Site of the Neolithic Age
Location: Xiangfen
County, Shanxi Province
Period: 2,500-1,900 BC
Excavated from 1975 to the present
 |
| Painted pottery tray with dragon design: water vessel
(up, mouth diameter 37 cm, height 8.8 cm); Pottery object: function
unknown (bottom, height 83.6 cm); Cong, a cuboid jade with a hole in the
middle: ritual object (in the background, the side is 7 cm in
length) |
Significance: It plays the key role in
exploring the origin of ancient Chinese civilization, and the social development
and history of the period of Yao
and Shun, two legendary figures in ancient documents.
Introduction
Taosi Site is located in the middle reaches
of the Yellow River, covering an
area of about 3 million square meters. The site has relics mainly of the
Longshan Culture, some of Miaodigou ¢ò Culture and a few from the Warring States Period, Han, Jin and Yuan
dynasties. Large quantities of pottery, stone, copper and wood wares buried in
unearthed tombs, pottery kilns and wells were excavated in the site. So far,
over 70 sites of the Taosi kind have been discovered in Shanxi Province.