Chengtoushan site
Chengtoushan ( Chinese 城 頭 山 , Pinyin Chéngtóushān ) is a Neolithic site of the Daxi culture in Li County in the Chinese province of Hunan .
It is currently the oldest fortified structure in China. The wall was first built around 4000 BC. It was built four times before being destroyed by constant fighting, until 2800 BC. The settlement was abandoned. The large, fortified wall made of compacted earth is 26.8 meters wide at the base and is still five to six meters high today. Outside the wall is a 35–50 meter wide trench. The wall spans approx. 80,000 m².
Under the eastern wall was a 100 square meter rice field, dated to the time of the Tangjiagang culture (4500-4300 BC). This is one of the earliest known rice fields in the world.
Furthermore, the settlement consisted of a Qujialing residential area and several large cemeteries of the Daxi culture . A large platform (250 m²) assigned to the Daxi culture apparently served as an altar. Over 40 animal and some human sacrifices were found here.
The Chengtoushan site ( Chinese 城 头 山 遗址 , Pinyin Chéngtóushān yízhǐ ) has been on the list of monuments of the People's Republic of China (4-17) since 1996 .
literature
- Charles Higham : The Bronze Age of Southeast Asia. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge et al. 1996, ISBN 0-521-56505-7 ( Cambridge World Archeology ).
- Kwang-chih Chang, Xu Pingfang, Lu Liancheng: The Formation of Chinese Civilization. An Archaeological Perspective. Edited by Sarah Allan. Yale University Press et al., New Haven CT et al. 2005, ISBN 0-300-09382-9 ( The Culture & Civilization of China ).
- Miriam T. Stark (Ed.): Archeology of Asia. Blackwell, Malden MA 2006, ISBN 1-4051-0213-6 ( Blackwell Studies in global Archeology 7).
Web links
Coordinates: 29 ° 41 ′ 30 ″ N , 111 ° 39 ′ 20 ″ E