Jump to content

User:Generalissima/Wangchenggang

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wangchenggang (王城岗) is an archaeological site in Dengfeng, Henan, China. Mainly dating to the end of the Neolithic period, during the transition between the Longshan culture and Erlitou culture, the site is the remained of a walled city which emerged as a major regional center during the earliest period of urbanization in the Zhongyuan of north-central China.

Site

[edit]

Wangchenggang is an archaeological site in the town of Gaocheng, about half a kilometer (0.3 miles) from the town center, in the city of Dengfeng, itself within the city of Zhengzhou in Henan province, China. It lies at an altitude of 268 m (879 ft) near the confluence of the Wudu River (五渡) with the larger Ying River, a tributary of the Huai River. The site is bordered on the east by the Wudu and on the south by the Ying. A stream and gully named Zhuyuan on the northern end of the site flows into the Wudu.[1][2][3] The upper Ying River valley, situated between Mount Song in the northwest and Mount Ji to the south, is dominated by a mix of broadleaf and coniferous forests. The valley's sheltered environment has led to significant human habitation since the Paleolithic, and it emerged as a significant early center of settlement during the Neolithic.[4]

The site comprises the remains of two walled settlements dating to the Longshan period. The smaller of these two settlements, on the northeast of the site, consists of two walled enclosures referred to as the Western City and the Eastern City.[5][6]

Chronology

[edit]

The oldest archaeological remains, consisting of graves and ash pits, are located in the northeastern portion of the site and date to the Peiligang culture (6600–5000 BCE). However, these Peiligang-era remains are relatively limited. During the Yangshao period (5000–3000 BCE), occupation is attested from the southeast of the site.[3]

Archaeology

[edit]

In 1951, the Henan Relics Administration Committee conducted an archaeological survey of Dengfeng and Yuzhou in preparation for the construction of Huai River irrigation systems, and found many ancient sites along the upper Ying. A very limited excavation was made at Wangchenggang in 1954, revealing Longshang-era remains.[1][7] During the late 1970s, the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology conducted a large-scale survey of the area focused on the Longshan and Erlitou periods. They surveyed twenty such sites, including Wangchenggang.[7]

Intensive excavations took place at Wangchenggang from 1976 to 1981.[8] In 1977, the remains of the city and its fortifications were discovered, leading other archaeological teams to shift focus towards the site. By 1981, 8,575 m2 (92,300 sq ft) of the site was excavated.[7][9] A research team associated with the Xia–Shang–Zhou Chronology Project collected samples for radiocarbon dating at the site from 1996 to 2000.[10] The larger set of earthworks was discovered during a set of two excavations in 2002–2005.[10]

Association with Yangcheng

[edit]

In 1959, Xu Xusheng investigated the upper Ying River valley in search of the ruins of the semi-legendary Xia dynasty capital.[7]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Dong 2021, p. 53.
  2. ^ Wiesheu 1997, p. 91.
  3. ^ a b Liao et al. 2023, p. 309.
  4. ^ Liao et al. 2023, pp. 307–309.
  5. ^ Wiesheu 1997, pp. 91–93.
  6. ^ Liao et al. 2023, p. 308.
  7. ^ a b c d Fang 2004, p. 86.
  8. ^ Zhao 2013, pp. 245–246.
  9. ^ Xu 2020, p. 162.
  10. ^ a b Fang 2007, p. 107.

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Dong, Ningning (2021). Animal Classification in Central China: From the Late Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age. British Archaeological Reports. ISBN 9781407357928.
  • Fang, Yanming (2007). "The Dating of the Wangchenggang Walled-site in Dengfeng County and Related Issues". Chinese Archaeology. 7 (1): 107–112. doi:10.1515/CHAR.2007.7.1.107.
  • Fang, Yanming (2004). "Settlement Patterns in the Upper Ying River Valley Based on Excavations at the Wadian Site". Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association. 24: 83–90.
  • Liao, Yinan; Lu, Peng; Mo, Duowen; Li, Ye; Xu, Junjie; Cao, Yanpeng; Ma, Long; Xin, Yingjun; Chen, Panpan; Wang, Xia; Zhao, Chengshuanping; Zhan, Peng (2023). "Evolution of Fluvial Landscapes Since the Late Pleistocene at the Wangchenggang Site of the Ying River Basin, Central China: Implications for the Development and Change of Prehistoric Settlements". Geoarchaeology. 38 (3): 306–319. doi:10.1002/gea.21933.
  • Liu, Li; Chen, Xingcan (2012). The Archaeology of China: From the Late Paleolithic to the Early Bronze Age. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9781139015301. ISBN 9781139015301.
  • Thorp, Robert L. (1991). "Erlitou and the Search for the Xia". Early China. 16: 1–38. JSTOR 23351500.
  • Wiesheu, Walburga (1997). "China's First Cities: The Walled Site of Wangchenggang in the Central Plain Region of North China". In Manzanilla, Linda (ed.). Emergence and Change in Early Urban Societies. Springer Science+Business Media. pp. 87–105. doi:10.1007/978-1-4899-1848-2. ISBN 9780306454943.
  • Xu, Hong (2020). "Introduction to the Xia Period: Definitions, Themes, and Debate". In Childs-Johnson, Elizabeth (ed.). The Oxford Handbook of Early China. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199328369.001.0001. ISBN 9780199328369.
  • Yuan, Jing; Campbell, Roderick; Castellano, Lorenzo; Chen, Xianglong (2020). "Subsistence and Persistence: Agriculture in the Central Plains of China through the Neolithic to Bronze Age Transition". Antiquity. 94 (376): 900–915. doi:10.15184/aqy.2020.80.
  • Zhao, Chunqing (2013). "The Longshan Culture in Central Henan Province, c. 2600–1900 BC". A Companion to Chinese Archaeology. Blackwell Publishing. pp. 236–254. doi:10.1002/9781118325698.ch12. ISBN 9781444335293.
Retrieved from "https://wiki.eso.workers.dev/w/index.php?title=User:Generalissima/Wangchenggang&oldid=1262934277"