Banpocun Culture
Banpocun Culture refers to a Neolithic settlement located in Shaanxi, northwest China, first discovered in 1953. This archaeological site spans approximately seven hectares and is characterized by around 100 timber-framed houses built on stone foundations, with clay and straw used for plastering the interiors. A notable feature of the village is a large rectangular building that likely served as a communal assembly hall or clan house, indicating a degree of social organization. The primary agricultural product was millet, supplemented by nuts such as chestnuts, hazelnuts, and pine nuts. Tools for farming included bone hoes, axes, and knives, while animal bones found at the site reveal a reliance on domesticated species like pigs, dogs, and cattle, alongside evidence of hunting and fishing activities. Pottery constitutes the most significant artistic output of the Banpocun people, with over 500,000 pieces unearthed, predominantly red ware showcasing both coarse cooking pots and finer water vessels. Archaeologists believe that Banpocun was continuously inhabited for an extended period, offering valuable insights into early agricultural and social practices in Neolithic China.
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Banpocun Culture
Related civilization: Neolithic China.
Also known as: Pan-p’o-ts’un (Wade-Giles).
Date: c. 6000-4000 b.c.e.
Locale: Shaanxi, China
Banpocun Culture
Banpocun (BAHN-poh-tsewn), discovered in 1953, is a Neolithic village site in Shaanxi, northwest China. The village covers about seven hectares (about seventeen acres) and has roughly a hundred houses. Each house had timber beams that rested on stone bases; floors and interior walls were plastered with clay and straw. In the center of the village, there was a large rectangular building with a platform. It could have been a communal assembly hall or a clan house.
The principal crop cultivated at Banpocun was millet. Chestnuts, hazelnuts, and pine nuts supplemented the grain diet. Major agriculture tools were bone hoes, axes, knives, and digging sticks. Animal bones uncovered include a variety of domesticated animals such as pigs, dogs, cattle, sheep, and goats. Fish hooks and deer bones suggest that hunting and fishing also contributed to the subsistence existence.
The most abundant form of art produced by Neolithic cultures is pottery. More than 500,000 pieces of pottery have been unearthed at Banpocun. These pottery items include pots, vessels, bowls, and jars. Most of them were hand formed into a distinctive red ware. Although cooking pots tend to be coarse and gritty, water vessels and serving bowls are made of a finer clay. Chinese archaeologists believe that the occupation at Banpocun was long and continuous.
Bibliography
Wenqing, Wang. Ten Major Museums of Shaanxi. Hong Kong: Polyspring, 1994.
Yü, Wei-ch’ao. A Journey into China’s Antiquity. Beijing, China: Morning Glory Publishers, 1997.