Six to seven thousand years ago, a stable village was built by a late
Neolithic people. Banpo had about 500 people lived in the village. It
was a matriarchal society based on farming. The houses were constructed
of thatch over wood beams while the floors were sunk two to three
feet into the ground. Heat was provided by a central fire. Food was
stored in underground caves, dug deep enough to protect the provisions
from being devoured by wildlife or contaminated by insects. Architecture,
village organization, and food storage methods appear to have been
strikingly similar to the way of life of some native American plains
tribes.
The Banpo Village covers an area of 50,000 square meters and is
divided into three sections: the Residential Section, the Pottery-making
Section, and the Burial Section. There were five excavations between
1954 and 1957, a total area of 10,000 square meters. The discoveries
include 46 horse remains, two pigsties, 200 cellars, 174 adult tombs,
73 child's burial urns, six pottery kilns and many production tools
and living utensils. All these show the production and lives of the
Banpo ancestors 6,000 years ago during the prosperous period of the
matrilineal clan society.
In
the Neolithic Age, the Banpo villagers lived on hunting, farming and
fishing. Land was opened up by slashing and burning the surrounding
vegetation. Women then played an important part in society. This stage
can be divided into two periods: an early period and a developmental
period. As far as the first period was concerned, women were engaged
in collecting wild fruits while men were occupied with fishing and
hunting. As a result of the intertribal communal marriages, children
were closely associated with their mothers from morning to night.
They followed their mothers in the family pedigree. The latter period
saw the transition to exogamy. Women took up farming, and managed
the tribal affairs and the economic life as well. Husbands lived in
the homes of their wives, and they were also recorded together with
their property in the family pedigree after their wives.
The Banpo worked together. They dug a trench around the entire complex
both for protection and for drainage. There was a large meeting hall
in the center of the village and a place for central storage. Most
of the tools (e.g., axes, hoes, knives) were of stone, but some implements
were of bone (e.g., needles for sewing). The stone tools look remarkably
sharp, but it was still fortunate that the Banpo settled in an area
where the soil was loose and easily tilled.
Pottery making became an important activity of the village and pottery
products (dishes, vases, etc.) improved the daily life of the villagers
At the site of living section, The pottery wares unearthed total up
to 50 to 60 kinds. Some of the pottery objects were decorated with
colorful geometric designs, and some were decorated with the designs
of fish with a big mouth, running deer and various types of human-faced
fish. It is worthwhile to mention that some carved and painted signs
were found on the unearthed pottery vessels. The village pottery produced
specialized pots for drinking, storage, cooking, and burial. (Although
adults were buried in the cemetery outside the village, children and
infants were buried alongside the huts in special clay urns; the reason
for this continues to be matter for speculation.)
The
matriarchal clan community shows the first signs of primitive communes
after advancing from the primitive tribes, and came to an end not
long before patriarchy society was established. This happened in approximately
the period spanning the late Paleolithic and Neolithic Ages.
Over the next 3000 years, the descendants of the Banpo people founded
new villages, began to build cities, used jade, bronze, and copper,
and increased their skills in agriculture. The first dynasty (or unified
government) was called the Xia and lasted from approximately 2200
B.C. to 1700 B.C. Life changed more rapidly after that time.
Xian Tour Routes Covers Banpo Village
XH-6 . Xian 4 Days Tour of Terracotta Warrior and Mountain Hua
XH-3 . Xian Terracotta Army Tour
XK-3
. Xian 4 days tour
XK-6 . Xian Tour of Terracotta Warrior and Mountain Hua
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