Evidence of a mysterious prehistoric disaster has been uncovered at
an amazing archaeological dig in the upper reaches of the Yellow
River.
The findings, uncovered at Lajia Village, Minhe County, in
Northwest China's Qinghai Province, could date back as far as 2250
BC, and are believed to belong to the Qijia Culture.
The human remains at the site have surprised archaeologists from
the Archaeology Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
(CASS) and the Qinghai Provincial Archaeology Institute.
In
the ruins of two of four half-underground cellar-like houses
excavated in the 400-home village, human remains dating back 3,500
to 4,000 years have been found. At the site of one house, remains
of 14 human beings in groups of three to five shocked every
excavator.
"It is the first time in China that the remains of so many ancients
have been found in a single house," said Zhao Zhijun, a doctor in
archaeology and a research fellow with the CASS Archaeology
Institute.
Although Chinese archaeologists have clues to the existence of
Qijia Culture ruins in Qinghai Province from as early as the 1950s,
they did not actually find the site until 30 years later.
Even after the first excavation was conducted near Lajia Village in
1999, when some large jade articles such as pendants and knives
typical of the Qijia Culture were unearthed, archaeologists were
not sure what else was awaiting them.
The 14 sets of human bones were found buried irregularly around the
house, covering a floor space of roughly 14 square meters. Some lie
on one side, others are entwined, as if in an embrace, while still
others seem to crawl.
Near the round-shaped cooking stove in the center of the house is a
skeleton which appears to be an adult, with hands raised over the
head and two legs arched together. It is possible the person was
killed before the body hit the ground.
Zhao described the scene. "I have never seen anything like this
before," he said.
He
thought the ancient victims in this particular house were in three
groups, each with two to four children led by an adult.
"Something enormously extraordinary must have happened to these
ancients," he said. "The young and strong have run for life,
leaving behind children and the elderly who then appeared to have
hid in places they thought were safe to shelter in," said Zhao, who
returned from the excavation site recently.
A
cluster of the remains of five ancients were found in the
southwestern section of the house, appearing to be four children
under the protection of one senior person.
Near the east wall, one could see the skeleton of an elder sitting
against the wall, propped up with the right hand, the left hand
holding a baby to its bosom, its face close to the head. The baby's
two tiny hands are fastened around the elder at the waist, giving
an impression of pain and horror.
"This," said Zhao, "is the most pitiful and horrible scene."
In
another house about two meters away, the remains of an elder and a
baby in a similar posture were found, assumed to have died at about
the same time as the 14 victims in the other house.
The cause of the prehistoric tragedy remained a mystery, the only
thing certain that the massive deaths were abnormal and sudden,
according to Zhao.
Zhao, who is a specialist in palaeothrobotany (the study of the
ancients), is inclined to believe there may have been a disastrous
incident such as a big flood, based on the evidence of the group
deaths and surrounding geological conditions.
The entire site, with its center several hundred meters away from
the Yellow River, covers an area of 200,000 square meters and is
surrounded by a large moat dozens of meters wide and five meters
deep. The moat is now dry, but archaeologists have found cobbles in
it.
Zhao has taken back some tiny spiral shells and snails from the
unearthed houses for further examination.
He
feels they indicate that the site was soaked in water as it was
buried.
"What we have to determine is whether the shells and snails are
tiny by nature, or whether there wasn't enough time for them to
grow," he said.
Other archaeologists tend to relate the deaths of the ancient
villagers to pestilence or plague. Another proposal points to
religious action.
Although final conclusions could not be drawn yet, the phenomenon
itself was worth studying, said Wang Renxiang, head of the
excavation team and research fellow of the CASS Archaeology
Institute.
"It is the rare site of a prehistoric disaster," he said.
"Most suggestions about the root cause of the disaster, such as
flood or pestilence, suggest a relationship between man and nature
at the time of the tragedy," Wang said. "If they are verified, that
means the area had already witnessed some environmental and
ecological deterioration as much as 4,000 years back."
Whatever the cause of the ancient tragedy, one thing was clear. The
findings would provide much evidence of family composition in
ancient times, said Zhao Zhijun, adding, "it will help us
understand the population increase, the rate of survival and
population control in the Neolithic Age."
Other findings
How the ancient Chinese managed to control their family size is a
controversial topic.
There are suggestions of infanticide, but a lack of evidence to
support them. Should DNA tests determine that each group of the
ancients found at Lajia Village was of one family, Zhao said, the
data would be of huge demographic significance.
The children in each group were definitely aged between two and 10,
the findings have shown. The two elders found holding children in
their arms were both thought to be female and aged between 30 and
35 when they died, according to Wang Renxiang.
Apart from the remains of human beings, archaeologists also
unearthed a 4,000-year-old rectangular stone, which scientists say
was a type of percussion instrument. The finely cut and
well-polished instrument, 96 centimeters long, 66 centimeters wide
and about 10 centimeters thick, is dark blue and still produces a
loud and clear sound.
Wang Renxiang discovered it at the home of a Lajia villager.
Experts say this is the first such instrument ever found in the
history of China's archaeology. They say the discovery may reverse
conventional theory that ancient percussion instruments were
triangular or square shaped.
A
number of delicate jade articles used in primitive religious
rituals and some pottery relics were also found at the site.
Judging by the jade texture and quality, experts assume they were
originally from Hetian in Xinjiang, about 2,000 kilometers to the
west, which is well known for its jade deposits.
The findings indicate cultural exchanges in ancient times.
The excavated moat has also drawn attention from archaeologists. At
this stage they cannot say whether there was a city around Lajia
Village more than 30 centuries ago, but the moat does suggest that
possibility, according to Wang.
He
believes the discovery may at least have been the center of an
administrative region.
Qijia Culture
First discovered in 1924 at Qijiaping in Guanghe, Gansu Province,
the Qijia Culture spread around the upper reaches of the Taohe,
Daxia and Weihe rivers in Gansu and the Huangshui basin in the
upper reaches of the Yellow River in Qinghai, during the
transitional period from the Neolithic Age to the Bronze Age
(2250-1900 BC). The culture was at a same time as the Longshan
Culture (2500-2000 BC), which was widespread in the central plains
in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, and is
characterized by very fine unpainted ceramics and simple tools.
Tools were mainly of stone, although copper articles had made an
appearance. Pottery included red fine clay and a grey type of
coarse sand.
A
cast bronze mirror has also been found, suggesting that some
elements of early Chinese bronze casting may have originated in
western China - and may even have been linked to the bronze casting
of Central Asia and the Iranian area.
The Longshan Culture, discovered largely in East and Central China,
represents a critical period for the origin of civilization in
China, with the appearance of city sites as its significant symbol.
Up to now, dozens of sites confirmed to be ancient cities have been
unearthed in the central plains and southern areas of China,
whereas sites of Qijia Culture have to date produced no such
city.
(China Daily 10/12/2000)