Majiayao Culture in Majiayao Site

Jiayao site is the first discovery of Neolithic culture in Gan Qing area in the upper reaches of the Yellow River. The cultural layers of the site include Majiayao culture in the early Neolithic period, Qijia culture in the late Neolithic period and Siwa culture in the late Neolithic period. The site is very rich in connotation, and a large number of painted pottery and stone tools have been unearthed. This site is of great value and significance to the study of Majiayao culture and prehistoric culture in the upper reaches of the Yellow River.

Majiayao culture is a local type of Yangshao culture developing westward, which appeared in the late Neolithic period more than 5700 years ago. After more than 3000 years of development, there are Majiayao, Banshan and Racecourse. Mainly distributed in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, Taohe River, Daxia River and Huangshui River basins in Gansu and Qinghai. The pottery industry of Majiayao culture is very developed, and its painted pottery inherits the hearty style of Yangshao culture, but it is more refined, forming a gorgeous and elegant artistic style, which is further developed than Yangshao culture. The development of painted pottery is a remarkable feature of Majiayao culture, which can be divided into intermediate type, Machang type and Shilingxia type according to the morning, middle and evening.

Majiayao type

Majiayao culture is mainly distributed in central and southern Gansu, northeastern Qinghai and southern Ningxia. The pottery is mainly orange pottery, with a small amount of gray pottery. Painted pottery is rich and varied, with exquisite patterns, mainly including vortex patterns, water ripples, concentric circles and animal patterns. The patterns on painted pottery expressed the worship consciousness of various clans and tribes at that time. The shape of pottery has changed greatly. Pots, bowls and bowls still exist, but the number of storage tanks, cans and bottles is gradually increasing. Compared with Yangshao period, the technology of firing pottery and pottery kiln has made great progress, the fire pool and kiln are separated, and the kiln temperature is obviously improved. And there are concentrated workshop-style pottery kiln sites. A relatively complete site, such as Linjia site located on the east bank of Daxia River in Dongxiang Autonomous County, Gansu Province, preserves the cultural remains of Majiayao type in various periods and is one of the representative sites of Majiayao type. Millet charcoal was also found in this place. This shows that millet was one of the main grains of ancestors at that time.

Majiayao culture Majiayao types can be divided into three periods: early, middle and late. Typical sites of Majiayao's early type are Yongdeng Jiangjiaping and Dongxiang Linjia. The main shapes of early painted pottery in Majiayao are still pots, bowls and bowls, as well as pots, bird-shaped utensils, pots, long-necked round-bellied bottles, flat-bottomed bottles and pointed-bottomed bottles. Most of them draw patterns on orange pottery, and black is thinner. Pots, bowls, and internal colors in bowls began to prevail. But the pattern of interior color is relatively simple.

Painted pottery in the middle period of Majiayao has entered the realm of perfection. Typical sites in the middle period of Majiayao type are Linjia (middle level) in Dongxiang, Yanerwan in Lanzhou, Majiayao in Lintao and Minya. Hetaozhuang and other sites. At this time, there is great innovation and development of types of ships and models. The surface of pottery is polished and smooth, and the delicate orange or beige pottery is painted with thick bright black, which shines brightly and moving. The painted pottery art of Majiayao culture entered the heyday of painted pottery history.

Typical sites in the late Majiayao period include Linjia in Dongxiang (upper level), Xipowa in Lanzhou (upper level), Shangsunjiazhai in Datong, Qinghai, Ledunaozhuang, Dujiatai in Yongdeng and Majiasi in Yuzhong. At this time, the painted pottery is still dominated by orange pottery. In addition to black painting alone, there are black and white paintings, with pots, bottles, pots, bowls and jars as the main shapes, as well as pots, spoons and waist-girding pots with big mouths and shallow bellies.

Intermediate type

The Mid-Levels were named after the site of Mid-Levels was first discovered by Swedish geologist An Tesheng in 1924 on the west bank of Taohe River in Guanghe County, Gansu Province. About 4500 years ago. Distributed in Longxi, Lanzhou, Lintao, Yongchang, Wuwei, Gulang and Jingtai. West to most parts of Qinghai. It is fully proved that the painted pottery in China originated from the local area and has the trend of spreading from east to west. In addition to some houses in the Mid-levels, there are many kiln sites for firing pottery near the houses. In addition to traditional pit tombs, sarcophagus tombs are also found in intermediate tombs. Painted pottery is the most common funerary object. Intermediate pottery is mainly red pottery, with a small amount of gray pottery and white pottery. Due to the further development of agriculture and the settled lifestyle, the pottery industry has gradually developed, pushing the development of painted pottery art to the peak of history.

Intermediate painted pottery shows a new prosperous period of painted pottery art, and the distribution area of intermediate painted pottery gradually moves westward. The arrangement ratio of containers can be divided into four stages:

The first phase of the site is represented by Sanying in Lanzhou, and there are Guanghe (early) Dipaping, Jingtai (early) Zhangjiatai and Linxia Zhangjiazui. The shapes of pots mainly include straight-necked pots and short-necked pots. There are serrated blind ears on both sides of the straight neck pot, and the abdomen is round. Patterns are mostly drawn alternately by black sawtooth bands and red sawtooth bands with equal thickness. At the turning point of the neck and shoulder, a red line and a black sawtooth band are inlaid in parallel, which is one of the characteristics of painted pottery in the Mid-levels.

The second phase of the site is represented by Guanghe Dibaping (middle stage), Jingtai Zhangjiatai (late stage), Guanghe Banshan, Dujiaping and Yongjing Yingtao Mountain. Pots and jars with one ear or high and low ears in the mid-levels are increasing, and pots and bowls are rare. The second painted pottery is characterized by lush and dense, and spiral patterns have become the main patterns in this period.

The third phase sites are Tugutai (early stage) and Qinggangcha Cliff in Lanzhou. Represented by Sha Jingyi, there is also Qinghai Longhua Group. Pots and kettles are lifted at the widest part of the abdomen, and the bottom gradually becomes smaller, and the shapes of pots and kettles tend to be steady and straight. The spiral pattern is still the main pattern of painted pottery, but the center of rotation is enlarged. The interior is decorated with various exquisite patterns. Interlaced black sawtooth stripes become wider, while red stripes become thinner. The painted pottery of Mid-Levels Phase III is more exquisite and complicated.

The fourth site is represented by Tugutai (middle stage) in Lanzhou, Liuwan in Ledu, Niumen Cave in Huining and Xishan in Chen Jing in Yongjing. It shows the evolution process from intermediate type to Ma Chang type. The bottoms of pots and cans are small, and the abdomen is like an inverted duck egg. It is necessary because of the large area of painting on the upper abdomen. Draw four consecutive circles and four circles developed from them. The tattoo of the god man became popular. At this time, most of the tattoos of the man of God are painted in red. Both sides are inlaid with black sawtooth stripes, and the human figure raises its hand to sow. The joints of hands and legs have claws, some have round heads, and some have disappeared.

Horse factory type

Machang type was named after it was discovered in Machang tableland, Minxun County, Qinghai Province, 4350-4050 years ago, and its distribution range is basically the same as that of Banshan type. But it eventually developed westward to Yumen area in Wuwei. From the analysis of a large number of unearthed spinning wheels and bone needles, the textile industry has developed rapidly. Pottery is mainly red pottery, with a small amount of gray pottery and white pottery. There are also a lot of red pottery clothes and white pottery clothes. Decorative patterns mainly include variant God-man pattern, zigzag pattern, circular pattern, palindrome pattern, diamond pattern, triangle pattern and so on. Compared with other types, the address of racecourse type is very different, and there have been single rooms, suites and multiple suites. There is a small room for storing things around the house site, and there is a kiln site for firing pottery not far from the house site.

Racecourse type is the continuation and development of intermediate type. Machang style has a painting method with earth red as the bottom and black patterns painted on it. Or a composite line of two black lines and one red line. In addition to these similarities, it gradually developed into two tributaries, one represented by Liuwan in Ledu, Gou Ping in Baidaogou in Lanzhou, Jiang Jiaping in Yongdeng, and the other represented by Yuanyang Pool in Yongchang. The most typical pottery in a racecourse is a colorful pottery pot with a lid. Machang painted pottery and painting techniques have also changed. In addition to the alternate use of black and red, there is also the phenomenon of adding the corresponding black narrow-band pattern to the red broadband pattern. Cultural value

Culture is the epitome of history and the mirror of the times. The high development of Majiayao culture is the most splendid light in the dawn of Chinese civilization in the Neolithic Age, which embodies many cultural achievements made by Chinese ancestors in ancient times. Majiayao culture not only contains many mysterious social and cultural information in prehistoric times, but also creates the earliest form of painting in China. In the painted pottery painting of Majiayao culture, the brush is used as the painting tool, the line is used as the modeling means, and black (the same as ink) is the main tone, which lays the historical foundation for the development of Chinese painting and the basic form characterized by line drawing. Painted pottery is the root of China culture and the source of painting. Majiayao culture pushed the development of prehistoric culture to a peak and created many new painting forms. The painted pottery painting of Majiayao culture is a magical and rich prehistoric "Chinese painting".

Ornamental value

Majiayao culture was formed in remote prehistoric times. Its diverse patterns, rich themes, exquisite patterns and ingenious ideas are unmatched by any ancient culture in prehistoric times, and its rich patterns constitute a classical, simple, magnificent and vigorous artistic style. Its magical animal patterns, magnificent songs and dances, contrasting geometric shapes and dynamic posture are as endless as the Yellow River. Like water drops on the waves of the Yellow River, it leads the ups and downs and reaches the peak of painted pottery art, leaving an extremely rich world of patterns, which will always be an inexhaustible artistic treasure house for mankind. The appreciation value it gives us is irreplaceable by any modern art. The farther the culture is, the more precious it becomes in modern life. The appreciation value of painted pottery in Majiayao culture is being recognized by more and more people.

Collection value

To see the collection value of an item, we must look at its historical value, cultural value, ornamental value and value-added value. All ancient pottery has historical value, but the cultural value and ornamental value of ancient painted pottery of Majiayao culture are incomparable with other ancient cultural types, especially its huge value-added potential, which will be further recognized by people with the improvement of people's living standards and the rapid expansion of the collection team. The price of painted pottery in Majiayao culture doubles every year, becoming a dazzling star in the collection field. Majiayao culture is a painted pottery culture distributed in Gansu in the late Neolithic period. Its painted pottery accounts for 20%-50% of the whole pottery system, and it can reach 80% in the funerary objects.

Types and decorative techniques are also very developed. Majiayao culture has been a hot topic in academic circles since the Swedish discovered the remains of Majiayao culture in the 1920s. The study of whether ancient painted pottery in China is native or imported from the West has made it more and more famous, and its rich and mysterious patterns and changeable shapes have also made artists fondle admiringly. However, no matter how to interpret these problems, the exquisite cookware of Majiayao culture is enough to make future generations covet. How did Yangshao culture develop into Majiayao culture?

Majiayao culture in the upper reaches of the Yellow River in the late Neolithic period also remains in northeastern Qinghai and southern Ningxia. Majiayao culture is the inheritance and development of Yangshao culture in the late Central Plains of Gansu Province, so it is also called Yangshao culture in Gansu Province. In time/sequence, it inherited the Miaodigou type of Yangshao culture, followed by Qijia culture. According to radiocarbon dating and correction, the age of Majiayao culture is about 3300-2050 BC. Majiayao culture is distributed in our state, with abundant reserves and scattered cultural sites. Since the 1920s, archaeologists have repeatedly investigated and discovered hundreds of Majiayao cultural sites in our state, and conducted archaeological excavations in Banshan, Crock Mouth, Linjia, dongxiang county, Zhangjiazui, Linxia County and majiawan, Yongjing County, and obtained rich archaeological data. The remains of Majiayao culture in Linxia occupy an important position in the cultural connotation of Majiayao, which has certain representativeness.

Majiayao culture has formed its own cultural characteristics in the development process of 1000 years, which is generally divided into three types: Majiayao, Banshan and Machang, representing three development periods respectively. Some archaeologists inserted a Shiling Gorge in front of Majiayao. After excavating the Bianjialin site in Le Kang, Chinese archaeologists put forward the Bianjialin type between Majiayao and Banshan. Majiayao type was named after it was first discovered in Majiayao Village, Lintao County. Radiocarbon dating and correction, the age is about 3300 BC to 2900 BC. Majiayao types are mainly distributed in Longdong and Longxi, north to southern Ningxia and northwestern Qinghai, and west to Wuwei, Gansu. Majiayao types are distributed in all counties of our state. Provincial protection units are Linjia Site in dongxiang county, Xiaoci Site in Yongjing County, Yangjiahe Site in Linxia County and Gongping Site in Linxia City, and county protection units are Jishishan Sanping.

Majiayao painted pottery is the most exquisite in Majiayao culture. Majiajiao painted pottery is argillaceous red pottery with fine texture, orange yellow and khaki. Its main shapes are pots, bowls, bottles, cans and pots. Majiajiao painted pottery is bright black, and grass leaves, eddies, waves, dots and parallel patterns are drawn on the bottom of the pottery. Painted pottery is mainly pot, urn, retort, casserole and so on. Among them, argillaceous pottery is mostly plain, and sand pottery is decorated with rope patterns and additional pile patterns. Although the remains of Majiajiao painted pottery in Linxia area are not rich, some treasures have also been unearthed. 1954 The painted pottery urn discovered in Sanping, Jishishan, is called the "King of Painted Pottery" because of its beautiful shape and fine decoration, and is now preserved in the China History Museum. Many painted pottery of Majiayao unearthed from Linjia site in Dongxiang are also rare products, and now they are treasures of Gansu Provincial Museum. In addition, there are many painted pottery of Majiayao preserved in our national museum and county cultural center. From the shape and decoration of Majiayao painted pottery, it can be clearly seen that the early artifacts developed from the bottom ditch type of Yangshao culture, and the late artifacts showed an intermediate transition trend.

Mid-level type is named after it was first discovered in ban shan cun, Nanshan Township, Guanghe County, our state. It was developed after Majiayao type, and it was determined to be about 2900-2350 BC, and distributed in Longxi Valley Basin, Hexi Corridor and northeastern Qinghai. Except for the first discovery in Guanghe, the Mid-level Mountain still exists widely in our state, and the Mid-level Mountain named in Guanghe is still a small pot with two ears and a bulging belly. Intermediate painted rings should use black and red sawtooth patterns, such as vortex patterns, water ripples, gourd patterns, diamond patterns, grid patterns and so on. The shoulders of pottery made of sand are decorated with extra pile patterns.

Mid-level painted pottery is a symbol of the prosperity of Majiayao culture with its generous shape and dense patterns. In the 1920s, An Tesheng, Sweden collected a large number of painted pottery treasures in the Mid-Levels of Guanghe County, especially the most peculiar painted pottery cover, which is now in the Far East Museum of Sweden. Since liberation, archaeologists in our province have obtained a lot of scientific data in the excavation and investigation of the ruins such as Baping in Guanghedi, which has made this type of cultural connotation have a comprehensive understanding and completely denied the wrong view that the Mid-Levels are only tombs.

Machang type is the last type of Majiayao cultural sequence, which is named after the first discovery in Machang site in Minhe County, Qinghai Province. Its age is about 2350 BC to 2050 BC, and its distribution area is similar to that of the Mid-levels, extending westward to Jiuquan and Yumen. Racecourse site faces our state across the river, and there are still a large number of racetrack-style sites in our state, among which provincial-level protection units are Yongjing Xingshutai, and county-level protection units are more distributed all over the state; Among the painted pottery collected in our state, three fifths are painted pottery from Machang. The painted pottery in Racecourse is mostly argillaceous red pottery, and the surface is often coated with a layer of red.

Pottery clothes are basically born out of the intermediate type, while the tank in Machang is long on the top and short on the bottom, the abdomen moves up and the ears become bigger, which is characterized by short spout, short neck, high abdomen and small bottom. Paint in black and red, with four circles as typical patterns, as well as frog patterns, fence patterns, geometric patterns, zigzag patterns and so on. In the early days, purple stripes with black edges were often used to draw patterns, and in the later period, thick black lines were used to form simple ideographic patterns. Horse factory pottery is decorated with sand in piles of patterns. Compared with Majiayao and intermediate painted pottery, Machang painted pottery is rough and simple in decoration, and often uses abstract and simple graphics to express imaginary concrete objects, indicating that Majiayao culture is gradually declining. The diamond pattern and woven pattern in the late Machang type are similar to the patterns of painted pottery in Qijia culture. Ma Chang Su Tao discovered in Yongjing, our state is more similar to Qijia culture, thus giving birth to a new culture in Linxia.

The primitive inhabitants who lived in the primitive area of Linxia and created Majiayao culture belong to the East Asian type of Mongols and belong to the same race as the creator of Yangshao culture in the Central Plains. From the observation of the ceramic head pot cover collected by Swede An Tesheng from Guanghe Mid-Levels, he also has a round face, a flat face, high cheekbones and a short nose, and belongs to Mongolian race. In addition, it can be clearly seen on the lid of a ceramic head pot preserved in Linxia Museum that this is a girl from a horse factory with a flat face and black lines on her head. The pottery figurines of Miaodigou, the predecessor of Majiayao culture, are also hairy and consistent with each other. However, according to historical records, the Rong people and Qiang people in the ancient western regions all had hair. Residents of Majiayao culture have raised sheep, and the original meaning of Qiang is shepherd. Therefore, the residents of Majiayao culture should be the ancestors of Rong and Qiang. The primitive ancestors of Majiayao culture have entered the era of agricultural planting. According to the excavation of Linjia site in Dongxiang, there are carbides of millet and hemp seed, which reflects the history of agricultural development in Linxia. With the development of primitive agriculture, Linxia ancestors also made primitive production tools, such as stone shovels and hoes. At the same time, with the rise of primitive handicraft industry, they made wooden tools, such as stone axe, stone chisel, stone hoe and so on. These stone tools are generally finely polished, often perforated and finely crafted. Textile tools include pottery spinning wheels. Judging from the hemp seeds unearthed from the site, Linxia ancestors wore linen clothes. In addition, some daily necessities, such as bone beads, bone needles, bone nails, etc., are highly refined by hand. Judging from the situation of pigs, dogs and sheep buried in some tombs, livestock farming also has a certain scale. The unearthed bone arrowheads, stone arrowheads and stone pills indicate the hunting level.

Yangshao culture, the Neolithic culture in the middle reaches of the Yellow River in China. Named after the earliest excavated site in Yangshao Village, Mianchi County, Henan Province. Its distribution is centered on the Central Plains, north to the Great Wall and Hetao area, south to northwest Hubei, east to eastern Henan, and west to the border area between Gansu and Qinghai. * * * More than 0/000 sites have been discovered, and more than 0/0 typical sites have been excavated on a large scale. According to radiocarbon dating and correction, the age is about 5000 ~ 3000 BC. Yangshao culture, formerly known as Laoguantai culture, Li Jiacun culture, magnetic mountain culture culture and Peiligang culture (some people called it Neolithic culture in the pre-Yangshao period), developed into Miaodigou culture in the Central Plains. Yangshao culture, with its wide distribution, long duration, rich connotation and far-reaching influence, has become a backbone of Neolithic culture in China, showing the social structure and cultural achievements of matriarchal clan system in China from prosperity to decline.

The discovery and study of Yangshao village site is located in the north of Mianchi county, including Yangshao culture, Miaodigou second-stage culture, Henan Longshan culture and Eastern Zhou culture. 192 1 year, Swedish scholar An Tesheng excavated the site. Later, several similar cultural sites were discovered in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River. Because these remains all contain a certain amount of painted pottery, they were once collectively called "painted pottery culture". Since 1926, China scholars have successively excavated sites such as Yin Xi Village in Xia County, Wanquan (now Wanrong) Jingcun Village, Anyang Hougang, and Dalai Store in Xun County. 193 1 year, Liang Siyong first discovered the "three layers" of Shang culture, Longshan culture and Yangshao culture, thus determining the relative age of Yangshao culture. From the discovery of Yangshao culture to the 1940s, the academic circles also preliminarily discussed the characteristics and nature of this culture.

After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), new achievements have been made in the archaeological discovery and research of Yangshao culture. Extensive archaeological investigations have been conducted and a number of important sites have been excavated, such as Anbanpo in Shaanxi, Jiangzhai in Lintong, Beishouling in Baoji, Yuan Jun Temple and Hu Quan Village in hua county, Huayinheng Town in Henan, Miaodigou in Shanxian County, Wang Wan in Luoyang and Dahe Village in Zhengzhou. On the basis of field work, the archaeological community, taking some typical sites as representatives, analyzed the face of Yangshao culture, and combined with the absolute age of radiocarbon dating, discussed and studied its zoning, types, stages and their relationship, and achieved certain results. The decorative patterns, pottery-making techniques, production tools, architectural techniques and funeral customs of painted pottery were also studied. Through the study of village layout, house form, tomb system, tools and other physical materials, this paper comprehensively discusses the production, life and social conditions of Yangshao culture, with a view to restoring the social history at that time, in which we mainly understand the social structure of Banpo type.

Those who advocate Yangshao culture as a patriarchal society think that there was developed hoeing agriculture at that time, after the first social division of labor; It is also pointed out that the existence and quantity of funerary objects in tombs are related to the germination of private ownership, which is the symbol of the emergence of patriarchal clans. Some people also regard the appearance of round pottery and many houses in the late Yangshao culture as the symbol of patriarchal society.

Relationship with other cultures Yangshao culture was developed from Neolithic culture in the pre-Yangshao period. The latter includes Peiligang culture, magnetic mountain culture, Laoguantai culture (or Dadiwan culture) and Li Jiacun culture (see early Neolithic culture in North China). Among them, there is a clear understanding of the old Taiwanese culture in the Weishui River Basin. After three stages of development: Dadiwan period, Baijia period and Beishouling period, it can always be associated with the Banpo type of Yangshao culture. From the comparison of artifacts, the pottery of Neolithic culture in "pre-Yangshao" period is characterized by tripod and bottom, and the pots, bowls, jars and plates in the artifacts are close to the early Yangshao culture, and their characteristics are more and more the same as time goes by. Yangshao culture has inherited and further developed carving patterns, rope patterns and line patterns, as well as simple color patterns, such as broadband patterns and coloring the inside of pots and bowls. Other round or oval semi-crypt houses of Neolithic culture in the "pre-Yangshao" period, adults mostly bury their heads on their backs, and children also bury their heads in urns and coffins, all of which indicate that they are related to Yangshao culture. Some people think that its evolution may have been completed in the Weishui River Basin at the earliest. Yangshao culture developed to the late stage, that is, Qin Wangzhai type and Xiwangcun type. The former developed into Miaodigou second-stage culture in the Central Plains, while the latter developed into Zhaojialai and Changshan lower-level culture in the Weishui Valley, and then developed into Longshan culture and Qijia culture in Shaanxi. The two are basically developing simultaneously.

Yangshao culture and Dawenkou culture are two primitive cultures that develop in parallel, learning from each other and influencing a lot. For example, the tripod, foot-winding device and hole-carving device in the bottom ditch of Yangshao culture temple are mostly typical artifacts of Dawenkou culture and absorbed by Yangshao culture; Painted pottery pots and bowls in Dawenkou culture Liu Ling and Dadunzi tombs are undoubtedly the products of Yangshao culture. The lip-rolling basin and mouth-folding basin in the middle period of Daxi culture in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River are the same as Yangshao culture, and the knob on the cover is the same as the bottle mouth at Banpo tip. The painted pottery patterns unearthed from the site of Guanmiao Mountain are also the same as those of Miaodigou. Majiayao culture in the upper reaches of the Yellow River in Gan Qing is a regional branch of Yangshao culture that developed westward in the middle and late period. The Yangshao cultural remains near the desert grassland in the north contain many microlithic cultural factors. In the distance, Hongshan Culture in the upper reaches of Liaohe River also contains the ornamentation and shape of Yangshao culture, and some people even regard it as a local branch of Yangshao culture developing to the northeast. In a word, Yangshao culture has gradually formed the core part of Chinese primitive culture in the long history of two thousand years. It constantly absorbs the factors of the surrounding culture and affects the surrounding culture to varying degrees, laying the foundation for the formation of the cultural organism of the Chinese nation.