The Stone-Construction Tombs of Xiaguanzi in Maoxian county, and the Question of Cultural Contact throughout Western China

Summary

Xiaguanzi site in Maoxian County, located at the junction of the upper reaches of Min and Fu Rivers, is an important node on the channels of culture transmission between North and South China. From 2014 to 2015, Neolithic remains and stone-constructed tombs were excavated. The Neolithic remains include pottery, stone and bone artifacts, leather objects, animal bones, plant seeds, house remains, tombs, and ash pits. Although there no painted pottery occurred at Xiaguanzi, the pottery found here is very similar to Neolithic finds from the upper reaches of the Min River. This is the first time that stone-constructed graves have been found in the upper reaches of the Min River. These stone-constructed graves are larger in size than the typical local stone-cist graves, and they are furthermore influenced by the Han culture. Based on stratigraphic evidence and the object types found in the graves, they can be dated between the early Western and the late Eastern Han, making them much later than previous finds in the region. The discoveries from Xiaguanzi are therefore very important for establishing the local chronology and developmental sequence of stone tombs in the Min River Valley and surrounding areas.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Recent Developments in East and Southeast Asian Archaeology II: Sites, Landscape, and Environment

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15738