Prehistory
Jiahu: Bone Flutes, Early Signs and Rice Wine in Neolithic China
A major early Neolithic village whose flutes, incised signs and fermented-drink residues changed views of early Chinese music, symbols and diet.
Region
Asia
Prehistory
Xinglongwa Culture: Early Villages and Jade in Inner Mongolia
An early Neolithic culture of north-east China whose villages, millet and jade working foreshadowed the later Hongshan culture.
Prehistory
Hemudu Culture: Rice Farmers of the Neolithic Yangtze Delta
A Neolithic culture of the lower Yangtze whose waterlogged sites gave key evidence for early rice farming and wooden architecture.
Prehistory
Yangshao Culture: Painted Pottery of Neolithic China
The first Neolithic culture identified in China and the dominant farming tradition of the middle Yellow River for two thousand years.
Prehistory
Hongshan Culture: Jade Dragons and the Niuheliang Goddess Temple
A Neolithic farming culture whose jade carving, ritual platforms and cairn burials made it one of the most important prehistoric cultures of north-east Asia.
Prehistory
Chengtoushan: The Oldest Known Walled Settlement in China
A round, moated Neolithic settlement in the middle Yangtze valley, generally regarded as the oldest known walled town in China.
Prehistory
Banpo Village: Yangshao Neolithic Settlement near Xi'an
The first Neolithic village in China to be excavated on a large scale, later preserved under cover as the Banpo Museum, opened in 1958.
Prehistory
Areni-1 Cave: The World's Oldest Winery and Leather Shoe
Excavations revealed the oldest known wine-making installation and the oldest known leather shoe, preserved by the cave's dry, stable conditions.
Prehistory
Dawenkou Culture: Neolithic Shandong and Its Rich Grave Goods
Dawenkou communities grew increasingly unequal and developed into the Longshan culture of Shandong, an important step towards early Chinese states.
Prehistory
Xishuipo Dragon: Neolithic Shell Mosaic Burial of Puyang
The Xishuipo mosaics became one of the most famous early dragon images in China and a key piece of evidence in debates on prehistoric Chinese astronomy.
Prehistory
Sannai-Maruyama: Large Jōmon Settlement in Northern Japan
The site changed views of the Jōmon as small mobile bands and became part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021.
Prehistory
Botai Culture: Early Horse Use on the Kazakh Steppe
Botai people relied overwhelmingly on horses and probably managed and milked them, but their horses were ancestors of Przewalski's horses, not of today's domestic horses.