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Study on the burial practice of tomb M13 of the Yangshao culture at Baligang site in Dengzhou City

  • Chi Zhang , Jianing He , Xiaohong Wu , Yinqiu Cui , Hua Wang , Jiangkai Zhang , Li Fan and Wenming Yan
Published/Copyright: December 14, 2020
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Chinese Archaeology
From the journal Chinese Archaeology Volume 20 Issue 1

Abstract

The multidisciplinary research on the Yangshao period (4200–2900 BCE) tomb M13, a joint secondary burial at the Baligang site of the Yangshao culture in Dengzhou City, Henan Province showed that there were in total 126 individuals buried in this grave. Their death crossed at least 200 years; among them, at least five individuals were from three maternal lineages, and the descent system of this group was patrilineal. There were also 138 pig mandibles buried in M13, which had been dated and shows that they were collected across over 400 years. Based on the statistics the death population at Baligang site, it is estimated that the human bones found from M13 went through a secondary burial process during which they were probably regarded as “ceremonial objects.” The joint secondary burials as M13 is seen as a result of some reburying ceremonies held at the Baligang site.

Keywords: Dengzhou City in Henan Province; Baligang site; Yangshao culture; joint secondary burial; mortuary practice

Postscript

The original article first published in Kaogu 考古 (Archaeology) 2018.2:79–87 with four illustrations and four tables is authored by Chi Zhang 张弛, Jianing He 何嘉宁, Xiaohong Wu 吴小红, Yinqiu Cui 崔银秋, Hua Wang 王华, Jiangkai Zhang 张江凯, Li Fan 樊力, and Wenming Yan 严文明. This abridged version is translated into English by Xiaojia Tang 唐小佳.

* Unfortunately, professor Li Fan died prior to the publication of this article.

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Published Online: 2020-12-14
Published in Print: 2020-11-25

© 2020 Walter De Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. New archaeological discoveries
  3. The Qingtang site in Yingde City, Guangdong Province
  4. The Wangjiabang cemetery of the Chenghe site of the Neolithic Age in Shayang County, Hubei Province
  5. The Lushanmao site of the Neolithic Age in Yan’an City, Shaanxi Province
  6. The Liujiawa site of the Rui state of the Eastern Zhou in Chengcheng County, Shaanxi Province
  7. The Chengba site in Quxian County, Sichuan Province
  8. The Taizicheng city site of the Jin dynasty in Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province
  9. Reports
  10. The excavation of Zone III of the Xiaonanshan site in Raohe County, Heilongjiang Province in 2015
  11. The excavation of tomb M2158 at the Hengshui cemetery of the Western Zhou dynasty in Jiangxian County, Shanxi Province
  12. The excavation of a Buddhist temple complex of the Qocho Uyghur kingdom in the middle of the west zone of the Tuyoq caves in Shanshan County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region
  13. Research
  14. On cupstones in South China
  15. Study on the burial practice of tomb M13 of the Yangshao culture at Baligang site in Dengzhou City
  16. On the source “composition” of the bronze vessels in the burials of the Yinxu site
  17. Shang dynasty bronzes and society in southern China: an illustration of complexity and diversity
  18. The unearthed bronze coin molds and the evolution of coin technology in the Warring States period and Qin-Han dynasties
  19. The “bowl-shaped” bloomeries of Pingnan County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the origins of “bowl-shaped” bloomery in China
  20. On the early lokapāla statues in the Buddhist sculptures unearthed in Chengdu
  21. The Shangjing norm of the Liao dynasty and the Dongjing mode of the Northern Song dynasty
  22. Identification of domestic chicken bones in archaeological sites
https://doi.org/10.1515/char-2020-0011
Keywords for this article
Dengzhou City in Henan Province; Baligang site; Yangshao culture; joint secondary burial; mortuary practice

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. New archaeological discoveries
  3. The Qingtang site in Yingde City, Guangdong Province
  4. The Wangjiabang cemetery of the Chenghe site of the Neolithic Age in Shayang County, Hubei Province
  5. The Lushanmao site of the Neolithic Age in Yan’an City, Shaanxi Province
  6. The Liujiawa site of the Rui state of the Eastern Zhou in Chengcheng County, Shaanxi Province
  7. The Chengba site in Quxian County, Sichuan Province
  8. The Taizicheng city site of the Jin dynasty in Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province
  9. Reports
  10. The excavation of Zone III of the Xiaonanshan site in Raohe County, Heilongjiang Province in 2015
  11. The excavation of tomb M2158 at the Hengshui cemetery of the Western Zhou dynasty in Jiangxian County, Shanxi Province
  12. The excavation of a Buddhist temple complex of the Qocho Uyghur kingdom in the middle of the west zone of the Tuyoq caves in Shanshan County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region
  13. Research
  14. On cupstones in South China
  15. Study on the burial practice of tomb M13 of the Yangshao culture at Baligang site in Dengzhou City
  16. On the source “composition” of the bronze vessels in the burials of the Yinxu site
  17. Shang dynasty bronzes and society in southern China: an illustration of complexity and diversity
  18. The unearthed bronze coin molds and the evolution of coin technology in the Warring States period and Qin-Han dynasties
  19. The “bowl-shaped” bloomeries of Pingnan County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the origins of “bowl-shaped” bloomery in China
  20. On the early lokapāla statues in the Buddhist sculptures unearthed in Chengdu
  21. The Shangjing norm of the Liao dynasty and the Dongjing mode of the Northern Song dynasty
  22. Identification of domestic chicken bones in archaeological sites
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