Workshops for Bone and Horn Implements Newly Discovered at Erlitou Site

Workshops for Bone and Horn Implements Newly Discovered at Erlitou Site

二里头遗址新发现骨器角器加工作坊

New archaeological discoveries at the Erlitou Site in Luoyang city of Henan province show that several pits with bone and horn remains have been discovered near the southwest corner of the site's imperial city area, believed to be the workshops for bone and horn implements during the late Erlitou Culture period (around 1735-1530 BC), even used until the early Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC), said a source from the archaeological team on December 9. Such findings consolidate not only the process and techniques of making bone and horn implements of the Erlitou Culture period, but also the layout and planning of the site.

12月9日，记者从二里头考古工作队获悉，二里头遗址考古又有了新发现，在遗址宫城区的西南角附近清理出多座骨料、角料坑，考古人员认为，这是二里头文化晚期的骨器、角器加工作坊，且可能延续使用至商早期。这一发现为研究二里头文化骨器、角器的加工流程、加工工艺、城市布局、规划理念等提供了重要资料。

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To the east of these workshops lies a round pit with a large number of shells spread in it. Besides, animal limb bones, deer horns and some semi-finished items similar to hairpins, awls and arrowheads were found scattered around the pit. At the center and west of these workshops, archaeologists also excavated a large area of such remains, including different animals' limb bones, ribs, horns, teeth and some large pottery pieces.

据了解，新发现的骨器、角器加工作坊区东侧，有一座圆形坑，坑内侧壁及底部铺有大量螺壳，周边散落着动物的肢骨、鹿角以及一些类似骨簪、骨锥、骨镞的骨器、角器半成品。在制骨作坊区中部和西侧，考古人员也清理出一大片骨料遗存，各类动物肢骨、肋骨、角骨、齿骨和一些较大的陶片等散落在遗址文化层上。

Shells and bones in the pit. [Photo: Chen Zhuo/Henan Daily]

According to Zhao Haitao, head of the Erlitou archaeological team of the Archaeology Institute of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a number of workshops for processing bones and horns had been identified over the past more than 6 decades, but the newly discovered workshops are debut to comprehensively display the processing of bones and horns at that time.

中国社会科学院考古研究所二里头工作队队长赵海涛介绍，二里头遗址发现60多年来，曾认定一些加工骨器、角器的作坊，新发现的作坊是二里头遗址首次全面详细地展示加工骨器、角器的发掘现场。（中文来源/河南日报 记者/郭歌 温小娟 编译/赵汉青 播音/王家琦 视频/王君艺 审校/陈行洁）