Cultural relics at the Lingjiatan site

Ancient well

The ancient well was found in the remains of red pottery blocks. The upper half of the well wall was made of red pottery blocks, with a diameter of 1 meter and a depth of 3.8 meters. The appearance of the well shows that the ancestors of Lingjiatan have entered a civilized society at this time, because they already know how to drink clean and hygienic well water. However, the phenomenon that there are only a few pottery pieces at the bottom of the well and the location of the well indicate that You see, it is not a well that can be used by ordinary people, but a "holy water" well used by those with the highest authority, or used only for important sacrificial activities. The well uses artificial construction materials and fortress construction technology, and is the earliest known example in the country.

Stone Wall

The architectural relic "Stone Wall" was found at the boundary between the two tomb areas of the Lingjiatan site. The "Stone Wall" is a strip about 30 centimeters high. It is about 20 centimeters wide, running northeast and southwest, and is a strip-shaped building made of small stones. Due to the limited excavation area, its length and function are not yet clear, but as far as the existing building itself is concerned , you have to be amazed by it. This building is made of stones of varying widths and sizes, and they are stacked together one by one. There is no adhesive between each stone, but it is still difficult for us to pick up the stones stacked together with our hands. open. This is enough to show that the ancestors of Lingjiatan had mastered geometric mechanics and had superb architectural skills more than 5,000 years ago. The jades unearthed from Lingjiatan Cemetery are unmatched by other ancient cultural sites in China's Neolithic Age and have important archaeological, historical, scientific and aesthetic and artistic values. Utensil shapes are mainly divided into the following categories.

Tools and weapons

Mainly include axes, axes, and axes that lack practical functions and should be used for ceremonial purposes. Decoration categories: mainly bracelets, huangs, rings, blocks, bis, double bis, tubes, beads, which are used for decoration on the Qiao body, as well as pagoda-shaped ornaments, buckle-shaped ornaments, trumpet-shaped ornaments, and crescent moons with special shapes. Shape decoration, mushroom-shaped decoration, crown-shaped decoration.

Animal or human figures

Mainly include pigs, turtles, dragons, wind birds, eagles, rabbits, standing figures and seated figures, with a small number; other categories: shapes Rather special. Such as jade plates, triangular jade pieces, jade spoons, etc. In addition, the drilling technology of Lingjiatan jade is also amazing. Some holes have a diameter of only 0.15 mm, which can be said to be as thin as a hair. This technology is not easy to achieve with modern technology.

Metal

Combined with the thick Ganguo slices discovered in archaeological excavations, experts speculate that Lingjiatan may have had metal smelting technology 5,300 years ago, otherwise it would not have been possible. To achieve the above drilling effect. If this speculation is confirmed, it means that smelting technology and metal tools had already appeared in China before the Yin Shang Bronze Age. This will rewrite the history of Chinese metallurgical technology and tool manufacturing, and have a great impact on the original conclusions of the entire development history of Chinese civilization. It will also extend the understanding of the history of Chinese civilization for thousands of years.

Jade Dragon

The Jade Dragon is oblate, connected head to tail, with a protruding snout, two horns carved out of the head, and clearly carved dragon whiskers, mouth, nose, and eyes. Although different dragon themes appear in the prehistoric archaeological culture of northern and southern China, the round-shaped jade dragon unearthed 5,300 years ago strongly and distinctly shows the traditional characteristics of Chinese dragons, and is very similar to the image of dragons in people's imagination. China Today's image of the dragon and the concept of the dragon probably originated from Lingjiatan, so the Lingjiatan Jade Dragon is called "the first dragon in China".

Jade Eagle

The Jade Eagle is in the shape of flying with its wings spread out. The eagle's head is viewed from the side, and its eyes are represented by opposite holes. The octagonal pattern on the chest and abdomen is the main decoration. The wings are spread out and the wings are in the shape of Pig head shape. The eagle has a muscular appearance and a fierce temperament, symbolizing bravery and strength. This jade eagle may be the symbol of the Lingjiatan ethnic emblem, or it may be a sacrificial item, because the combination of the eagle and the octagonal pattern is the sunbird, which symbolizes the sun god and is the messenger of heaven. The jade eagle's wings are spread out in the shape of a pig's head, showing people that the sunbird flies into the sky, offering sacrifices to God, and at the same time bringing people's prayers to God. This reflects the original cosmology and piety of the ancestors of Lingjiatan.

This is a Neolithic jade carving with double pig heads, Bagua and an eagle. There is a snail shell-like shape on the back of the eagle's head, which makes the eagle's head look like a snail. , in ancient times, the pronunciation of "Wo" and "Wa" were similar, which was a metaphor for Nuwa. The entire jade is triangular in shape, with pig-head-shaped wings and an eight-pointed star decoration on the abdomen and chest, representing the Fuxi culture that created the Bagua. Pigs were a sacred object in ancient times, and jade pigs were often used as sacrificial vessels. The pig is the pig, which is the symbol of the dangerous and empty constellations among the twenty-eight constellations. At the same time, the jade objects such as turtles and pigs unearthed are metaphors for the turtles and pigs in ancient astronomy. Therefore, this jade carving is a ritual vessel used by the ancient people of Lingjiatan to commemorate their ancestors and heaven and earth.

Jade Man

The jade man is a relief sculpture, showing for the first time the complete physical style of primitive humans, with a rectangular face, thick eyebrows, big eyes, double eyelids, a garlic nose, big ears, With a big mouth, its body shape and facial features show the unique characteristics of the Mongolian race. The round crown on the head and the belt with diagonal stripes on the waist indicate that there was a very developed textile technology at that time. The beauty has a mustache on her upper lip. , indicating that shaving tools were already available at that time. The appearance of the jade woman shows that society has shifted from the original worship of animals and nature to the worship of humans, indicating that social concepts have changed. In addition, the jade woman's arms are bent, her fingers are spread out on her chest, and her arms are covered with jade rings. This shows that people already had aesthetic concepts at this time and knew how to wear jewelry to decorate themselves.

Jade Juan

Among the large number of colorful jade Juans unearthed in Lingjiatan, the Tiger-headed Juan and the Dragon-Phoenix Juan have the most archaeological and research value, which directly reflect the Lingjiatan ancestors. people’s social organizational structure, ethics, cultural customs and productivity development level. The tiger-headed huang may not be an ordinary ornament, but a kind of military talisman, a token of troop deployment and alliance. The tiger-headed huang and a large number of jade axes, jade axes, jade weapons and other weapons were unearthed from the same tomb, which illustrates the military power at that time. The high concentration also reflected the more frequent wars and the existence of military alliances at that time.

To this day, Chinese people have always used "dragon and phoenix to present good fortune" to bless newlyweds. So when do we use "dragon and phoenix" as a metaphor to refer to when marriage began? The dragon and phoenix huangs in Lingjiatan have found the source of Chinese dragon and phoenix culture for us. The dragon and phoenix huangs were used as tokens of marriage at that time, indicating that the ancestors of Lingjiatan had practiced exogamy and had entered a new stage of civilization in the marriage system. This also shows that the Chaohu Basin is the birthplace of the Dragon and Phoenix culture.

Jade Turtle

The Jade Turtle and the original Bagua plate are one of the most precious cultural relics among the jades unearthed in Lingjiatan. According to ancient documents, Fuxi, one of the "Three Emperors", was the "initiator of Bagua". "Taiping Huanyu Ji" records that "Fuxi got a turtle in Caishui because he painted the altar of the Eight Diagrams"... These records all reflect that Fuxi's creation of the Eight Diagrams has a certain connection with the turtle. The jade turtles unearthed in Lingjiatan and the jade tablets of the original Bagua diagram have physically confirmed the existence of this connection. The jade turtle and the jade tablet were unearthed at the same time, which shows that there is a close connection between the two jade objects and they should be tools for divination. What is even more commendable is that when these two artifacts were unearthed, the jade tablets were placed inside the tortoise shell of the jade turtle, and they were the same as the "Yuan Turtle Title Talisman" ("Yellow Emperor's Army Expedition") and "Yuan Gui Fu" recorded in ancient Chinese literature The "negative book comes out" ("Shang Shuhou") and the "big turtle negative picture" ("Longgui River Picture") are exactly the same.

The jade tablet

The front of the jade tablet is rectangular, and the back is slightly concave. Five round holes are drilled on each of the two short sides, and nine round holes are drilled on one long side. Drill 2 round holes on both ends of the long side. There is a circle carved in the middle of the jade plate, with a square-centered eight-pointed star pattern carved inside the circle; a large oval is carved outside the circle, and the two circles are divided into eight equal parts by straight lines (each equal part is carved with a Gui-shaped pattern). On the outer edge of the oval Each of the four corners of the rectangular jade plate is engraved with a Gui-shaped pattern on the edge of the circle. The patterns carved on this jade tablet reflect the original philosophical thinking of the ancestors of Lingjiatan 5,000 years ago, that is, the eight-pointed star pattern in the center of the circle should represent the sun, and the eight gui-shaped patterns outside the small circle and within the large circle should represent the sun. It represents the eight directions of east, west, south, north and southeast, northeast, southwest and northwest. The four Gui-shaped ornaments at the outer corners of the large circle should represent the four dimensions. The four dimensions and eight directions may be the so-called "four dimensions have been determined, and the eight trigrams face each other" recorded in "Historical Records: Biography of Guice". According to the age of the Lingjiatan site, the jade tablet should be the original Bagua chart from the "Three Emperors" era.

Stone diamond

Stone diamond is one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the Neolithic Age in China in the 20th century. Its discovery is of extremely important significance to the study of Neolithic tool manufacturing. The design and manufacture of stone diamonds reflect the wisdom and advanced technology of Lingjiatan ancestors. The design of stone diamonds itself encompasses the basic principles of mechanics, mechanics, and geometry. Among them, the original design of the screw thread drill bit has immeasurable academic value.

From the combination of important jade ritual objects unearthed from the Lingjiatan tomb, we can see the different statuses of the tomb owners, indicating that there was an obvious differentiation between rich and poor at that time, private ownership had emerged, and class opposition had emerged. . A large number of ceremonial weapons such as jade axes, stone axes, agate axes, and jade weapons were unearthed in various forms, indicating the frequency and intensity of foreign wars at that time, and reflecting the historical process in which the emergence of civilization resulted from the conflict between wealth and power. .

The Twelve Firsts of the Lingjiatan Site

The Lingjiatan Site ranks first in archaeological excavations in China in at least 12 aspects.

Jade figure: jade eagle, jade plate, jade spoon, red clay block architectural remains, aventurine, agate ax, axe, crystal ear, jade tube micro carving, jade diamond, jade gong, jade tiger head, jade dragon, artificial boulder pile