Shijiahe culture
Encyclopedia
The Shijiahe culture (2500-2000 BC) was a late Neolithic
culture centered around the middle Yangtze River
region in Hubei
, China
. It succeeded the Qujialing culture
in the same region and inherited its unique artefact of painted spindle whorls. Pottery figurines and distinct jade worked with advanced techniques were also common to the culture. The remains of copper ore and artefacts were discovered in one Shijiahe settlement.
The type site
was discovered at Tianmen County, Hubei, China. The upper layer of the type site belonged to the Qujialing culture. The site at Shijiahe covered an area of around 1,200,000 m². The settlement was surrounded by a moat
and rammed earth
wall. The type site was likely a regional center.
Shijiahe is one of the largest towns excavated so far—almost a perfect square, one kilometer on each side. This was a period in which villages and towns expanded symmetrically in oval, square, rectangle and trapezoid shapes.
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
culture centered around the middle Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
region in Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It succeeded the Qujialing culture
Qujialing culture
The Qujialing culture was a Neolithic civilisation centered primarily around the middle Yangtze River region in Hubei and Hunan, China. The culture succeeded the Daxi culture and reached southern Shaanxi, northern Jiangxi and southwest Henan...
in the same region and inherited its unique artefact of painted spindle whorls. Pottery figurines and distinct jade worked with advanced techniques were also common to the culture. The remains of copper ore and artefacts were discovered in one Shijiahe settlement.
The type site
Type site
In archaeology a type site is a site that is considered the model of a particular archaeological culture...
was discovered at Tianmen County, Hubei, China. The upper layer of the type site belonged to the Qujialing culture. The site at Shijiahe covered an area of around 1,200,000 m². The settlement was surrounded by a moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
and rammed earth
Rammed earth
Rammed earth, also known as taipa , tapial , and pisé , is a technique for building walls using the raw materials of earth, chalk, lime and gravel. It is an ancient building method that has seen a revival in recent years as people seek more sustainable building materials and natural building methods...
wall. The type site was likely a regional center.
Shijiahe is one of the largest towns excavated so far—almost a perfect square, one kilometer on each side. This was a period in which villages and towns expanded symmetrically in oval, square, rectangle and trapezoid shapes.