Xishuipo
Encyclopedia
Xishuipo is a Neolithic
site in Puyang
, Henan
, China
, associated with the Yangshao culture
. The site was excavated from 1987 to 1988; 186 burials were discovered at the site.
In one of the burials, tomb M45, the body of a tall adult male was flanked by two mosaics formed from white clam shells, a tiger
design to the right and a dragon
design to the left. Clam shell mosaics were also found in two nearby caches. The burial was accompanied by the bodies of three young children. Some archaeologists believe that the man was a shaman.
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...
site in Puyang
Puyang
Puyang is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Henan province, China. Located on the northern shore of the Yellow River, it borders Anyang in the west, Xinxiang in the southwest, and the provinces of Shandong and Hebei in the east and north respectively....
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
, 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...
, associated with the Yangshao culture
Yangshao culture
The Yangshao culture was a Neolithic culture that existed extensively along the central Yellow River in China. The Yangshao culture is dated from around 5000 BC to 3000 BC. The culture is named after Yangshao, the first excavated representative village of this culture, which was discovered in 1921...
. The site was excavated from 1987 to 1988; 186 burials were discovered at the site.
In one of the burials, tomb M45, the body of a tall adult male was flanked by two mosaics formed from white clam shells, a tiger
Tiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
design to the right and a dragon
Chinese dragon
Chinese dragons are legendary creatures in Chinese mythology and folklore, with mythic counterparts among Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Bhutanese, Western and Turkic dragons. In Chinese art, dragons are typically portrayed as long, scaled, serpentine creatures with four legs...
design to the left. Clam shell mosaics were also found in two nearby caches. The burial was accompanied by the bodies of three young children. Some archaeologists believe that the man was a shaman.