How the stoneware made 140,000 years ago by primitive human
beings look like? How did people make potteries 8,000 years ago?
……Recent archeological studies in the Three Gorges unveil the
mystery of human beings living in the Paleolithic era.
"If we say the Yellow River is the mother of the Chinese
civilization, the Yangtze River should be the father." This is the
conclusion made by archaeologists who have been working in the
Three Gorges area of the Yangtze River over the past 10 years.
Archeological discoveries show distinctive difference between
the south and north stoneware made in the Paleolithic era. But
those found in the Three Gorge area have the characters of both,
indicating the exchanging and blending of the southern and northern
cultures in this area in ancient times.
A visit to the Three Gorges is like a journey to the past times.
Wang Chuanping, vice president of the Chongqing Relics Bureau, who
is also a poet, said, "The archeologists here have made great
efforts in piecing together the fragments of the prehistoric
civilization, just like piecing together the cracked porcelain…"
But the clue of Paleolithic civilization was more dispersed than
the porcelain fragments because of the long time-span.
Incisor of the Wushan Man
For a long time, the climate in the Three Gorges was humid and
mild, with clear divisions for the four seasons and plentiful
rainfall. It was an area good for the growth of all kinds of plants
and animals. So the Three Gorges area became one of the regions
that emerged Homo Erectus.
Since the 1980s, archeologists have found fossils of five kinds
of australopithecines, which had close relationship with the origin
of human beings, including the famous Wushan Man.
Huang Wanbo, a retired researcher of the Institute of Vertebrate
Paleontology and Paleoanthropology under the Chinese Academy of
Sciences in his 70s, led his archeology work group to Wanxian,
Fengjie and Wushan in 1984. According to the clues given by the
local residents, they went to a place called Longgupo (Dragon Bone
Slope) and found a lot of bone fragments. Later on, they found
other fossils of ancient animals and human beings.
They found a piece of mandible, with two teeth on it, and many
fossils with the marks processed by man. From 1986 to 1988, in
addition to a human incisor, archeologists found many fossils of
120 species of vertebrates, including reptile, bird and mammal.
Huang believes the Three Gorges came into shape 500,000 years
ago, but the incisor of Wushan Man was from 2 million years
ago.
Before the finding of Wushan Man, the earliest human fossil
found in the mainland of China was that of the Yuanmou Man, who
lived in Yunnan Province 1.7 million years ago. The new discovery
puts the human existence in China 300,000 years earlier. But there
are still debates on this incisor in the archeology field - was it
closer to primitive human being or ancient ape? Huang said, "The
forming of a culture actually means the forming of a thought. We
found marks of cutting on the stoneware unearthed in Longgupo. This
indicates the trace of culture, but still needs further studies
before coming to the final conclusion."
The rudimental art of Fengjie
In Wushan, archeologists found fossils of human beings of
different periods - including the Heliang Man of 15,000 years ago
and the Fengjie Man of 140,000 years ago.
In May 2000, Huang and his team made investigations to 10 caves
in Fengjie. In eight of them, he found fossils and stoneware.
Following the immediate excavation, they found human fossils and
stoneware of various kinds in the Xinglong Cave.
Among the unearthed relics, archeologists found tools made of
ivory and on one piece, there are marks of carving. Besides, they
found things looking like artworks, including a stalactite that had
been polished into the shape of a bird's head, a stone whistle and
elephant tusks with carved lines on them. According to the result
of scientific examination, these cultural relics were from
130,000-150,000 years ago.
In a meeting room, two of the relics are displayed: one is the
stone whistle, a stone tube with a round hole in the middle, which
is obviously polished. When Huang blew to the hole, it produced a
piercing sound. Huang supposed it was a toy or trapping instrument.
Another piece of stone looks like a bird head, with distinctive
marks of cutting and engraving on it.
It's hard to imagine how our ancestors of 140,000 years ago made
these artistic works. Could it be possible that rudimental art
emerged in such remote antiquity? Up to now, it has been believed
that the earliest sculpture rudiments emerged 80,000 years ago. If
the stone whistle and bird head can represent the bourgeoning of
rudimental sculpture, they will push the time of the appearance of
rudimental art to 60,000 years earlier.
Huang said it is something unusual to find so many traces of
ancient human beings in the Wushan Mountains. It indicates ancient
people lived here successively. Places of continuous dwelling are
rare either in China or in other parts of the world. Archeologists
also found fossils of 116 animal species, indicating the Three
Gorges area was a place good for human beings to inhabit.
As human being and culture almost emerged simultaneously, Huang
said, the fossils marked with human activities discovered in
Fengjie perhaps reflect the broader sense of culture. The origin of
the Three Gorges culture used to be traced back to the Ba Culture,
now the discovery in Wushan and Fengjie has pushed it back to 2
million years ago. Comparing the stone instruments found in the
Three Gorges area with those from the Yellow River valley,
archeologists find it's obvious that the culture of the former had
seldom suffered interferences from other cultures, whereas the
northern culture, particularly in the late period of the
Paleolithic era, had suffered repeated interferences from other
cultures.
Most of the stone articles in Wushan and Fengjie were discovered
in cave areas, indicating our ancestors primarily lived in caves;
the large quantity of animal fossils found in the dwelling area
shows their activities for survival were mainly fishing, hunting
and collecting.
The stoneware of Fengdu
Fengdu is very important in the Paleolithic archeology of the
Three Gorges area as numerous Paleolithic sites, including
Jingshuiwan, Yandunbao and Ranjialukou of Gaojia town, have been
found there.
In Jingshuiwan, a middle-phase Paleolithic site of about 100,
000 years ago, a lot of animal fossils and rare, real stoneware
have been unearthed. Specialists believe it is "the most
significant Paleolithic site in the Three Gorges area."
Jingshuiwan is situated between 151 to 161 meters above sea
level. Ancient human beings processed stoneware and butchered
animals there. A total of 400 pieces of stoneware of all kinds have
been discovered there, in addition to animal fossils of the
stegodon, tapir, ox and deer. It was the first time that typical
sharp-edged tools were found in the There Gorges area.
Archeologists conclude that Jingshuiwan had been a quarry where
stoneware was processed.
The archeology fieldwork has already finished in the Paleolithic
sites in Fengdu, which are mostly below the submerged line of 135
meters.
Gao Xing, a researcher and program coordinator of the Three
Gorges Paleolithic Archeology, said, "Archeological discoveries in
the past 10 years changed our understanding of China's cultural
origin. We used to think the Yellow River Culture was the only
origin of the Chinese civilization, but now we know the Yangtze
River Culture was another origin. In short, if we say the Yellow
River is the mother of our Chinese civilization, the Yangtze River
should be the father."
What excited archeologists was that the stoneware articles were
totally different from both that of the South and the North, but
had the characters of both. It shows that in the ancient time, the
cultures of the south and north met there.
The oldest pottery of Yufupu
Fengjie, called Kuifu in old times, is a famous historical city.
It has many Paleolithic sites, including those in Henglu, Yufupu,
Yang'andu and Santuo, which were the latest evidences of the
transition from Paleolithic era to Neolithic era in the Three
Gorges area.
The relics found there were mainly chipped stoneware of 10,000
years ago, with a few pottery fragments and polished stonewares -
symbol of the following Neolithic era. These Paleolithic sites show
that the Three Gorges area came into Neolithic era earlier than
other parts of China.
Archeology discovered a pottery fragment, which was later named
"the first fragment of the Three Gorges" in Yufupu. This
91.7-millimeter-long, 36.0-millimeter-wide and 7.4-millimeter-thick
pottery fragment was maroon, made of mud and kneaded to the shape.
It's not hard and has carved patterns. The piece was important
because it was made with the most primitive method about 8,000
years ago. The earliest pottery fragment found in the Three Gorges,
some experts believe it is another witness of the transition from
Paleolithic era to Neolithic era of this area. But other
archeologists hold that this single piece of fragment is far from
enough to lead to any conclusion.
Background:
From their coming into being to 10,000 years ago, human
beings mainly used chipped stoneware, and this period was thus
called the Paleolithic era (also called Old Stone Age). There are
more than 50 Paleolithic sites under the 175-meter water- emerge
line in the Three Gorges. According to these years of excavation
and the on-the-spot study, these sites were between 100,000 to
10,000 years ago. They are precious cultural relics of the middle
and latter Paleolithic culture of the Three Gorges area.
(China.org.cn Translated by Chen Lin July 30, 2003)