
Chinese civilization or
Chinese history as one story but rather the history of the interactions of many different cultures and many different
ethnic groups that influenced each other's development. As the prehistoric Beifudi site is in northern China where the climate is drier than in the south, it's likely that this culture cultivated
millet although no direct evidence of cultivation has been found. The finding of stone tools for food processing doesn't reliably prove that the culture had developed agriculture as such tools were used before the cultivation of crops.
The importance of the prehistoric Beifudi site lies in its potential to provide archaeological information on the beliefs and ceremonial practices of this ancient culture through the ancient carved artifacts found there, as well as further understanding of the beginnings of
Chinese architecture.
Further Information
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