What are the prehistoric civilizations discovered in China?

"Decryption of Prehistoric Myths in China" and "Study on the Origin of Human Civilization"

There are also references in historical books of past dynasties, such as the "35 calendar" quoted in "Taiping Magnolia".

They are all books about prehistoric civilization in China.

Nihewan culture can be divided into three periods according to geological age and archaeological appraisal: early, middle and late. That is, the early Nihewan site group represented by Xiaochangliang site and Ma Quan ditch site (about 1 .5-2 million years ago), the middle Nihewan site group represented by Houjiayao site (about1-300,000 years ago) and the late Nihewan site group represented by Hutouliang site (about110,000 years ago)

Liangzhu culture is one of the representatives of the late Neolithic period in China from 5300 to 4300 years ago. 1936. The sites discovered at present are concentrated in the Yangtze River Delta area around Shanghai.

Yuanmou Man, an ancient human site discovered in China, is about 6.5438+0.7 million years ago, and the famous Peking Man is about 400,000-500,000 years ago.

Paleolithic refers to the period of about 10,000 years ago, and Neolithic refers to the period of about 10,000 to 4,000 years ago.

Nihewan culture can be divided into three periods according to geological age and archaeological appraisal: early, middle and late. That is, the early Nihewan site group represented by Xiaochangliang site and Ma Quan ditch site (about 1 .5-2 million years ago), the middle Nihewan site group represented by Houjiayao site (about1-300,000 years ago) and the late Nihewan site group represented by Hutouliang site (about110,000 years ago)

From 20,000 years ago to 654.38 million years ago, Zhejiang Ningshao Plain was the base for the development of Yue people.

The deterioration of the natural environment in Ningshao Plain 15000 years ago forced the Vietnamese people to migrate many times on a large scale.

The following is a brief introduction to the major Neolithic cultural relics in China:

About 1 0,000 years ago, a branch crossed the Qiantang River and entered the hilly areas of western Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu, creating Majiabang culture.

Hongshan Culture is a Neolithic culture characterized by unearthed jade articles in Northeast China. It germinated around 8000~6000 BC, developed around 5000~4500 BC, and flourished around 4000~2500 BC. Generally speaking, the jades with Hongshan Culture characteristics from 6000 to 3000 BC are called Hongshan Culture.

Jiahu Site The stratum of Jiahu Site is relatively simple, mainly the cultural remains of Peiligang, and its absolute age is 7000 BC-5800 BC, about 9000 years ago. It is the earliest Neolithic cultural relic in the Huaihe River basin, providing a connection point between the middle reaches of the Yellow River and the middle and lower reaches of the Huaihe River. Found houses, pottery kilns, tombs, pottery, stone tools, bones and so on. The unearthed pottery, such as bowls, two-eared pots and conical tripod, has the characteristics similar to those of Peiligang culture pottery. For tortoise shells and stone tools engraved with symbols, the engraved symbols may be related to the original characters.

Magnetic mountain culture is the early Neolithic culture in northern China. It was named after its first discovery in Cishan, Wu 'an County, Hebei Province. Excavated in 1973. The age is about 5400 BC to 5 100 BC. This culture is closely related to Peiligang culture, and some people even call it "Peiligang magnetic mountain culture".

Liangzhu culture is an important ancient civilization in Taihu Lake Basin in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China. Bronze culture, named after its discovery in Liangzhu Town, Yuhang, Zhejiang Province, was discovered in 1936, about 5250~4 150 years ago. After more than half a century of archaeological investigation and excavation, it was initially found that the site was distributed in Taihu Lake area. In Liangzhu, Anxi and Pingyao, Yuhang District, Hangzhou, there are more than 50 Liangzhu cultural sites with Mojiaoshan site as the core, including villages, cemeteries, altars and other remains, which are rich in connotation, wide in scope and dense in sites. Since 1980s, high-platform mounds such as Fanshan, Yaoshan and Guanhui Mountain have been combined with the altar sites.

Yangshao culture can be traced back to 5000 BC to 3000 BC. Yangshao culture, with wide distribution, long duration, rich connotation and far-reaching influence, has become a backbone of Neolithic culture in China, showing the social structure and cultural achievements of matriarchal clan system in China from prosperity to decline.

Banpo culture belongs to Neolithic Yangshao culture in the middle reaches of the Yellow River and is located in banpo village, Xi City, Shaanxi Province. Around 4800-4300 BC, the original inhabitants of banpo village settled down and established villages by clan or tribe. Banpo is a primitive society, and there is no distinction between rich and poor.

Sanxing Village Site Sanxing Village Site is located in Sanxing Village, Xigang, Jintan City, Jiangsu Province, and its age is about 4500-3500 BC. It is of great significance to deeply study the Neolithic cultural types and the origin of civilization in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and adds new materials for the Neolithic regional research and physical anthropology research in China. It is equivalent to the Songze culture in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River used in Majiabang culture in the early days. The stone graupel unearthed 6000 years ago is a ritual vessel, which shows the owner's power, identity and status. It is earlier than the earliest and most complete Liangzhu culture 1000 years.

Lingjiatan Cultural Site in Lingjiatan Village, Chengguan Town, hanshan county City, Anhui Province, with a total area of about 6,543.8+0.6 million square meters, is the largest and most well-preserved Neolithic settlement site discovered so far in Chaohu Basin in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Two cultural relics of special significance in the history of science and culture-Jade Turtle and Jade Plate were also unearthed in the site. Experts speculate that the Jade Turtle and Jade Edition may be ancient books and gossip. In the upcoming fifth excavation of Lingjiatan cultural site in Anhui Province, infrared photography technology will be used to find possible characters 5,000 years ago.

Bronze culture of Shijiahe culture, about 4600-4000 years ago. It was named after its discovery in shihe town, Tianmen City, Hubei Province. There is a large-scale site group with more than 50 sites. The culture has been found to have copper blocks, jade articles and sacrificial relics, similar characters and carved symbols of urban sites, indicating that it has entered a civilized era. Pottery is mostly black, but there are also many red pottery cups and pottery sculptures, which is a major feature of this culture.

Terracotta figures are very small, including lions, elephants, tigers, chickens, fish, turtles and portraits. These figurines are concentrated in the pit and have the taste of sacrifice. In the urn coffins where children are buried, there are often many jade articles with rich shapes, such as faces, eagles, pigs, dragons, cicadas, dragons and tubes. , finely carved, the craft level is very high.

This culture, like the Shijiahe site group, appears in the form of a central settlement, consisting of dozens of sites such as Dengjiawan, Tucheng and Xiaojiawuling. At that time, the economic life was dominated by rice cultivation. Copper blocks and malachite, the raw material for smelting copper, were found in Dengjiawan site, marking the emergence of copper smelting industry. Jade carving technology rises with distinctive features. Jade articles, such as human face, animal face, jade cicada, jade bird, hairpin and yellow ware, belong to small jade articles. A large number of small pottery sculptures have been unearthed in individual sections of the Dengjiawan site, and some have thousands of pieces in a pit. Sculptures include birds, chickens, pigs, dogs, sheep, tigers, elephants, monkeys, turtles, turtles and kneeling statues holding fish. These pottery sculptures may be used in primitive witchcraft and sacrificial activities. Dengjiawan seems to be a special place of origin, which is exported to various places through exchange.

The scale of tombs in the late Shijiahe culture is very different. A large pit tomb on the roof of Jony J is more than 3 meters long, with more than 100 funerary objects; Another adult urn coffin contains 56 small pieces of jade, ranking first among jade tombs discovered in this culture. Most of Zhong Xiang Liuhe's urn coffins are buried with jade and jade materials. All these show that people regard jade as wealth. It is generally believed that this culture has been in the stage of disintegration of primitive society.

Miaodigou culture and Yangshao culture have their own unique contents due to different times, regions or tribes. Because it was first discovered in Miaodigou, it is called Miaodigou culture. Carbonization was measured as 39 10 BC, fluctuating 125 years.

The age of Hemudu culture is about 4360 BC-3360 BC. Mainly distributed in Ningshao Plain, Zhejiang Province. Pottery is mainly made of carbon black, with a small amount of sand and muddy gray pottery. It is made by hand and fired at 800-930℃.

Neolithic culture in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China. Named after the Yinyangying site in the north of Nanjing. Distributed in Ningzhen area of Jiangsu Province and southeast of Anhui Province. The estimated age is 4000 ~ 3000 BC. Beiyin Yangying culture is at the end of matriarchal clan society, but it has already bred the bud of paternal clan society.

Majiabang-Songze culture can be traced back to about 4000 BC to 2685 BC. Mainly distributed in Shanghai, southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang. Mainly red pottery, a small amount of gray pottery, black pottery, black pottery, sand, mud, charcoal pottery. The firing temperature is 760- 1000℃. Most of the pottery is handmade, and a few are repaired in turn.

Dawenkou culture can be traced back to 4040 BC to 2240 BC. Distributed in Shandong, northern Jiangsu, eastern Henan and northeastern Anhui. There are argillaceous and sandy pottery, mainly red pottery in the early stage, and the proportion of gray and black increased in the late stage, resulting in white pottery and eggshell pottery. Hand-made pottery developed to the later round pottery, and the firing temperature was 900- 1000℃. There are ding, Jing, Jing, Dou, Zun, single-ear cup, cup-shaped, high-necked jar, back pot and so on. Many pottery surface films are shiny, and the patterns are scratches, chords, baskets, circles, triangles, carved holes and so on. Painted pottery is rare, but it is very distinctive. There are three colors: red, black and white, and the patterns are a little bit shaped, geometric and mosaic.

The history of Daxi culture is about 3825 BC to 2405 BC, which is mainly distributed in the Three Gorges area in western Hubei and along the Yangtze River. There are few argillaceous pottery, fine pottery and sand pottery, and a small amount of charcoal pottery; Red pottery is dominant, with a small amount of gray pottery and black pottery. Mainly hand-made, a small number of wheels repaired, firing temperature 600-800℃.

Chengtoushan ancient cultural sites can be seen everywhere in Chengtoushan ancient city, with pottery fragments and cultural accumulation of Daxi culture, Qujialing culture and Longshan culture. Chengtou Mountain was built in Daxi culture period 6000 years ago, and it was built twice in Qujialing culture period about 5000 years ago. The discovery of pottery, pottery and pottery pots shows that drinking in Chengtou Mountain and its surrounding areas was quite common and exquisite 5000 years ago, and the development of wine culture has reached a considerable level.

Panlongcheng Site Panlongcheng Site is located in Yedian Village, Panlongcheng Economic Development Zone, huangpi district, Wuhan. It is the first early Shang Dynasty urban site found in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River in China (3,500 years ago), and it is also one of the best preserved urban sites found in China at the same time.

The age of Liangzhu culture is about 3300~ 2000 BC. Wuyue, who officially entered the historical era, should be the proof that Liangzhu people have some connection with Wuyue people. There is no evidence that Maqiao culture may be his successor. The ancestors of Liangzhu culture were divided into two groups: one group arrived in northern Guangdong and merged into Shijie culture, and the other group fought against the tribes in the Central Plains, and was absorbed, assimilated and merged, which appeared in Longshan culture. Liangzhu culture distributed in Taihu Lake basin is formed by inheriting and developing Songze culture, and is named after Liangzhu site near Hangzhou. Liangzhu culture has made great progress in rice cultivation, bamboo and wood production, sericulture, silk weaving and hemp spinning. What is particularly striking is the discovery of a large number of jade articles, mainly cong, bi and yue. Jade articles with exquisite Liangzhu culture have been unearthed in Fanshan, Yaoshan, Yuhang, Zhejiang and Wudun, Jiangsu, which not only shows the exquisite jade-making technology, but also reflects the profound changes in the superstructure of society.

Majiayao culture dates from about 3 190 BC to 17 15 BC. Developed under the influence of Yangshao culture. Mainly distributed in Gansu and northeastern Qinghai, with Taohe River, Daxia River and Huangshui River as the center.

Shi Xia culture is a representative late Neolithic culture in Lingnan area, named after Shi Xia site in Qujiang, Guangdong Province, and its age is about 3000-2000 BC.

The cultural era of Qujialing is about 2550 BC-2 BC195 BC. Mainly distributed in Jianghan area in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. Black pottery dominated in the early stage, gray pottery dominated in the later stage, and a small amount of red pottery. Pottery is mainly made by hand, with a small amount of wheel repair, and the firing temperature is around 900℃.

The age of Longshan culture is about 23 10 BC-65438 BC+08 BC10 BC. Inherit Yangshao cultural factors and carry them forward. In the early stage, it was mainly distributed in Guanzhong, southern Shanxi and western Henan. The late stage is mainly distributed in Henan and southern Hebei.

Maqiao Ancient Culture Site Maqiao Ancient Culture Site contains three layers of cultural relics of different times: the upper layer is the remains of Indian pottery culture in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period; A large number of Shang dynasty stones, bones and pottery were unearthed in the middle layer, which is a typical relic of the early Indo-pottery culture in Taihu Lake area and named Maqiao culture. Neolithic architectural relics and tombs were found in the lower floor, which are the relics of Liangzhu culture dating back 4000 years. There is also a shell sand belt under the cultural relics, indicating that the relics are located on the ancient coast. The discovery of this relic is of great significance to the study of the ancient coastal location and land-forming age of Shanghai.

The age of Qijia culture is about BC 1890-BC 1620. It was developed after Majiayao culture. Mainly distributed in Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia and other places.

Abstract: Most of the ancient myths and legends in China originated from the Neolithic Age. Due to the age, lack of literature and history materials and ignorance of ideas, our ancestors have been shrouded in mystery. Since the 20th century, with the development of archaeology, we have the opportunity to get in close contact with them, which is undoubtedly of great significance to our correct understanding of human history and culture! The dating project of Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties can come to an end temporarily, and the study of Neolithic culture, that is, prehistoric civilization, is a huge task before us! It needs the further efforts of the domestic scholars of archaeology, literature and history.