A Vertical Loess Cave Dwelling at Yangguanzhai?

Summary

Of all features excavated at the late Neolithic site of Yangguanzhai since 2005—including houses, hearths, postholes, kilns, child and adult burials, and ditches—pits features, known by the generic term "huikeng" or "ash pit" in Chinese archaeology, account for about 80%. Detailed studies of such features are important not only because of their sheer number, but also because their contents are often used as criteria for site dating and chronology. As our excavation of one such feature (H85) shows, understanding their deposit formation as well as the contents of the deposit is essential to deciphering the function of the pits, as well as their relationship to other features found in archaeological contexts. Our study methods include micromorphology, paleobotany, ceramic analysis, and C14 dating of the pit. This approach of the intensive study to one feature has proved to be fruitful and holds promise for future studies in Chinese archaeology.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• New Discoveries and Multidisciplinary Research at Yangguanzhai, China   •
• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14368