Banpo, China: Yangshao Neolithic Village

Faithful reader Sarah wrote to complain that my little blurb on Banpo was just too little and blurb-like, so I did some poking around, and maybe this will help her out. Thanks, Sarah!

The archaeological site of Banpo is a Neolithic village and cemetery on the Wei River in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China. Banpo belongs to the early Yangshao culture, and was occupied between about 4800-4000 BC. The site was excavated in the 1950s by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and was the first large-scale excavation of the People's Republic of China; nearly 10,000 square meters were excavated. The site has two phases, the earliest (Banpo phase) dates between 4800-4300 BC. Forty-six houses have been excavated at Banpo, most of which are circular, semi-subterranean or ground level structures. Several pottery kilns were found outside the settlement, as was a cemetery, including 174 adult burials. Within Banpo's residential area were discovered 73 urn burials, all of which were children placed within small conical jars.

The residents at Banpo were involved in agriculture, growing millet and vegetables; they also hunted and fished. Tools and artworks were made of bone, horn, pottery, stone, and animal teeth, and nearly 1000 intact or restorable pottery vessels were recovered. Most of the vessels were red and brown basins, bowls and small mouthed vases with conical bases. Decoration on the vessels is of fishes and human faces.

• Banpo, China, for sources and more links
• Archaeology of China

This great photo of burial jars within the still-open Banpo village excavation was taken by NotLiz, who visited Banpo last month and has several photos of the village on her Flickr page.