40 Years Later, Yangshao Village Relics Site to Start New Excavation

40 Years Later, Yangshao Village Relics Site to Start New Excavation

时隔40年 仰韶村遗址再发掘

 

On the morning of August 22, the fourth excavation of Yangshao village relics site at Mianchi county of Sanmenxia city, Henan province, was launched officially, 40 years after the last excavation.

8月22日上午，三门峡渑池县仰韶村遗址第四次考古发掘启动，距离上次发掘已有40年。

The color pottery unearthed from the Yangshao Culture period. [Photo by Zhou Meng in Nanyang Daily]

In 1921, Yangshao village relics site was excavated for the first time, marking the birth of Chinese archaeology, and thereafter the term “Yangshao Culture” came into being in Chinese archaeological history. The first excavation of Yangshao village relics site against the background of national poverty and weakness confirmed the existence of a very developed culture in ancient China, which greatly shook the belief that “Chinese civilization came from the West”.

1921年，仰韶村遗址的第一次发掘标志着中国考古学的诞生，仰韶文化也成为中国考古史上出现的第一个考古学文化名称。在国家积贫积弱背景下开始的仰韶村遗址第一次发掘，证实了中国存在非常发达的远古文化，对“中华文明西来说”产生强烈冲击。

 

“2021 will witness the 100th anniversary of the birth of Chinese archaeology and the discovery of the Yangshao Culture. The launch of the fourth excavation of Yangshao village relics site is of great commemorative significance and academic value, which will not only provide new archaeological data for the study of the Yellow River culture and Chinese civilization progress, but also give strong support for the further construction of cultural confidence,” remarked Tian Kai, head of Henan Cultural Relics Bureau.

“2021年，我们将迎来中国考古学诞生一百周年、仰韶文化发现一百周年，启动仰韶村遗址第四次发掘具有重要的纪念意义和重大的学术研究价值，将为黄河文化、中华文明化进程研究等提供新的考古资料，为进一步构建文化自信提供坚强的支撑。”省文物局局长田凯说。

 

All previous archaeological excavations of Yangshao village relics site were closely related to the great changes in Chinese society. In 1951, the second excavation was launched. As one of the early archaeological excavations after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, it deepened the understanding of the cultural connotation of Yangshao village relics site. From 1980 to 1981, the third excavation was carried out after the implementation of reform and opening-up policy, which essentially made clear the cultural connotation of Yangshao village relics site, the stratigraphic succession relation between the Yangshao Culture and the Longshan Culture, and that between the four different developing stages. Over the last 10 decades, the archaeological excavations of Yangshao village relics site have witnessed the birth, growth and development of Chinese archaeology, as well as the archaeological exploration of Chinese civilization and the construction of cultural confidence.

仰韶村遗址历次考古发掘工作与中国社会的巨大变革息息相关。1951年，仰韶村遗址第二次发掘启动，是新中国成立后较早开展的考古发掘工作之一，此次发掘加深了对仰韶村遗址文化内涵的认识。1980年至1981年，仰韶村遗址第三次考古发掘是在国家改革开放后进行的，此次发掘基本弄清了仰韶村遗址的文化内涵，取得了仰韶和龙山两个考古学文化、四个不同发展阶段的地层叠压关系。可以说，近百年来，仰韶村遗址的历次发掘是中国考古学诞生成长和发展以及考古学探索中华文明历程、构建文化自信的一个重要缩影。

 

The fourth excavation will reflect the progress of archaeology in the new era with the combination of digitization, multi-discipline and multi-technology; the excavation at the core area in the south site and the ditches in the north central site will be completed; the systematic archaeological survey of Jianhe River basin will be carried out in stages; the data of annual excavations and archaeological surveys will be collated; these excavations and studies are of great academic significance to the further exploration of the Yellow River culture in the new era and the progress of prehistoric civilization in the Central Plains. Liu Haiwang, head of Henan Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, told the reporter.

省文物考古研究院院长刘海旺说，本次发掘将实现数字化、多学科、多技术相结合，体现新时代发掘考古工作的进步，完成以仰韶村遗址南部核心区和中北部壕沟考古发掘工作，分阶段开展涧河流域系统性考古调查工作，整理年度发掘资料以及考古调查资料等，这些发掘研究对深入挖掘黄河文化时代价值及探索中原地区史前文明进程等具有重要的学术意义和价值。（中文来源/河南日报 翻译/赵汉青 审校/白玉杰）