Hemudu is a Neolithic culture in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China. Hemudu was a name given by people at that time to ensure a sense of security. It expanded the field of archaeological research on the Neolithic Age in China and showed that there was also a splendid and ancient Neolithic culture in the Yangtze River Basin.
The only site of this culture that has been excavated on a large scale so far is the Hemudu site. In 1973-1974 and 1977-1978, two phases of excavations were conducted under the auspices of the Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Management Commission and the Zhejiang Provincial Museum. In 1982, the State Council announced it as. In addition, late remains of the Hemudu culture have been found in Chenjiao, Yin County, Zhejiang, Baziqiao, Ningbo, Baiquan, Daju, Zhoushan, etc.
Cultural characteristics? The pottery is mainly black pottery with carbon and red pottery with sand. , red and gray pottery. In addition to plain pottery, interlaced rope patterns are popular on the belly and bottom of pots. The wide rim of the pottery is often engraved with geometric patterns such as parallel stripes, waves, circles, leaf shapes, and grain spikes. Occasionally, dark brown patterns on white ground can be seen. of painted pottery. The majority are flat-bottomed and round-bottomed vessels. Representative utensils include cauldrons, jars, bowls with handles, shallow dishes with wide rims, hanging bags, and legs. The pottery cauldron used with legs has always been the main cooking vessel of the Hemudu culture. Woodenware is more sophisticated and diverse. Trapezoidal stone axes with asymmetrical blades, stone adzes with arched backs and thick bodies, bone blades, slanted bone arrowheads, tubular bone needles, bone whistles, wooden spears, wooden knives, etc. are all unique artifacts. A large number of mortise and tenon wooden components and wooden components show the housing characteristics of Hemudu culture.
Stage and age? The 4th and 3rd layers and the 2nd and 1st layers of the Hemudu site represent the early and late phases of the Hemudu culture respectively. ① Early period: about 5000 BC to 4000 BC. The pottery system is simple, and carbon black pottery is the absolute dominant one. In addition to the smooth plain surface, there are many rope patterns, and the carved geometric patterns and animal and plant patterns are prominent. The main shapes of the vessels include narrow mouth or open shoulder-ridge cauldron, straight mouth barrel type cauldron, neck jar with two ears and large mouth, wide rim shallow dish, oblique belly basin, ring-shaped single-handled bowl, large ring-footed beans, basin-shaped steamer, and block Body legs, etc. There are few types of stone tools, and they are generally not well polished. The axes and adzes are thick and large, and no holes are found in the main stone tools.
This is of great significance for exploring the origin of rice cultivation in China and its position in the history of world rice agriculture. The representative agricultural tools of Hemudu culture are still intact, and hundreds of them have been unearthed in Hemudu alone. It is made from the scapula of deer and buffalo. The shoulder blade is generally drilled with a horizontal shank. For those with thin bones, the shoulder blade is ground into a half-moon shape. Vertical grooves are carved in the middle of the front of the crown and both sides are cut. Drill a hole on each side. A wooden handle mounted on the bone was also found, with the lower end embedded in the groove. Multiple circles of rattan were threaded through the crossbar to tighten it, and a T-shaped or open-carved triangular handle hole was made at the top. In addition, there are very few wooden pestles, perforated stone axes, double-hole stone knives and wooden pestles nearly 1 meter long for pounding rice.
The main livestock include pigs and dogs. Broken pig bones and teeth can be seen everywhere, as well as obese pottery pigs and pig patterns carved on the square-mouthed pottery bowls. There is a pottery pot with an image of rice ears and pig patterns carved on it, which is generally a reflection of the dependence of livestock raising on agriculture. In addition, a large number of buffalo bones were also unearthed, indicating that the cattle may have been domesticated.
Other fishing and hunting tools include wooden spears, bone fish darts, etc. The discovery of wooden oars with one-piece handles and leaves indicates that the boat was already in use. In addition to being used for transportation, it may also have been used in fishing activities. The bone whistle, made by carving holes in poultry bone tubes, is not only a musical instrument, but can also be blown to trap animals during hunting.