Traditional ancient villages in Dengzhou

Baligang site is located on the south bank of the turbulent river in the eastern suburb of Dengzhou. This place is called Baligang because it is eight miles away from the county seat and above Gaogang area.

The ruins of this ancient village were discovered in the 1950s, and it was not until the 1990s that it attracted widespread attention.

From 199 1 to 200 1, Peking University Archaeological Department and Nanyang Institute of Cultural Relics conducted more than ten excavations here, and finally found out the distribution scope and cultural connotation of the site.

Baligang site is a Neolithic settlement site with an area of nearly 90,000 square meters and a cultural layer thickness of 3 to 5 meters, which is about 4,000 to 6,800 years ago.

Why is the location of Baligang site so high?

Look how great it is. 6000 years ago, the ancients lived in a suite, which is equivalent to the current unit room. A suite consists of several connected single rooms, and sliding doors were discovered for the first time. The unearthed 100 suites are connected in two rows, facing south, east and west respectively.

After the house collapsed, later generations continued to ram the soil and build walls on the original foundation, thus forming a high hill on the rushing river bank.

According to archaeological research, the soil layer below is the middle and late Yangshao culture, followed by Qujialing culture, Shijiahe culture and Longshan culture. It can be traced back more than 6000 years to 4000 years ago. The length of time span is rare in China.

In addition, more than 200 tombs have been excavated, including single tombs and multi-person tombs thousands of years ago.

After arriving at Baligang Village, I walked to the swift river bank. After the rain, the swift river was foggy. Standing on the shore, I can overlook the tall buildings in the city.

Back at the entrance to the village, I happened to meet an 80-year-old kind-hearted old man. I asked him about the discovery of this site?

The old man said that when he was young, the soil on the construction site was as high as two floors next to it.

There was a flood in the Republic of China, and many aquatic plants were hung on the wall of Dengzhou City. There is still no water in Baligang, and people come here to escape the flood.

Later, people built houses and came here to borrow soil. Now it is much lower. Because the wall made of the earth here is white and strong after drying.

When taking soil, the villagers found a large number of stone tools, axes, shovels, piles of inner shells, antlers and plant ash.

The old man's thinking is clear, he added. After eating deer, the ancients left their antlers aside. This antler can be used to make soup, and lactating women can drink it to give milk. People from Shiliba Village often come here to look for antlers.

In the past, when people cultivated land, they often found some red clods. The old man talked about his own views. He thinks that after the ancient people built the wall, they used fire to dry the soil.

I think this may be the residence of the patriarch, and the road in front of the door is paved with red-hot clods.

The old man also talked about the funeral custom of his ancestors, that is, celestial burial first, and then bone burial. Children's bones are put in clay pots, and adults' bones are picked up and buried together.

Indeed, the Baligang site is of unique value for studying the living conditions and customs of prehistoric humans.

It also shows once again that southwest Henan is a treasure land with many rivers, fertile land and humid air, which is suitable for living.