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(Kaogu 1987:769-772,859. Scanned/transl. by Irene Chau; transl./edited by B. Gordon/Raymond Chau)
After liberation, Cultural Features Branch archaeologists tested and excavated many important Wei Basin sites. From Xian Banpo, Baoji Beishouling and Lintong Jiangzhai sites, Weinan historic archaeologists were already quite familiar with the Wei Basin Banpo type of Yangshao culture, but interest in the Miaodigou type continued. It is in north and south Qinling as a consistently vague transitional trait from Longshan culture. To comprehend its Wei Basin distribution, one must understand its ties with other cultural types, like its clear transition from Yangshao to Longshan culture. In spring, 1986, we worked with many comrades in the Wei Basin on Neolithic Miaodigou remains, testing and excavating Nantian County sites in autumn. As only our spring testing is summarized, we introduce Miaodigou remains in Nantian Xiewu and Wugong limestone Dianzi sites, concurrent with several new Neolithic sites in Dali County.
The Miaodigou type of Yangshao culture is mainly in west Henan, Puna and Shaanxi Guanzhong area, with its core in Huashan, including Zhongtiao and Ziwu Mountains in the broad north slopes of the Qinling Range. In Henan, the upper Han River also has finds in the Gansu Shandong foothills. Its type remains are represented in the lower level of Miaodigou sites, in type sites Shanxirui City, Xiwang Village lower levels, Shaanxi Hua Xian Yuenjunmiao upper formation, Quanshou Village lower level, Huayin Fort, Jiang Stronghold intermediate floor, under Xi'an Banpo intermediate floor, Mengcun County upper formation, etc. In recent years, new finds of this type of site in Wei Basin are Wugongyoufung, South Zhao, Gaoling Marnan Village, Xianyang Yinjia Village, Beichang Walled Village. West Palace Village, Huayin Nancheng, Beiwei, Nanliu and Tongchuan Li Jiagou, etc. 20 new sites occur, basically in the middle and lower Mei Xian of the Wei River plain and both banks of the Wei River.
Banpo type distribution in Miaodigou type sites in the Wei Basin is more widespread. Like southwest Henan remains, its pottery types are red bowl, curved body bowl, coiled body dish, double-lipped small-mouthed pointed-base jar, round-based pot and kettle, stove, two-handled tripod, etc. Jinnan region compares with it but has obvious difference, like more small-mouthed flat-based jars, extremely rare open-mouthed two-handled tripods, etc., but walls in those with small mouths and round pointed bases are thick, with constricted waists and short thick necks. Besides much plain or polished thin cordmarked, line-grained pottery, large polished surface vessels are more common, plus cordmarked grain and regional stripes. There is more painted pottery, mainly black, but also red and white, and white belted pottery. Painted designs covers the outer surface and upper vessel in groups of straight lines, dotted, hook-leafed, arcuate and triangles. Decoration also includes grid, whorled chord, and rare animal forms.
We tested at Dali, Huaxian, Weinan, Nantian, Gaoling and Wei Basin at Tongchuan, Xianyang, Wugong and Fengxiang Hebaojideng, several Miaodigou type sites, and earlier at the Banpo and Xiwang Village type sites; also upper Han River Mianxian, Nanzhen, Chenggu, Yangxian, Shiyao, some sites near Xi Village in the Heankangde District and on both Wei banks between Hebaojideng and Jin Pass, the so-called "800 mile Qin River". There are not only obvious Miaodigou artifacts in some Banpo type sites, but many pure Miaodigou sites with only Chunmaiodigou type, Beixie County, Tongchuan, Chengcheng, Yixian, north beyond Qinling Pass to upper Han River and Shangluo mountain area, Chenggu Dianjiazui, Yangshan Xiyuan, Huluyuan, Shang County, Zhaoyuan, Denyi site; all incomparable to Miaodigou type.
Nantian County was originally in the Wei area, but now under Xi'an jurisdiction. Xiehu Town is 20+ km southeast of Xi'an, passing Shangluo to Hubei Province, to Gongluo Town. The site is north of town and 1.5 km south of Ba River. Yangshao, Longshan and Shangzhou culture ash level and stratum is in a 200,000 sq.m area west up to Shahe Village, east to Jiaping, north to Dujia, crossing Keijiandao ditch to the upper mountain path and Baochu.
From surface sherds, this is a very important Miaodigou type site, with other regional types like Miaodigou type 2, Xiwang Village type 2, Mioadigou and Kesheng Village, in cultural levels exceeding 7 m thick.
Fig. 1
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Nantian Chi Lake artifacts: 1, 2, 5 - painted bowls 3 - red bowls 4, 8 - double-lipped pointed-base jar 6, 9 - red bowls 7 - ceramics? 10 - needle-shaped tool 11 - small-mouthed thin-necked pot l2 - stone adze (1, 4, 6, 10, 12 is 2/5, l/5 actual size)
The Chi Lake site has Miaodigou type remains, many painted bowls (Fig. 1, 1, 2, 5), double-lipped pointed-base jars (Fig. 1, 8) with unique Hequ body, but rare kettles, stoves, two-handled tripods or Jiasha red cooking pot. Use of a pottery wheel is especially seen in thin red bowls (Fig. 1, 6, 9), earthen bowl, etc., their turnmarks very obvious, neat, mostly symmetrical, beautiful and firm. These pointed-base jars have wide lips and concave necks (Fig. 1, 4) of Late Miaodigou type and small-mouthed thin-necked pot (Fig. 1, 11) of Late Banpo period, but not Miaodigou. Some pots have cake-shaped decoration, but more is Late Banpo color. Therefore, this site obviously has Late Banpo material, or possibly Xiwangcun type, a quite prominent trait.
This site also yielded two types of typical Miaodigou vessels, more sandy-ashy clay, pots, red bowls (Fig. 1, 3), trumpet-shaped small cup, bowl, etc., some identical to Miaodigou finds, but unlike both natural styles of Miaodigou and Jinnan regions. The east Guanzhong area merits more attention than west Henan. Moreover, here both artifact forms are also rich in Kesheng Village, with Western Zhou Dynasty marks and artifacts. Thus, these sites very possibly solve unresolved questions on early relations between Miaodigou forms and Kesheng Village, and between Kesheng Village and early Western Zhou Dynasty, etc.
The Chi Lake site also yielded numerous dazhi and ground stone tools (Fig. 1, 12) and a huge adze, a link to pottery ornamentation. Most stone tools were broken on processing, some bifacial knives, scrapers, needle-shaped tool (Fig. 1,10), etc. retaining cortex. This site also has an exquisitely made "T" type clay piece and many stone adzes (Fig. 1, 7). Autumn excavation of several dozen sq. m produced 70+ common ornaments, representing traits of life, custom and style, precious material for primitive folk custom research.
The Wei Basin, Zhiwugong, Zhouzhi County, gradually widens to Wugong within the Nei Valley plain, with Neolithic sites on both banks. They are more crowded downstream, with some very big and especially thick sites, Youfengyi site to Zuoguabao Road and Wugong Natian limestone Dianzi the most important two. For simplification, we briefly introduce the Nantian limestone Dianzi site.
The Nantian limestone Dianzi Village site in west Wugong County is 6 km west of Pujo Town in a 20,000 sq. m area on east upper Qishui River tableland. A section shows a cultural level at least 2 m thick, with ashpit, remnant adze and a later period ashy white smooth-surfaced house. Sherd and stone tools suggest this site is Miaodigou type of Yangshao culture, along with remains of Longshan culture and Western Zhou Dynasty.
Fig. 2
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Wugong limestone Dianzi site sherds
1, 6 - small-mouthed pointed-base jar
2, 10 - natural red clay bowl
3, 4 - polychrome bowl
7, 9 - red clay bowls
8 - red bodied bowl (5, 7-10 are 1/5 scale, rest 2/5)
This Miaodigou type find is very typical, uniform with similar remains in Guanzhong plain, northwest Henan and the Jinnan region. Sherds are of several kinds:
1. thin red clay open-mouthed bowl, curved body, mouth has narrow black lip (Fig. 2, 2, 10) with obvious pottery wheel turnmarks.
2. thin red clay open-mouthed bowl, curved body, thinner low body wall (Fig. 2, 8), with obvious wheel turnmarks.
3. painted red clay bowl with obvious wheel turnmarks, upper and mouth with dot and triangular curved grain and lip with curved black narrow band (Fig. 2, 3, 4);
4. folded hand-thrown red bowl, thick at mouth with heavy aspect, or f inger-pressed double-folded slanted wall, deep body with straighter wall (Fig. 2, 5, 7, 9). This kind of bowl is mainly plain-surfaced, with overall body line grain;
5. red small-mouthed pointed-based, striped double lipped hand-thrown Zhufashouzhi jar with thin cordmarked or line grained body, stubby neck; some small and flat-based (Fig. 2, 1, 6).
The above five vessel types represent basic Miaodigou pottery without kettles, two-handled tripods and stoves (like Wei Basin Miaodigou type), but this is based on restricted surface gathering and does not prove their absence. Further excavation of the Dianzi Hutian Xiehuyi site obtained more pottery, with rare artifacts of these types, but there were many Jiasha pot bases with soot marks, explaining the Wei Basin Miaodigou type is completely unlike Henan Xihe and Jinnan regional habits and customs with respect to kettles, two-handled tripods and multipurpose cooking pots.
On the easternmost Wei River plain in Dali County, Rui City separates Yellow River from Yongji, Shanxi Province. Most of the county is plain, high in the north, low in the south. On the north Huangtutai Plateau, across the gully, the Luo River flows west to join the Wei. Some Neolithic sites are on both Luo banks and the plains above. Ancient stone tools and the Palaeolithic "Dali person" were found on its left bank. Fine stone tools are widely distributed in the Shayuan area south of the Luo River plain.
The few Dali County Neolithic sites, mainly Banpo and Miaodigou types, are introduced below:
1. Zhaojia siteThis site is 7.5 km from Boshi Village, southeast of Caideng Village county seat, widely distributed over 5000 sq. m on the SW side of Zhaojia Village on Luo River. Material occurs below the village and from west to east along south Buraoliu Stream.
About 3 m thick cultural levels rest on an ash level, their sherds from:
Painted red clay bowl with deep lower body fold, vertical mouth and grain mainly fishlike, full-grouped oblique lines and triangular, like regular Banpo sites.
Spiral of red or brown clay with straight tiny mouth.
Jar of overall finely cordmarked red thin clay with small mouth.
Pot of unkown type from tiny Jiesha or red sherds that do not allow full reconstruction.
In addition, the upper formation in this sites also has more Shang ash floor and sherds that were seriously destroyed under Yangshao accumulation.
2. Dike sites
The sites are 6 km west of county seat of Qiangbai Village. The south sites are on two terraces on the north shore of Luo River, west to south Buraoliu. Village growth has reduced site area to only 2000 sq. m. A vertical exposure shows 2 m thick Yangshao ashy floor and ashpit with many sherds reconstructible as:
Painted pottery as exquisite strong red clay bowls with folded curved body and large volume. Decorative grain is mainly fish, triangular, arcuate, triangular dot, flower petal, etc. Construction and decorative design reflect the transition from Banpo to Miaodigou type (Fig. 3, 2, 4-7).
Red bowls are small mouthed, round-lipped, but also pointed-lipped. Some open-mouthed earthen bowls have a wide black band, and block and slanting triangle decoration.
Jar bodies are shuttle-shaped, thinly cordmarked below mouth, with remnant base of pointed-base jar showing signs of hand-throwing.
Pots are ashy red clay, with tiny lip, flat-base, smoked, burnt or steam-marked base and lower body indicating main cooking ware. Surface is cordmarked, some pots having a diagonal grain under the mouth.
Large mouth pointed-base red pot has Wai kettle type body wall, pointed (or round) base), all in sites like Banpo. Tethered or hung for drawing well water, it has a birdbeak decoration on its lower mouth.
In addition, this site also has other sherd types (Fig. 3, 3), but breakage makes reassembly difficult. Full artifacts from Dike sites appear transitional from Banpo to Miaodigou types.
3. Nian site
This 2000 sq. m site is 4 km from Pohe Village and 3 km SW of Luo River in a 3 m thick cultural level.
This sites has several kinds of pottery (below):
Red bulbous bowls with full groups of straight lines and symmetrical triangles (Fig. 3, 8), some with black ribbon on mouth.
Bowls are mainly red clay, with straight mouths of two kinds, with wide black band or fully grouped short straight colored line. Mouth is clear inside but has obvious later ring repairs and retains round press marks. A white clay bowl has straight mouth, flat lip; another is black clay, open-mouthed and bigger (Fig. 3, 1), with inside and outside pitch-black but of exquisite quality. This Nantian bowl type is not uncommon.
Jar bodies are thin and finely cordmarked, with smooth inner walls and bowl-shaped mouth.
Pots are mainly ashy thick red clay, but also tan and black, with flat-base, small mouth, drumlike body and plain or cordmarked surface. Mouths have lower diagonal grain.
These sites also have white clay bowls, a few measuring flasks, white bowls and some bowls with white inner and outer coating, a style rarely seen.
Fig. 3
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Dali Dike and Nian site sherds (scale: 3 is 2/5, 6, 7 is l/5, rest 2/l5) 1 - black bowl (Nian) 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 - painted pottery (2, 4-7 from Dali Dike, 8 from Nian) 3 - red clay bowls (Dali Dike)
The above introduces several Yangshao sites of Banpo and Miaodigou types, their difference worth attention on Miaodigou type site traits west of Tongchuan. Recent excavation shows different traits which will be demonstrated sooner or later, and will reflect more regional differences. Research on the Wei Basin Banpo type period 2 and Xian Village, along with a critical examination of the transition to Miaodigou period 2 for early cultural ties, doubtless will present some problems for future research.