The 200,000 sq. m Xishanping site is 15 km west of Tianshui City, Gansu Province. Its natural water and mountain environment was very suitable to ancient people. Several years of excavation yielded significant archaeological material.
This big, deep site with a full culturally rich sequence is a recent important northwest discovery.
In the first 1987 excavation, Xishanping revealed a lower folded cultural level, providing an extremely important base for solving Wei Basin Neolithic origin and growth, longstanding archaeological problems and a real step forward on Early Neolithic tool research. Banpo type sites were later found one after another, then more Early Neolithic sites, Majiabao type, Chijia and Dadiwan culture, etc. In this way, Early and Late periods led to an explicit Neolithic growth sequence.
The Xishanping cultural sequence over 4,000 years, each generation showing its housing and works. Dependance on agricultural growth allowed stable settlement.
Excavated stone tools from Early to Late periods show continuity and growth of primitive agriculture, with representative tools and craft industry also showing clear history and economic growth which allowed northwest expansion from this agricultural center.
One remaining cultural expression in the northwest is the dearth of >7000 year-old Early Neolithic sites with flakes, chipped stone axes, shovels, discoids, etc.
Axe manufacture involved partially unretouched edges ground for immediate use. Handheld axes are choppers (Fig.1:1).
Variable simple discoids and axes were also handheld, with some unretouched edges (Fig.1:2).
Retouched shovels have fixed shape, one type much longer with sharp end, plus unground kidney-shaped ones. Shovel use rules out direct hand hafting, suggesting a compound handle (Fig.1:3). Another compound type is smaller and kidney-shaped, partially edge-retouched and ground (Fig.1:4).
These few tool types of simple manufacture suggest Early Neolithic (p.53), with some broadly notched. They are multipurpose, suggesting the agricultural economy still had not become dominant. But tool manufacture later achieved higher levels, with saws, chisels, needles, awls, etc., common.
Bone saws are made from animal shoulder blades by shaping and grinding (Fig.2:4). This type of complete bone saw seldom occurs in prehistoric sites.
Chisels and scrapers are very fine animal limb bones split and ground to a thin edge (Fig.2:3), indicating bone tool manufacture achieved a higher level. Bone needles and awls appear >7000 years ago, suggesting primitive tailoring (Fig.2:1,2) and symbolizing ancient life and great advances in clothing.
The shape and size of some round sherds imply a pottery wheel (Fig. 3:9,10), some colleagues suggesting half-finished products, but in reality this cannot be established because turning marks are absent. Late Neolithic had a quantity of clay knives used for repairing and maintaining square shape on one sherd, while the left edge was redone as a scraper. Compared to stone manufacture, it can be imagined an Early Neolithic round sherd as a scraper because it can save manpower and time. Moreover, the material is extremely convenient, making scrapers handy.
It can be seen that agricultural growth occupied primary stage in this early culture, handicrafts and gathering also holding essential positions in life, but with agricultural growth needed for survival.
Two cultural expressions developed from one. Cultural material accumulated quite thinly, with earthenware correspondingly less, while tools are mainly small stone chisels, axes, knives and grinders. By now, stone tools had technologically evolved to grinding-polishing, with manufacturing methods further enhanced. On one hand, small stone tools were retouched and pottery maintained. On the other hand, tools also became compound (Fig. 4:1,2,5).
Pottery quantity is less in this culture, while standard stone knives have handles and backed edge, with the comparative early appearance of cutting tools (Fig. 4:3).
Mortars are utensils not for grinding pigment but for grain, in conjunction with a pestle (Fig. 4:4, 6) and display further agricultural growth.
Stone tool types continue in Early Neolithic Majiabang culture in northwest China, as seen in manufacturing technology of excavated tools, and where agricultural production grew to a certain level, but still primitive in certain aspects.
Production tools are both handheld and compound. Some stone shovels and knives are perforated, an improvement enhancing agricultural production.
Handheld tools are mainly discoid, their shape closely approaching that of one end with fixed edge and partial edge retouch. This tool type had long-term use, maintaining a manufacturing tradition and a major primitive agricultural tool (Fig. 5:6).
Two stone shovel types are made using different methods: (1) the first is longitudinally channel-ground (Fig. 5:7); (2) the second is perforated (Fig. 5:1) for crosswise handle attachment like an axe, partly edge-retouched and worn at one end.
Our study of stone axe and shovel application is unconfirmed, mainly considering shape and use marks (p.54), with the possibility of many functions and applications; i.e., multipurpose.
Stone knives also have round holes (Fig. 5:2), but their application obviously differs from shovels in direct tying with rope for hand use, reducing physical strength needed and enhancing efficiency.
Simultaneously, one type of unperforated stone knife is bilaterally notched (Fig. 5:4) for tying rope for hand use.
In recent years, the middle and upper Yellow River area of Gansu, Shaanxi and Shanxi, as well as Henan, frequently have this type of notched stone knife - a more primitive shape.
Ceramics have two new types: (1) sides slanting to the mouth (Fig. 5:5) and (2) lacking an open mouth (Fig. 5:3). But common uni- or bifacial edge traits show our ancestors carefully selected stoneware for durability. Thus, bifacial cutting edges were a long term trait; unifacial edges a simple trait.
Majiabang is an important northwest culture, its stone tools spreading from its center and achieving a high level in the Neolithic, as its agricultural material became very prominent. Most stone tools were basically ground, further enhancing growth, and simultaneously an integral part of hunting.
Obvious traits were incorporated in tool manufacture, such as in felling axes which comprise a big trimmed and ground xiaoliang type with partly retouched edge bearing use marks (Fig. 6:6,7), and a small axe that is finely made and better ground, with obvious partial edge retouch, and a utilization ratio less than the big axe.
Stone knives also form two types: (1) unnotched, thin and rectangular, with partial edge retouched sharp bilateral processes (Fig. 6:2); and (2) rectangular (Fig. 6:5) with single edge, and notched for rope attachment, enhancing working efficiency.
This period often has pottery without slanting mouths, their sides mutually restricting to finished edges (Fig. 6:1).
Majiabang culture saw the rise of agriculture, with a simultaneously developing handicraft industry. There was extensive use of pottery wheels, and the textile industry also played an important role. The wheel left lines on round cake-shaped pots, some with a round hole, some slightly trapezoidally polished (Fig. 3:4). Common pottery wheels produced thick heavy shapes (Fig. 3:1). The bone awl is closely related to the textile industry, its forms diverse and finely polished. But individual bone awls were not just practical – some were highly decorated. Awls were split from animal longbones and ground to a sharp tip (Fig. 2:8), but others are cut behind the tip with a round end (Fig. 3:6) and some are square (Fig. 3:7). But all have sharply ground tips (Fig. 3:5).
Besides agriculture, Majiabang culture had a growing handicraft industry that established a reliable foundation for later cultural enhancement.
Qijia culture is the main constituent at the Xishanping site, its appearance with agricultural signs recent throughout the upper Yellow River. We may affirm Qijia people had highly settled life, a prominent trait being semi-subterranean houses with white ash floors, and prolonged use of a central round hearth. But house stability was also strengthened by baked earth which also has a moisture-proof function.
Xishanping families accumulated rich horizons over lengthy occupation. Agricultural aspects include comprehensively developing ploughs, handicrafts, animal domestication and hunting, not all to the same degree, but each showing a different way of life. All this activity strengthened life and stabilized social growth (p.55) as tools and production improved, only then expanding the economy and gradually enhancing efficiency.
The center of Qijia culture is the stone tool, on one hand fastidiously made but also beautiful, but also effectively used and of many decorated shapes.
The abundant widespread stone shovel is Qijia culture's main agricultural tool. A few are very fine and thin and unsuitable for digging (Fig. 7:1). Possibly, they were used for trade.
A big part of stone knife manufacture was grinding to shape, either big or small for stronger use. But not all percussed tools were ground (Fig. 7:3).
At the same time, the thick axe is unwieldy but retains Majiabang style (Fig. 7:5), with discoids being more primitive (Fig. 7:4). This shape started with Banpo and continued, explaining its use as a very strong felling tool. Compactness and precision were obvious in axe manufacture, first percussion and then final grinding, all passing through very careful processing (Fig. 7:2) and making tools neat, with edges and corners obvious.
Qijia animal domestication was vigorously developed, especially pig. Excavated bone is mostly pig, sheep, cow and horse, with dog holding a certain proportion. Unprecedented growth was reached, but people still retained hunting and fishing as an original life style.
Stone arrowheads and balls (Fig. 3:6, 7) are abundant, explaining Qijia ancestral tradition, which was comprehensively developed.
The bone needle and awl, stone spindle whorl and pottery wheel are evident in Qijia handicrafts. The Xishanping site has a Qijia pottery wheel of two types of material and three types. Stone pottery wheel manufacture is fine, with thick section (Fig. 3:3): Another type has a rough elliptical section (Fig. 3:5).
Scrapers and round sherds began as Banpo expressions, developing to Qijia culture over 4000 years as a big change (Fig. 3:8), while a chisel type, shovel, axe and knife also experienced long growth.
We see a full set of basic Early to Late period agricultural tools at Xishanping, opening wasteland, plowing, sowing and final harvesting and processing. Growth, renewal and improvement occurred, slowly strengthening agriculture growth without neglecting handicrafts, animal husbandry and hunting. On a reliable base and stabilizing life, agricultural production simultaneously developed economically.
Xishanping's Qijia ceramic technology was highly developed from Banpo culture, explaining emerging crafts like handicrafts as separate from agricultural production.
Many pottery expressions occur at Xishanping; finely formed, durable and highly fired, with primitive colored designs. Several types of pottery were introduced with agricultural production.
The round-bottomed earthenware bowl is both a cultural expression and type of household utensil. It has open-mouth, slanting body, round bottom, mean diameter of 28 cm and height 10 cm. On the outside of the mouth is a wide red band and colored drawing, plus tripod base, like those in Gansu's Qinan Bay site 2, Shaanxi's Lintong Baijia Village site 3, north Wei and south Liu - practical utensils for steaming food.
The cylindrical pot is another universal household utensil. Its large mouth, straight-slanting body, flat base, loudspeaker-shaped mouth and lower abdominal diameter of 20-26 cm and height of 30-40 is decorated like the round-bottomed earthenware bowl. It has interlocking cordmarks, a complete food storage bowl (p.56) with shallow-pedestal typical of this culture, with mean diameter of 18 cm and height 7 cm, with full-body interlocking cordmarks.
Two types of full drum or goose egg-shaped tripod pots are most representative, with small mouth, small flat tripod base, mainly thin slanting cordmarked body, and mean diameter of 22 cm and height of 43 cm. This type of storage vessel from the lower Baiji Beishou Mountain level is quite intact.
Deep bodied earthenware bowls, some with attached round feet, comprise two household utensil types, with mean diameter of 20 cm, height 13 cm, color, design and drumlike tripod body basically alike.
The above pottery types are handmade, where color was certainly not due to oxidation, though still undeveloped by the wheel, but where shape is neat but impractical, but very highly admired, from model to decorative design, but still considered as the most primitive handicraft.
From Banpo type sites came Majiabang culture, where painted pottery gradually developed and fluorished, starting from symbols and finally becoming designs. This brightly colored decoration was very beautiful, fully manifesting a developed handicraft industry. This activity emerged from an agricultural base and is inseparable from it.
Pottery included practical household utensils (bowls, troughs, cups, two-handled tripods, bottles, etc.), plus large utensils like cylinders, urns, pots, etc., which were unsuitable for eating or drinking but were especially used for grain storage. The center of one Majiabang type ashpit had a pot filled with earth and ashy plant pellets, very likely carbonized millet grain. This grain was surplus, indicating large pots for storing grain.
The above material shows massive use of stone tools and pottery in agricultural growth, with a direct correlation in the >7000 year-old Xishanping site where cultivation of its fertile land enhanced history and culture.(p.57)
References:
(1) Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Gansu Archaeology team: "Excavation bulletin of the Early Neolithic Xishanping site near Tianshui City, Gansu Province". Archaeology 1988(5).
(2) Gansu Provincial Museum: "Early Neolithic Gansu remains from Dadiwan". Cultural Features 1981(4).
(3) Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Shaanxi Archaeology Team 6: "Excavation Bulletin of the Neolithic Shaanxi Lintong Baijia Village site". Archaeology 1984:11.
(4) Xi'an Banpo Museum: "Excavation Bulletin of Early Neolithic Investigations of north and south Liu sites". Archaeology Cultural Features 1982(4).
(5) Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Institute of Archaeology: "Baoshou Mountain culture" Cultural Features Publishing House 1983.
