Zooarchaeology Research Of Neolithic Period, Haidai Region

This paper is the research about the faunal remains from Haidai region of the Neolithic age. We summarize the animal distributions and human raised animal distributions according to the remains unearthed in various sites of different period, and analyze the behavior and environment of our ancients. We also summarize the patterns of the animal remains used by the Neolithic ancients in Haidai region based on the research we have done.In Chapter One,we give the scope of our research and time range of our study.We introduce the research background,data and method, and describe the innovations of this paper.In Chapter Two, we collect all the information of faunal remains. We study the frequency of occurrence and characteristics of animal species according to the faunal remains unearthed from Haidai region of the Neolithic age. Haidai's fauna rarely changed in the Neolithic age for thousands of years. Fauna from different regions have some differences because of different geographical environment. There are some differences between the sites of one region and it may be because of the different extend of the explosion of natural resources by the ancients.In Chapter Three, we discuss the emergence and feedings of domestic animals (pigs, dogs, cattle, sheep, horses and chickens, etc.) in Haidai region of the Neolithic age. Domestic pigs firstly appeared in the Houli culture period, and they may be locally domesticated. Domestic dogs firstly appeared in the Houli culture period too,and they were in the domesticate maturation period when appearing. Cattle appeared in the middle-southern Shandong,northern Jiangsu,eastern Henan, northern Anhui region during the late Dawenkou culture period. During the Longshan Culture in northern Shandong cattle were fed already; While domestic buffalos, goats,sheep,horses and chickens have not been found during the Longshan culture yet.The purposes of feeding livestocks were mainly to get meat, while dogs were treated as hunting partners.In Chapter Four, we discuss economic lives in Haidai reflected by faunal Remains in the Neolithic age.In the first section, we study the marks on the surface of the faunal remains unearthed in Haidai region of the Neolithic age, and discuss the development of it during this period. The marks on the surface of faunal remains mainly were caused by killing and skinning and some marks were caused by making artifacts related to the reuse of the faunal remains by our ancients. The level of making animal remains products rised all the time from the Houli culture period to the Dawenkou culture period and reached its peak in the late Dawenkou culture period. The quantity of the products is large and the shapes varies greatly and have fine workmanship. We also find some fine and special artifacts. While in the Longshan culture period, the quantity of the products decreased and manufacture craft also went down. And we believe that might be caused by the needs of the ancients.In the second section, we discuss the composition of animals of the Neolithic age in Haidai region and analyze the the meat gains of our ancients. The ancients in the Houli culture period got their meat mainly by hunting cervidae animals. In the Beixin culture period regional difference began to show up. People in north and middle of Shandong area began to raise pigs and the meat resource mainly relied on domestic animals. People in other area began to raise pigs too, but their meat resource mainly come from hunting and fishing. In the Dawenkou culture period raising pigs became the main way for all the regions to get meat, but hunting and fishing are also important. Especially in the Jiaodong Peninsula, shellfish remains were the dominant compositions of animal remains though pigs were the largest part of mammals. In the Longshan culture period, the main meat resource were livestocks (including pigs and catties, and the proportion of pigs decreased compared to the Dawenkou culture period). Hunting and fishing remains were as a complement to get meat resources, and in some area they became more important compared to the Dawenkou culture period.In Chapter Five, the climate reflected by the Haidai Neolithic wild fauna were discussed. From the Houli culture period to the Longshan culture period the environment did not change much for thousands of years. It was consistent with the Holocene climate which was more humid and warmmer than mordern ages. The discovery of large quantities of aquatic animals from different period shows that there were more lakes and rivers in the Neolithic age in this region. Most of the animals in the remains were preys of the ancients. So it probably does not represent the real natural environment at that time.In Chapter Six, we discuss the special animal species appeared in Haidai region and the burial phenomenon according to whether it was buried outside or inside tomb.In the first section, we list systematically information of the tombs in which faunal remains and artifacts were found in Haidai region. Most of these tombs were found in middle-southern Shandong and north Jiangsu which we call it Wensi valley from the Beixin cuture period to the Dawenkou cuture period. Rich and varied faunal remains and artifacts made of animal remains were discovered in tombs. And some artifacts were typical in this area. The culture of northern Shandong maintained a relatively stable development from the Dawenkou culture period to the Longshan culture period. Most of the tombs abundant of funeral objects were found in northern Shandong during the Longshan culture period.Most of the tomb owners were male according to funeral animal remains. Some funeral objects were daily life tools and ornaments and other products. Most of them were used during the owner's life. The amount of these burial artifacts were largest in the Dawenkou culture period. And the amount decreased sharply during the Longshan culture period. Pigs remains (except the teeth) have the highest frequency of being discovered, and they were buried as meat or the symbol of meat. During the Longshan culture period buried with pig's jaws as the symbol as meat became a tradition. Large clam shells,deer teeth,pig's canines and incisors were the symbol of exorcising evils. Dogs were buried as intimate partners in the tombs. It might be the owner's pet or hunting partner. Other species from the tombs were buried as meat. Mollusks remains in the special burial (rock whelk in the Sanlihe tomb and oysters in the Beiqian tomb etc.) were related to the local environment, and also reflected the special ideology of the ancients.In the second section, we focused on the patterns of the animal were buried outside tombs in different period of Haidai region. This kind of special burial involved dogs,pigs,deers,cows,turtles,crocodiles,birds. Pigs and dogs appeared most frequency. And usually the complete skeletons of dogs and pigs were Found in burials. Most of them were skeletons of pigs.In the early age part of the pigs were buried and in the late age complete skeletons were buried which we presume they were for sacrifice. Dogs were buried as a whole from beginning. In the middle period the dog remains were rarely found.But later a large number of the dog remains were found. They were buried as sacrifice. This phenomenon may be related to animal worship, while other animal remains were seldom discovered.In Chapter Seven, we discuss the development and factors of the manners of the exploitation on animal resource. In the whole Neolithic age animal remains were the resource of meat for the ancients in Haidai region.Hunting and fishing from the nature and raising livestocks were to get meats. And some hard animal remains were used to make all kinds of artifacts including tools,decorations and some were for special use. The usage on animal remains has undergone the start-development-peak-the decline process from the Houli culture period to the Longshan culture period.From the Beixin culture period, the ancients selected special animals or particular part of animals to bury in different places (ash pits, trenches or housing sites) as sacrifice to spirits or their ancestors in ritualistic activities. As a symbol of meat or exorcising evils, special animals and particular part of animals were found in tombs from the Beixin culture period to the Longshan culture period. Especially in the Longshan culture period this phenomenon reached its peak. The class of animals and the part of animals which were buried in the tombs were fixed.And oracle bones were found..This showed the ancients had great development in spiritual beliefs. The difference of the usage on animal remains of different periods and regions came from the diverseness of the enviroment in the middle and late Neolithic age. Communications and exchange between different area occurred in the late Neolithic age. At the end of Neolithic age, the influence of enviroment decreased widely. The economic activities of the ancients and the extend of the Exploitation on the enviroment became the most important factors.