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Situated southeast of the Chuwangcheng (City of the Chu kings) site, Zhengjiahu cemetery is a significant burial ground occupied throughout the Warring States and Qin-Han periods. Excavation in Area C was conducted in 2021. During the excavation, two noteworthy Qin culture tombs were uncovered—tombs M274 and M234. These tombs yielded a wooden gu-rod with extensive text and painted burial containers. The wooden gu-rod, remarkable in its form and abundant in content, is important for the study of the social history and ideology of the late Warring States period. Additionally, the discovery of painted burial containers bridges a gap in our current understanding of Qin and Han painting media and genres. These artifacts offer indispensable data for researching burial customs and rituals, along with the religious thought of the Qin migrants from Guanzhong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2019, the Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and other institutions excavated the tomb of Murong Zhi, the King Xi of Tuyuhun, located at Chashan Village, Qilian Town, Tianzhu County. A comprehensive archaeological survey of the Binggou and Dashui river valleys in Qilian Town in 2020 revealed the existence of 23 Tuyuhun royal tombs across four areas. Three tombs at the Changling-Machangtan area in Qilian Town, excavated in 2021, are identified as a probable section of the Tuyuhun Pengzi clan's family cemetery during the Tang dynasty. Through ongoing archaeological work, three large mausoleum areas have been confirmed in Wuwei's Nanshan district: Yanghui Valley, Great Khan Mausoleum, and Baiyang Mountain. The tomb distribution is characterized by being widely dispersed but mutually connected. Excavations also confirm that Tuyuhun tombs were constructed without aboveground mounds. Additionally, rare Tang artifacts were discovered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Piluo site, located on the southeastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, underwent excavation and systematic survey from April to November 2021. The work was a joint effort between the Sichuan Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and the School of Archaeology and Museology at Peking University. The excavation revealed seven cultural strata that had been deposited continuously since the late Middle Pleistocene. Tens of thousands of lithics, including typical hand axes, were discovered, along with many remains of Paleolithic Age cultural activities such as residential floors created by prehistoric populations. These findings provide valuable data for investigating issues such as early human evolution in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, as well as the distribution, origin, and development of East Asian hand axes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antechamber is square in plan, while the main chamber and the two side chambers are round in plan. Khitan figures are painted between the pilasters in the east chamber, while Han figures are painted between the pilasters in the west chamber. The tomb chambers are built with bar-shaped bricks, and the gaps between the tomb pit and the brick walls are filled with layers of sand, brick fragments, and sandy soil, which are rammed layer by layer to make them solid and dense. Keywords: Beizhen City; Liaoning Province; Hongjiajie cemetery; epitaph; Han Derang; Liao dynasty EN Beizhen City Liaoning Province Hongjiajie cemetery epitaph Han Derang Liao dynasty 121 134 14 11/16/22 20221101 NES 221101 Postscript The original article , prepared by Weiwei Si , Xiongfei Wan , Chang Liu , Lei Cui , and Jiujiang Yu , was published in Kaogu (Archaeology) 2020.4:58- 76 with 47 illustrations. [Extracted from the article]

Architectural remains include courtyards and large building complex foundations made of rammed earth, a barbican formed by enclosing walls, and remains of buildings constructed by the formwork of wooden planks. Keywords: Gongyi City of Henan Province; Shuanghuaishu site; three encircling trenches; residential area; Yangshao culture EN Gongyi City of Henan Province Shuanghuaishu site three encircling trenches residential area Yangshao culture 17 31 15 11/16/22 20221101 NES 221101 Postscript The original article , prepared by Wanfa Gu , Xu Wang , Yayi Hu , and Yingjun Xin , was published in Kaogu (Archaeology) 2021.7:99-106 with 42 figures. The enclosing wall Q1 is about 261m long and has a foundation trench of 1.1m to 1.7m wide, while Q3 is about 84m long and has a foundation trench of 1.2m to 1.9m wide. The foundation trench underneath the north wall is 1.2m to 2.2m wide and 0.4m to 0.8m deep; the foundation trench underneath the west wall is 1.2m to 2.2m wide and 0.5m to 1m deep; the foundation trench underneath the east wall, although subject to no trial excavation, is 1m to 1.6m wide. [Extracted from the article]

Keywords: Pengyang County; Ningxia; Yaoheyuan city site; high-ranking tombs; capital city of the Huo state; Western Zhou period EN Pengyang County Ningxia Yaoheyuan city site high-ranking tombs capital city of the Huo state Western Zhou period 53 64 12 11/16/22 20221101 NES 221101 Postscript The original article , prepared by Qiang Ma , was published in Kaogu (Archaeology) 2021.8:3-22 with 32 illustrations and five notes. Combined with the unearthed artifacts, its age can be dated to the late Western Zhou, which corresponds to the high-ranking burial area in the northeast, confirming that the age of the Yaoheyuan city site extended from the early to the late Western Zhou, which is also consistent with the information obtained from the investigation and excavation. Through the ongoing archaeological excavations in recent years, it is clear that the Yaoheyuan capital city of the state of Huo lasted from the early to the late Western Zhou until the eastward migration of the Zhou people to Luoyi. Yaoheyuan city site, high-ranking tombs, capital city of the Huo state, Pengyang County, Ningxia, Western Zhou period. [Extracted from the article]

Graph: Figure 23 Type A crucible fragment (G7 (1):57). Keywords: Huangpi District; Wuhan; Guoyuanzui site; bronze casting; Shang dynasty EN Huangpi District Wuhan Guoyuanzui site bronze casting Shang dynasty 32 52 21 11/16/22 20221101 NES 221101 Postscript The original article , prepared by Gang Hu , Xiaofeng Cheng , Yuwu Xie , and Shirui Lin , was published in Kaogu (Archaeology) 2021.7:49-77 with 92 illustrations, one table, and eight notes. The soil is unusually hard and compact, with a maximum thickness of 0.35m; the lower layer (Layer 4) is reddish-brown soil, interspersed with scattered Shang dynasty pottery sherds, and occasionally there are red burnt soil granules, pebbles, and smoke traces. Monuments of Huangpi District, Wuhan. [Extracted from the article]

Hunan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology excavated at the site of Sunjiagang during 2016–2018 after 33 earthen pit tombs were uncovered in 1991. It yielded 192 pit tombs and one urn burial along with a number of pottery vessels and jade artifacts. The whole cemetery was laid out with a clear pattern of spatial arrangement, organized in an orderly style. A unique burial practice prevailed in the cemetery, for which the deceased was laid upon a layer of grave goods. According to the typology of unearthed pottery vessels and jade artifacts, the cemetery at the Sunjiagang site dates sometime from 2200 to 1800 BCE. It represents a new local variant of the Xiaojiawuji culture, and thus can be named the Sunjiagang type culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Zaoshulin cemetery includes five large tombs with an entry ramp leading to a central chamber on one side, 19 medium tombs, and 62 small tombs. According to the inscriptions on the bronze vessels, the layout of the tombs, and the grave assemblages, this cemetery was the burial place for the high-ranking noblemen of the Zeng state. Three hierarchies of tombs from large to small in size correspond to the social ranks of marquises, high-ranking noblemen, and low-ranking noblemen. Amongst these tombs, the occupants of five large burials in three groups are identified as Lord Qiu of Zeng and his wife Yu, Marquis Bao of Zeng and his wife Mi Jia, and Marquis De of Zeng. The Zaoshulin cemetery, along with the sites and cemeteries at Yejiashan, Wenfengta, Guojiamiao, Sujialong, presents a clear and complete archaeological sequence of the culture of Zeng. It also establishes a reference point for Bronze Age archaeological culture in South China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five series of archaeological excavations were conducted at the Honghe site from 2013–2019. Fieldwork during the 2013–2017 season confirmed that cultural attributes of late Neolithic remains found at Honghe were identical to the Ang'angxi culture as first established by Liang Siyong. Thus, this fieldwork adds further evidence to understanding the cultural implications, attributes, and chronology of Ang'angxi culture. Excavation during the 2018–2019 season subsequently revealed settlement pattern belonging the Ang'angxi culture in the Nenjiang River Basin, demonstrating a mixed sedentary subsistence strategy, including fishing, hunting, and farming, practiced regionally during the late Neolithic. This provides significant materials for understanding the civilizational trajectory of that time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A small, walled settlement spanning the early through mid-Longshan culture was discovered at Ximengzhuang site, Tengzhou City, Shandong Province. The development of the settlement encompasses two periods: a square enclosure in the early period and a circular enclosure in the late period. Houses inside the enclosure might have been laid out in rows from south to north during the early period; late period houses can be divided into three phases. All houses were laid out along the circular enclosure, which could be used as a special space for storage. Cultural remains after the abandonment of the walled settlement date to the mid-Longshan culture. The Ximengzhuang site is the first small Longshan culture settlement to have been revealed in its entirety in China, with a clear trajectory of development and distinguishing characteristics as regards periodization. The Ximengzhuang site may have been a military outpost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2017 to 2018, Hebei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and other institutions excavated the Taizicheng city site. Assisted by coring, the fieldwork confirmed that there were 67 building foundations, 14 roads, and two drainage ditches in this city site; the foundation of the No. 9 building in the center of the south zone and the courtyard No. 3 in the center of the north zone formed a tandem arrangement of "qian chao hou qin" [in front, audience hall; behind, resting chambers] along a symmetrical axis. In the unearthed artifacts, there are large numbers of bricks with stamps of "nei," "gong," and "guan," white-glazed Ding wares with an inscription "shang shi ju," fragments of chiwen-dragon heads on the main ridge, etc. Seen from the ranks of the artifacts and architectural sites, this city site would be the remains of an imperial residence of the mid through late Jin dynasty, which might be the Taihe Palace for Emperor Zhangzong of the Jin dynasty to hold summer nabo-imperial encampment. The excavation of the Taizicheng city site greatly improves the studies on the site selection of imperial encampments, construction regulations, utensil assemblage for the use of imperial courts, etc. of the Jin dynasty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2015, the Heilongjiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology excavated at Xiaonanshan site on the bank of Ussuri River in southeast Raohe County, Heilongjiang Province. The excavation was conducted in three zones, with nine Neolithic burials recovered in Zone III. Most burials were in northeast-southwest orientation and consisted of two parts: a cairn above ground, and a grave below the cairn. Pottery wares, lithic tools, and jades were unearthed from these burials. The cultural remains represented by these eight early phase burials are the first of their kind discovered in China and represent a new archaeological culture: the Xiaonanshan culture. The 14C data of this culture provided dates of 7,890±30 BP and 8,150±30 BP, preceding Xinkailiu culture. This excavation has filled a blank on early Neolithic cultures in eastern Heilongjiang and provided new materials for the studies on the origination and diffusion of the jade culture in East Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lushanmao site is a large-scale settlement site from the late Miaodigou Phase II culture to the late Longshan age located in Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province. The core zone of the settlement is on a hill ridge, on the top of which four large-sized rammed-earth platform foundations are distributed, each of which had large-sized rammed-earth architecture sites on top. On the top of the excavated Da Yingpan Liang (Large Garrison Ridge), one large courtyard and two smaller courtyards were distributed. Of them, the large courtyard was facing south, which would be the earliest palace complex in an axial symmetrical plan known to date in China, and the two smaller ones would be its guardhouses. In the large courtyard, a set of roof tiles, which would be the earliest ones known to date in China, were unearthed; and jades were also found in the rammed-earth foundation or walls. These discoveries are significantly valuable for the studies on the early capital city planning, origins, and evolutions of palaces and the developments of the early ritual systems and architectural materials of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2014 through 2017, Jilin Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and Research Center for Chinese Frontier Archaeology of Jilin University excavated the god temple site for the Changbai Mountains. The main body of the site was an enclosed unit in rectangular plan surrounded by outer walls, in the middle slightly to the north of which is a courtyard centered by an 工-shaped hall and surrounded by covered walkways; outside the courtyard, architecture and water well remains were found. The artifacts unearthed from this site were mainly architectural component parts; based on the jade tablets bearing the characters "guichou 癸丑" unearthed from this site, this site is estimated to be the temple built in the Jin Dynasty for worshipping the god of the Changbai Mountains. The layout and construction rules of this site matched that in the historical textual records, providing valuable materials for the studies on the official-style architecture of the Jin Dynasty. This site is the first case of the state mountain sacrificial ceremonies found beyond the Central Plains area, which is significantly meaningful for the understandings to the layouts of the shrines and temples of the gods of the "yue (sacred mounts) zhen (mounts for pacifying the directions they are located) hai (seas) du (rivers)" in the Song and Jin Dynasties and the development of the ritual system of the Jin Dynasty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the years 2015 through 2017, archaeological excavations were conducted to the Gujun Site in Xingtang County, which recovered burials, chariot-and-horse pits and sacrificial pits, house foundations, water wells, ash pits, kilns, ash ditches and other features, from which artifacts made of gold, bronze, jade, stone, bone, horn and antler, shell and cowry, pottery, etc. were unearthed. The date of this site was from the late Spring-and-Autumn Period to the mid and late Warring-States Period, in which the city site, burials and residential areas were existing together; their dates, locations and cultural connotations are all closely related to the Xianyu tribe and Zhongshan State, especially the chariot-and-horse and animal victim pits with unique form were the first archaeologically discovered remains of this type. The discovery of the Gujun Site reflected the convergence and evolutions of the cultures of the ethnic groups in the Northern Frontier Zone and the Huaxia System, and provided important materials for the researches on the processes of the Sinicization of the northern ethnic groups such as Rong and Di and the configuration of the Chinese nation as a pluralistic integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The burial M8 excavated at the Zhoujiazhai Cemetery in Suizhou City, Hubei Province in 2014 was a vertical earthen shaft pit burial with one coffin chamber and one coffin. The grave goods unearthed from this burial were mainly lacquered and wooden wares, including flask, eared cup, lian-cosmetic case, figurines, bi-disc, ladder-shaped object, T-shaped object, liubo-game board, bamboo case, etc. The occupant of this burial is estimated to be a lower-ranking official in the reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty. In the bamboo case unearthed from the burial, ink-written "gaodishu (letter informing the underground)" on wooden tablets are found, and hundreds of bamboo slips with text of" rishu (almanac) " were also unearthed, which are significantly meaningful for the studies on the rishu of the Qin and Han Dynasties and the date-selecting system in ancient China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The provenance study of the artificial products among the archaeological artifacts is an important content of the archaeological research. The relevant methods applied in the academic field at present all have their effectiveness as well as limitations. Focusing on the practices and experiences in the study on the bronze mirror casting industry in the Linzi City Site of the Qi State in Shandong, this paper puts forward the provenance estimation method based on the styles and distributions of the artificial products, which suggests that different production places (origins) produced different local styles, while the products made in each origin were circulated in the zone with the origin as the center. Therefore, according to the spatial distribution of the artificial products, the location with the most densely distributed products with this style could be inferred as their origin. Then, this paper discussed the identification and summarization of the "origin style", the observation and analyses of the regional distribution and the estimation and confirmation of the origins, the scope of application of this method and other relevant issues in the application of this provenance estimation method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2014 through 2016, archaeological surveys and excavations were conducted in the central area of the Shijiahe Site. The walled site at Locus Tanjialing found in the coring tests and excavations was the predecessor of the Shijiahe walled site, and its discovery provides important clues for understanding the formation and development of this latter site. The sacrificial remains at Locus Yinxintai (Seal Terrace) and the pottery workshop at Locus Sanfangwan are important discoveries related to an in-depth understanding on the functional differences across the Shijiahe Site. In addition, the jades unearthed in the excavations are richly diverse and were made with complicated techniques. They represent the highest level of the jade art in prehistoric China and contribute substantially to research on the development of Chinese Civilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2014 to 2016, Liaoning Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and Longcheng District Museum of Chaoyang City conducted rescue excavation to the Banlashan (Half Hill) Cemetery. This cemetery was carefully designed and constructed, on the ground of which earthen mounds were built up and the burials and sacrificial facilities were all arranged on these mounds. In the late stage of the use of this cemetery, functional zoning appeared: the burial zone was in the south of the cemetery and the sacrificial zone was in the north. In total, 78 burials, one sacrificial altar, one architectural foundation and 29 sacrificial pits were recovered, from which pottery wares, stone implements and jades were unearthed. The discovery of this cemetery, especially the concentrated discovery of sacrificial remains, gave us a brand-new understanding to the functions and structures of the cairn cemeteries of the Hongshan Culture and provided important evidences for the studies on the ancient funeral customs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2015 and 2016, the Xinjiang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology excavated the Jartai Pass (Jirentai Goukou) Site in Nilka County, Ili Prefecture. The excavation recovered 2500sq m in total, finding 20 house foundations and eight early burials as well as over 1000 artifacts including pottery, stone objects, and bronzes. The Jartai Pass Site was assigned to the Andronovo Culture with a date of about 3600 BP. It thus is the largest and earliest settlement site of the Bronze Age in the Ili River valley found to date. At this site, the earliest evidence for coal use in the world was found as well as evidence for bronze smelting and casting industries and iron ingots of an earlier period. This excavation provided important data for establishing the sequence of the prehistoric archaeological cultures in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2014, Guangdong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and other institutions excavated Locality 1 of the Modaoshan (Whetting Hill) Site in Yunan County, Guangdong. The excavation recovered almost 400 pieces of lithic products mostly made of quartz, sandstone and quartzite, plus a few made of fine sandstone and metasandstone, the categories of which included blanks, cores, flakes, tools, chunks, debris and utilized gravels, containing the entire procedure from blank fetching, stone tool making and refuse abandoning, and the finished tools took small proportion. The date of Locality 1 was the early stage of the Middle Pleistocene, belonging to the Lower Paleolithic Age. The Modaoshan Site is the first open site of the Paleolithic Age scientifically excavated in Guangdong Province and the earliest cultural remains of the early human beings in Guangdong Province confirmed to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2013 and 2014, Guizhou Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and other institutions conducted large-scale excavation to the tusi (hereditary headmen system in the minority area, and also the title of the headmen) cemetery of the Yang Family in Xinpu New District, Zunyi City, which recovered three tombs of the tusi of the Yang Family. Among these three tombs, Yang Jie's tomb was a large-sized earthen pit tomb furnished with wooden coffin chamber, which was a special structure in this cemetery; it was well preserved and yielded large amount of elaborate gold and silver wares and other exquisite grave goods. The entire cemetery had clear and tidy arrangements, diversified burial types, exact tomb occupant identities, large time span and rich grave goods yielded, all of which enriched the knowledge on the funeral system, genealogy and cultural characteristics of the Yang Family, the tusi clan of Bozhou Prefecture, made it possible to comprehensively explore the social history of the ancient Bozhou Prefecture and propelled the archaeological researches on the remains of the tusi system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2012 and 2013, The First South China Archaeological Team of the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Guizhou Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology conducted cooperative excavation to the Caves A and B of the Niupodong Site in Pingba County. The excavation recovered four burials, the dates of which were all early Neolithic Age. The artifacts unearthed at this site were mainly chopped microliths and related tools and products, such as stone blanks, fragments, cores, flakes and refuses, and some finished microliths, such as scrapers, choppers, points, etc. In addition, large amounts of typical microcores and microblades were also found. Pebble tools were also discovered in large amount, most of which had concaves on both sides. Very few whetstones were found. Polished stone implements were also found in small quantity, most of which were stone axes. Pottery wares were also found in small quantity and type, and badly fragmentary. These discoveries provided important materials for the researches on the characteristics and connotations of the prehistoric archaeological cultures in Guizhou, and are also significantly meaningful for the relevant researches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]