A Study Of Neolithic Pottery Pot In Northeast China

The number of the archeological culture and remains of the Neolithic Age in thenortheast China that have been discovered, identified, and denominated amounts toabout thirty, and the basic temporal/spatial range of these culture is already established.Though academia has witnessed active progresses in studies about one or two kinds ofarcheological culture up to date, studies focused upon single pottery in its kind havebeen relatively scarce. To be specific, no preceding research regarding the Neolithicpottery pot has been produced, which motivated this thesis to take the Neolithic potterypot as the subject of research, attempting to fill in the academic niche.This thesis at first analyzes the northeast Neolithic pottery pot using thetypological approach, proceeds to explore the characteristics and the pedigree of theculture each pottery belongs to, and then summarizes by examining the progress ofpottery pot in general. This research will provide a new perspective in understandingthe correlation between the northeast Neolithic culture’s process of development andthe culture itself.This thesis is divided into five chapters:Chapter1: the Introduction. This chapter delineates the purpose, object, and thetemporal/spatial scope of the research.Chapter2: the characteristic in shape and the typological research. There arethirty eight remains in the northeast area where pottery pot was excavated, and thenumber of pottery pots that are intact or restorable amounts to ninety three in total. TheNeolithic pottery pots that were excavated or collected from the northeast area can becategorized into five semi-classes and eleven subdivisions, based upon the differencein shape, ear parts’ location of the pots. Then their types were re-categorized accordingto the difference in abdominal shape and imprinted pattern, leading to the examinationof their transformation within the given types.Chapter3: the research of the culture attributes and the chronology. Upon thebasis of preceding researches regarding periodization and the chronological table of thearcheological culture of the Neolithic age in the northeast area, the culture attributesand the era of each type of pottery is determined. According to preceding researches, the pottery pots can be excavated or collected from ten cultures: the hong-shan culture,the xiao-he-yan culture, the nan-bao-li-gao-tu type, the ha-min-mang-ha culture, thepian-bu-zi culture, the bei-gou culture, the lower xiao-zhu-shan culture, the upperhouwa culture, the Middle xiao-zhu-shan culture, and the upper xiao-zhu-shan culture.Chapter4: the system classification and the origin exploration. The Neolithicpottery pots of the northeast area are classified into different systems based upon theculture attributes and the chronological table, and then the temporal/spatial range andthe origin of each type of pottery are discussed. This thesis categorizes into fourdifferent systems with the addition of two subtypical systems: the hong-shan culture&the ha-min-mang-ha culture pottery pot system, the xiao-he-yan culture&the nan-bao-li-gao-tu type pottery pot system, the pian-bu-zi culture&the bei-gou culture potterypot system, the lower xiao-zhu-shan culture&the upper hou-wa culture&the Middlexiao-zhu-shan culture&the upper xiao-zhu-shan culture pottery pot system, the nan-bao-li-gao-tu type pottery pot subtypical system, and the upper xiao-zhu-shan culturepootery pot subtypical system. Data indicate that the origin of the first system is thefirst phase of the hougang culture in the central area, and the origin of the secondsystem is cognate to the dawenkou culture of the Shandong peninsula or the miaozigouculture of the central area of the inner Mongolia; the third and the fourth system havederivatively developed from other line of pottery in the corresponding area. Lastly, theusage of subtypical systems appears to have been temporary, which resulted from theconfluence of diverse cultural elements from different systems.Chapter5: the research of developmental steps and cultural patterns. The advent,development, and extinction of each pottery pot system from5,000B.C. to the2,000B.C. are synthetically analyzed. Examining the sequential transformation of potterypots, this chapter chronologically categorizes the Neolithic pottery pots in the northeastarea into six phases: the first, the second, and the third phase are periods of productionand development; they range from5,000B.C. to3,500B.C. The fourth and the fifthphase are periods of expansion which ranges from3,500B.C to2,500B.C. Lastly, thesixth phase is a period of extinction when the Bronze age begins; it ranges from2,500B.C. to2,000B.C.