New Discovery —— Excavation and Harvest of Neolithic Remains in Tengzhou Huang An Site

      The Huang'an Site is located to the southwest of Huang'an Village, Beixin Subdistrict, Tengzhou City, approximately 2.5 kilometers southeast of the Tengzhou Municipal Government. The area lies on the western side of the Taiyi Mountain Range, characterized by low hills and mountains in the east and plains in the west. The terrain of the site is generally flat. Through excavation and extensive exposure, it has been discovered that the site is oval-shaped, with a maximum east-west diameter of about 190 meters, covering a total area of approximately 18,000 square meters.

      To ensure the protection of cultural relics in the northeastern plot of the Tengzhou State-Owned Assets·Yuefenghua West District project, the Shandong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology conducted two supportive excavations at the site between 2023 and 2024, with a cumulative excavation area of over 12,000 square meters. A total of 579 various remains were cleared, and 605 artifacts (or groups of artifacts) were unearthed. The excavations confirmed that the site spanned multiple historical periods, including the Houli Culture, Longshan Culture, Western Zhou Dynasty, Han Dynasty, and Ming-Qing periods. Among these, the discoveries from the Houli Culture and Longshan Culture periods are of particular significance.

      Picture 1 Location of Huang An Site in Shandong Province

      Picture 2 Aerial photography of excavation area

      (i) The Remains of the Houli Culture

      The remains of the Houli Culture scattered around the perimeter of the site, with a slightly sparser distribution in the center. The features are predominantly ash pits, along with a small number of foundation trenches and postholes. Additionally, three tombs have been discovered.

      The ash pits are mostly irregular in shape, with uneven bottoms showing varying levels. They are concentrated in the southern part of the site. Many of the ash pits are relatively small, circular or oval in shape, and mostly have rounded bottoms.

      The artifacts unearthed from the ash pits are primarily pottery shards, all of which are red pottery, mostly coarse sandy ware, with very little fine clay ware. The most common vessel form is the fu (cauldron), with round or rounded-square rims, and applique bands decorated with vertical "nail-pattern" incisions below the rim. The overlapping rims commonly seen in the Houli Culture of northern Shandong are rare here. Other finds include bowls and pedestals. The stone tools unearthed are mostly grinding stones. Animal bones, such as deer antlers, have also been found, many of which are heavily calcified.

      There are seven house foundations. Most are posthole-style, consisting of two or more rows of postholes forming square or rectangular structures. Due to damage to the upper layers, no activity surfaces have been preserved. Among them, F34 is located in the central-eastern part of the site and features three north-south rows, each with four large postholes, covering a total area of approximately 85 square meters. There is also one semi-subterranean house foundation with a hearth at its base. Additionally, in the southeastern part of the site, a nearly circular enclosure-like feature composed of multiple small postholes has been discovered, with a maximum diameter of about 13 meters and an area of approximately 110 square meters. It is speculated to have been an enclosure for keeping animals.

      Picture 3 Houli Calture columnar house site

      Picture 4 Houli Culture circular fence architecture.

      There are three tombs from the Houli Culture period, located in the western part of the site. All are rectangular vertical pit tombs with slightly rounded corners. The deceased were laid with their heads facing east, lying on their backs with limbs extended, and no burial containers were found. Among them, M40 has a secondary ledge of undisturbed soil, and the tomb occupant is a child of about six years old. On either side of the head, there is one pottery fu (cauldron) and one bowl. M41 has one coarse sandy red pottery fu placed near the head and another near the feet. M42 contains no burial objects.

      Picture5 Tombs M40, M41 and M42 in Houli Culture period

      Picture 6 Unearthed objects from M40 tomb in Houli Culture period

     Based on the unearthed pottery fragments, these remains share similarities with the Houli Culture of northern Shandong, the lower-strata Shishanzi Culture of northern Anhui, and the Shunshanji Culture of northern Jiangsu, suggesting they date to a similar period. According to carbon-14 dating, the remains from this period are concentrated around 7,900 to 8,500 years ago.

      (ii) Longshan Culture Remains

      The discovered Longshan Culture remains are primarily house foundations, along with some ash pits, tombs, and a small number of postholes.  

      The house foundations are all semi-subterranean, with a total of 82 excavated. Most are rectangular or square in shape, with the largest covering about 15 square meters and the smallest only about 4 square meters. A few have sloped entryways, mostly facing south, with a small number facing west or east. The floors of the houses often feature circular or oval fired surfaces, indicating direct activity on the undisturbed soil. The trampled surfaces are generally thin or indistinct, with little evidence of layered soil or repeated activity deposits. Some house floors retain pottery vessels, primarily coarse sandy black pottery, often of poor quality. The vessel types include jars, ding (tripods), yan (steamers), cups, gui (pitchers), and lids.

      Picture 7 The semi-subterranean house site of Longshan culture

       Picture 8 Semi-subterranean house of Longshan culture     

Fewer ash pits have been discovered, concentrated in the central and western parts of the site. Most are oval-shaped and relatively regular. Few pottery fragments have been unearthed from these pits. One tomb has been found, a rectangular vertical pit burial with a rectangular wooden coffin. The deceased was laid with the head facing the east, lying on the back with limbs extended. 

Based on the unearthed artifacts, the house foundations and ash pits date to the early period of the Longshan Culture. 

The Huang'an Site is a newly discovered mid-to-late Neolithic site in southern Shandong. Its excavation holds significant importance for studying the cultural evolution and the process of civilization in this region.     

The excavation of a group of remains dating to the Houli Culture period is a significant achievement of this excavation. The cleared Houli-period remains include house foundations (mostly posthole-style), postholes, post pits, and ash pits, presenting a layout with stilt-style buildings around the perimeter, possibly a central plaza, and an enclosure-like structure in the southern part of the center. Most of the discovered features are likely related to residential activities. The unearthed pottery exhibits low firing temperatures, with red or reddish-brown pottery, mostly coarse sandy ware, displaying strong primitive characteristics. These remains share similarities with but also differ from the typical Houli Culture remains of northern Shandong and show affinities with some contemporaneous remains in northern Anhui, reflecting a unique regional cultural type. Based on architectural forms, burial customs (grave goods, head orientation, etc.), and pottery characteristics, this may represent a local variant of the Houli Culture or a new archaeological culture in southern Shandong dating to the mid-Neolithic period around 7,900 to 8,500 years ago. This type is closely related to cultures in Anhui and northern Jiangsu. This discovery fills a gap in the prehistoric culture of southern Shandong and even broader regions around 8,000 years ago, marking a new breakthrough in Neolithic archaeology for this area. 

       The exposure of a large number of house foundations also represents a new discovery in Longshan Culture archaeology in the Haidai region. For the first time, a small, complete early Longshan Culture settlement characterized by semi-subterranean house foundations has been discovered. The house foundations are well-preserved and arranged in an orderly manner, providing new materials for exploring settlements of various functions and forms during the Longshan period. The Longshan Culture remains are primarily house foundations, dating to the early Longshan period. Based on the activity surfaces within the houses and their relationship with other contemporaneous features, it is inferred that this small settlement was used for a relatively short period. There is little evidence of overlapping structures, suggesting a high degree of contemporaneity. Regular ash pits are also rarely found around the house foundations. The Longshan Culture remains are simple and uniform, with a unique settlement structure, likely related to a specific economic form or function. The complete exposure of this large number of house foundations, concentrated in time, uniquely arranged, and structurally unified, provides an excellent sample for studying the social structure of this period. Their discovery and excavation hold significant academic importance for understanding the complexity of Longshan-period society.